Do tattoos hurt?

What it is actually like

Our artists are trained to work in a way that keeps you as comfortable as the work allows, and most people find it far more manageable than they expected. It is closer to a persistent scratch than to a sharp pain, and it settles once you are a few minutes in.

Tolerance differs from person to person, and the same person will feel two pieces differently depending on placement. Nobody can tell you in advance exactly what your session will feel like · what we can tell you is what makes it worse and what makes it easier.

What changes the pain level

Four things make most of the difference:

• Where on the body. Areas over bone or with thinner skin are felt more than fleshier areas.
• How long you sit. On a large piece worked over several hours the skin gets tired, and the last hour is usually felt more than the first.
• How you have prepared. Being rested, hydrated and properly fed, both before and during, makes a genuine difference to how well you handle it.
• Alcohol. Drinking beforehand thins the blood, makes you bleed more and makes the whole thing hurt more.

Why we will not tattoo you if you have been drinking

We do not tattoo anyone who has drunk alcohol before their appointment. This is not a judgement · thinned blood means more bleeding, more bleeding means ink does not settle as it should, and the result is a tattoo that heals worse than it needed to. It also hurts more, which is the opposite of what people expect when they have a drink for their nerves.

If you turn up having had a drink, we will move your session rather than work on you. Tell us honestly and we will find another date.

If you are nervous

Say so when you arrive. It is the most ordinary thing in the world and every artist here has heard it a thousand times. We can talk through what is about to happen, work in shorter stretches and stop whenever you need to.

You can ask for a break at any point in any session. You are never stuck in the chair.