I walked into In the Clouds Tattoo shop on Friday the 13th, expecting the usual buzz of a flash sale—a tattoo tradition where people line up for quick, affordable designs straight from an artist’s flash sheet. What I didn’t expect was how immediately the space would feel like home. The Hunger Games books lining the shop’s library, the crystals on display at an artist’s station, and the bright print of the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring greeted me like an old friend. I sat in Luna’s chair, excitedly waiting to finally get my Mac Miller–inspired tattoo. At the end of my visit, I walked out with both a new addition and what felt like a new friend.
Run by Latine sisters Mila and Luna Alvarado, In the Clouds Tattoo has become a South Side sanctuary where first-timers and regulars can leave with more than a tattoo; they leave with a story, a memory, and a piece of themselves displayed through ink. The studio is untraditional in the way that it reminds you it’s more than a business to them: it’s a community built on care, inclusion, and creative energy. When Mila opened the shop in 2020, her vision was focused: she wanted a space where she could teach women how to tattoo, a field she had always found closed off, unwelcoming, and male-dominated. Over time, that vision transformed, and In the Clouds grew into a space for everyone, welcoming artists and clients from all backgrounds—a space where anyone who walks in can feel safe, respected, and not judged. The shop’s name, In the Clouds, reflects Mila’s habit of daydreaming. Her family would always tell her to “get your head out of the clouds.” The phrase serves as a reminder that creativity and imagination are the heart of everything she does.
Since moving from Pilsen to Ashburn in 2022, In the Clouds has grown into a space where identity, storytelling, and healing collide. Mila, Luna, and their resident artists make it a point to meet each client where they are, creating tattoos that reflect anything the client wants them to. Recalling one particularly moving session where she covered someone’s scars, Mila said, “I don’t know how to express that feeling—helping someone so deeply and seeing their self-confidence restored. It definitely brought me to tears.” The same commitment to healing runs through Lennox, a resident artist at In the Clouds who centers his work around cultural reclamation through tattooing. “I started tattooing out of wanting to honor my ancestors and try to practice in a way that brings healing to people,” he said. As an Indigenous artist, he’s committed to reclaiming tattoo traditions that have been colonized, ensuring that their origins and cultural significance are respected in every piece.
The shop’s philosophy of care doesn’t just stop at the tattoo chair. Everyone at In the Clouds sees the shop as a living part of the neighborhood—which is why this year they hosted their first annual Friday the 13th block party, transforming 83rd Street outside their shop into a family- and kid-friendly space. There were snow cones, a bounce house, a DJ, and pizza; others waited in a line that wrapped around the block for $31 flash tattoos. Luna is already imagining the next one: “Maybe adding vendors for pop-ups—every year is going to get bigger.” Events like these are part of what set In the Clouds apart from other shops. The shop’s team also regularly hosts fundraisers for causes they are passionate about, the most recent being for Hibr: Tattoos for Palestine, where all proceeds went to an international tattooing mutual aid project supporting needs on the ground in Gaza.
Whether you come in for your first tattoo or your tenth, In the Clouds offers more than ink to skin. By the time you leave, your stomach might hurt from laughing with your tattoo artist, you might walk out with a new pair of earrings from the shop’s mini market, and you’ll definitely carry a lasting impression, leaving you feeling like your head is in the clouds, too.
In the Clouds Tattoo, 8356 S. Pulaski Rd. Tuesday–Saturday, 1pm–8pm. (312) 914-9085. inthecloudstattoo.space. @intheclouds_chicago, @sangre.mia.tattoos, @lunarr.inkk, @v.inks_, @healingheartstattoos, @eoin_mcgraw, @asplund.ink.
Maritza Padilla is a proud South Side Chicago native, loyal White Sox fan, and first-generation University of Michigan alum. She loves to read, get lost in rom-coms, and experiment with creative projects—whether that’s styling outfits, writing, or designing on her iPad. A believer in both astrology and the magic of finding cute trinkets, she brings a curious, creative spark into everything she does. This is Maritza’s first piece for the Weekly.