Body art studio coming to Des Plaines

A body art studio offering tattoos and piercings is coming to Des Plaines.

The business, to be called Masterpiece Ink, is proposed for a storefront in a one-story commercial building at 570 E. Northwest Hwy. It’ll be run by Buffalo Grove resident Berny Morales.

The 585-square-foot storefront is vacant, but formerly was occupied by a thrift store and other businesses, city documents indicate.

Following a brief presentation of Morales’ business plan by Community Development Director Jeff Rogers, the city council on Monday unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the venture.

The business will operate by appointment only, taking customers between 10 a.m. and midnight, Rogers said. The studio will have two employees working at separate stations.

After spending years working at a tattoo shop in Chicago, this will be the studio Morales owns, he said in a telephone interview. He said he chose the suburban location to be relatively close to home.

Morales said he hopes to open in early September.

Under city rules, tattoo shops in Des Plaines must be at least one mile from each other.

The other tattoo studios is Des Plaines — High Class Studio at 633 Metropolitan Way and the Serpent’s Lair at 1781 E Oakton St. — exceed that distance from the Northwest Highway address, Rogers said.

After a question from 6th Ward Alderman Mark Walsten, the council approved the permit without further discussion.