FAQ
The things people ask us
Honest answers, without the sales pitch. If what you want to know is not here, ask us · no question is too basic and nobody was born knowing any of this.
Before
How should I prepare for a tattoo?Turn up rested, fed and hydrated, and do not drink alcohol beforehand. Good preparation genuinely reduces how much it hurts, cuts down bleeding and helps the skin take the ink cleanly.Do tattoos hurt?Yes. Every tattoo involves some discomfort · that is the nature of the work. How much varies from person to person and depends heavily on the part of the body being tattooed.Do I need to know exactly what I want?No. You need enough for us to start a conversation · a subject, a rough placement, or even just a picture you keep coming back to. Turning that into a design is the work you are paying an artist for.How old do you have to be to get a tattoo?Eighteen. It is a criminal offence to tattoo anyone under 18 in the UK and a parent cannot consent on their behalf. Bring photo ID · we ask everyone, every time.Can you cover an old tattoo?Usually yes, though what is possible depends on how dark, how large and how old the existing piece is. Send us a photograph and we will tell you honestly what can be done with it before you book anything.Can you get a tattoo while pregnant or breastfeeding?Not at THRONE. We do not tattoo anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding. It is a firm policy rather than a case-by-case decision, and we will move your booking rather than work around it.Can you tattoo over scars?Usually, once the scar is fully mature, which normally means at least a year and sometimes two. Scar tissue takes ink differently from the skin around it, so the design has to be planned for that rather than dropped on top of it.How do you become a tattoo artist in the UK?Through an apprenticeship, almost always. There is no national qualification and no course that licenses you · what you need is a portfolio that proves you can draw, a studio willing to take you on, and registration with your local council before you tattoo anybody.Do hand and finger tattoos last?Not as well as the rest of the body, and no artist can change that. The skin on hands turns over faster than almost anywhere else, and fingers crease thousands of times a day, so lines soften and spread sooner. Anyone promising otherwise is selling you something.Do I need laser before a cover-up?Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly which applies to yours. A few laser sessions can turn a cover-up you would settle for into one you actually want. Plenty of pieces need none at all.What does a semicolon tattoo mean?In writing, a semicolon is where a sentence could have ended and the author chose to carry on. As a tattoo it stands for continuing through mental illness, self-harm or suicidal thoughts · sometimes the wearer’s own, sometimes for somebody they lost.Is getting a tattoo safe? How do you know a studio is clean?It is safe in a studio that is registered, uses single-use needles and opens them in front of you. Every tattooist and premises in England and Wales must be registered with the local council, and you are entitled to ask to see the certificate.Can you tattoo over a mole or a birthmark?No, and no reputable studio will. We design around moles and birthmarks rather than covering them, because a mole needs to stay visible so that you and a doctor can see if it ever changes.How do you choose the right tattoo artist?By looking at healed work in the style you actually want, rather than at fresh photographs of anything. Every tattoo looks good on the day. What matters is what it looks like a year later, and an artist who is proud of their healed work will show it to you.Does numbing cream work for tattoos?It can help, usually for the first hour or two rather than a whole day. Speak to your artist before you buy any · numbing products change how skin takes ink and how it bleeds, so it affects their work as well as your comfort.
On the day
What should I wear to a tattoo appointment?Loose, dark clothing that gives easy access to the area, and layers. You will be sitting still for hours, ink gets on things, and a room that felt warm when you arrived will not by hour four.What if I do not like the design?You say so, and it changes. Nothing starts until the stencil is on your skin, you have looked at it in a mirror and you have said yes. Changing your mind at that point is normal and it costs you nothing.
Aftercare
How do I look after a new tattoo?Keep it clean, moisturise it lightly, and leave it alone. Wash it gently with unscented soap, apply a thin layer of unscented lotion two or three times a day, and never pick at it. Most tattoos heal on the surface in two to four weeks.Can you donate blood if you have a tattoo?Yes, but not straight away. NHS Blood and Transplant asks you to wait four months from the date of your tattoo. After that a tattoo makes no difference to whether you can give blood.How long after a tattoo can you swim?Wait until it has fully closed, which is usually two to four weeks. Pools, the sea, hot tubs and baths all mean soaking an open wound, and that is how tattoos get infected and how ink gets pulled out before it has settled.Can you drink alcohol after a tattoo?Leave it for at least 24 hours. Alcohol thins the blood, and a tattoo that has just been finished is still weeping plasma into the surface. Drinking that evening makes it weep more, which means more scabbing and a longer heal.How long do you leave second skin on a tattoo?Follow what your artist told you on the day, because the two kinds of covering are completely different. A simple wrap comes off after two to five hours. An adhesive film such as second skin stays on for several days.Is Bepanthen good for tattoos?It works, and plenty of artists recommend it. What matters far more than the brand is how much you use · a thin layer that lets the skin breathe, two or three times a day, and never a thick one.Why is my tattoo peeling?Because the top layer of skin is replacing itself, which is exactly what should happen. It usually starts around day three to five. The ink sits in the layer underneath, so what comes away is dead skin rather than your tattoo.Why does my new tattoo look faded?Almost always the healing rather than the ink. Around days three to fourteen a layer of drying skin sits over the top and makes everything look dull and milky. It clears on its own, and the tattoo underneath is the one you were shown on the day.How do you wash a new tattoo?With clean hands, warm water and unscented soap, two or three times a day for the first fortnight. Wash gently with your fingers, rinse, pat dry with a clean towel or kitchen roll, then a thin layer of moisturiser.Why does my tattoo itch, and what can I do about it?Because the skin is repairing, and it usually peaks around days four to seven while the peeling is heaviest. It is normal and it passes. What matters is not scratching it, because scratching pulls ink out of skin that has not closed.When can you go to the gym after a tattoo?Give it two to three days before anything light, and at least a week before you work the area properly. Sweat, friction and shared equipment are three of the better ways to get a fresh tattoo infected, and stretching skin that has not closed pulls at the healing.How do you stop a tattoo fading in the sun?Keep it out of the sun completely while it heals, then use a high-factor sunscreen on it for the rest of its life. Ultraviolet light breaks pigment down, and sun exposure is the single biggest reason tattoos look tired years earlier than they should.
Booking
What does a tattoo cost?We do not quote before we have seen the idea · size, placement and detail move the figure too much to guess at. The consultation is free, the deposit amounts are published, and the final price is agreed with your artist in person before any work starts.What if I need to move my appointment?Let us know at least 48 hours before your session and we will move you to a new date, with your deposit carried over. Deposits are not refunded, but a date is not the same thing as money lost.Do you take walk-ins?Yes. We can usually fit someone in, though it is never a promise · it depends on the day. You can walk in with your own idea too, not just something off the flash board. What decides it is whether the piece fits the time an artist has left.How long does a sleeve tattoo take?Several full-day sittings spread over months, not one long appointment. A half sleeve is commonly two to four days of work, a full sleeve four to eight, with three to four weeks between sittings so each section heals before the next begins.How long does a small tattoo take?Plan for an hour or two in the studio for something palm-sized, even if the tattooing itself is twenty minutes. The rest is the stencil, the placement, and getting it right before anything starts.
You do not have to arrive with an idea, or with the right words for it. Tell us roughly what is in your head and we will take it from there.
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