Tattoo Do's & Dont's

Seriously. Don’t just get tattooed. Think about it. It doesn’t have to have some deep, dramatic meaning to it. It can be as carefree as picking a flash design that you vibe on…just as long as you know you want it. And don’t let others (not even your girlfriend) tell you what you should get. It’s your skin. Be the Master & Know what you want. Seek books, read about tattoo meanings, and if anything fits, sketch up or print out some references of what you think you want & go to your preferred tattoo shop for consultation. Any tattoo artist would be more than glad to make deals with someone who isn’t confusing.

A really good tattoo isn’t cheap. So save up for it because YOU are worth it. And DON’T HAGGLE. Tattoo artists, and all kinds of artists for that matter, are not art machines. If you take the cost of your tattoo divided by 365, and then multiply it by your remaining time here on earth, you will see that you end up paying about 50c a day for that tattoo, so don’t haggle. Their products aren’t like those mass-produced items you see at the mall on sale. They risk their health by tattooing every day, and as if back pains, head pains and hand aches aren’t enough…they also rack their brains trying to understand how to design your tattoo. Good tattoo artists should get paid by the hour, as justly as you do. If there should be any discounts made, it should be the artist’s call. Take it as a gift.

This should be self-explanatory. Clean yourself up, making sure to wash the area where you want the tattoo. It should be clean and undamaged. Make sure you smell good, to keep your tattoo artist from being distracted. For full aftercare instructions, make sure to click on the “Tattoo Care Page”.

For the best tattoo experience, get enough sleep and eat heartily before your tattoo appointment. Your body needs rest & rejuvenation for maximum pain tolerance. And please abstain from alcohol at least 48 hours before the tattoo session (alcohol thins the blood, making you bleed more than you should—thus giving your artist a hard time to tattoo).

Wear clothes that allow easy access to the area where you wanna get the tattoo. Think loose, comfortable clothes. You don’t have to dress up, really. Cause you won’t be going anywhere.

Be on time to finish on time. Time is money. Time is of the essence.

For one thing, it’s annoying to tattoo a loud & drunk person. For another, it’s hard to tattoo when you’re too drunk or too high to keep still. So please, be in your best condition. We take this job seriously, and any good tattoo artist will refuse to tattoo a person who’s not in good condition for tattooing. If it’s cool with your artist to down a few beers then do so, but do your part: keep still.

The Tattoo shop is a place for grown-ups and we all know that. Having kids running around the shop not only will distract the tattoo artist but also subject them to potentially encountering the tattoo shop’s bio-hazardous wastes which can be dangerous to their health. There’s a lotta blood happening in a tattoo shop; different kinds of blood from strangers with unknown medical histories. We want to keep our kids away from that. Also, getting a tattoo while telling off your toddler to chill out every 10 minutes is just unnecessary stress to give your body. So get tattooed wisely and leave the kids safe at home. It’s for your & your child’s good.

At first, it is fun. But when the tattoo session starts to take long & gruelling hours, some might grow bored & tired of waiting. They’ll stand up, walk around, check you out, and sit back again. It could be quite distracting for the tattoo artist to play host.

If it hurts, take some deep, meditative breathing. Clear your mind & think mind over matter. Pain is just there and it won’t kill you. Think strong thoughts. You’ll earn that beautiful tattoo soon. If you want to cry, just cry on the inside.

If he/she is not talking, it doesn’t mean he/she is being rude. They are simply just concentrating. Tattooing, as in carefully inserting pigments into the correct area of the skin, requires much concentration. So if you want the best work, let your artist focus on conserving his creative energy.

Not all tattoo studios do this, although it is not uncommon. Tip them as you would to a waiter or driver for their good service. Especially if you made them do a lot of revisions and a lot of laborious work. Tipping your artist makes them feel appreciated and establishes a good relationship for the next tattoo projects to come.