New Tattoo Removal Shop Makes Ink Go 'Vamoose'

Even in Bucktown and Wicker Park, where getting inked might seem as pedestrian as getting dinner, there are times tattoo regret can surface.

Enter Vamoose Tattoo Removal, the latest addition to Damen Avenue in Bucktown, which opened late in June.

The new business was founded by Drs. Howard Bennett and Marc Falleroni, and Monika Kecki manages the daily operations. She’s a certified laser technician and said Vamoose should fit into the community nicely.

“We don’t try to promote it like it’s something you need to get removed,” Kecki said. “Tattoos aren’t a bad thing. But sometimes people get something and later they don’t want it, or they want it changed.”

Kecki, who has tattoos, said she wants patients to feel comfortable. The office carries the message that tattoos aren’t a bad thing, hanging photos of prominent people who were reportedly inked, including Winston Churchill and Teddy Roosevelt. 

“We’ve also visited all of the area tattoo shops to let them know what we’re all about,” Kecki said. “If we can lighten a tattoo here, it makes it easier when someone goes back in to them.”

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Part of what Vamoose does is lighten tattoos, not just remove them. It also offers free consultations so patients can get a better understanding of the process. Basically, a laser gives a burst of energy into the ink and breaks it into particles. The session only takes five to 10 minutes, and it takes six to eight weeks for tattoos to fade away.

Vamoose, located at 1864 N. Damen, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays.