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.

One to two weeks before

Skin in good condition takes ink better, and this is the part most people skip.

Drink water regularly. Well-hydrated skin is plumper and easier to work on.

Moisturise the area daily so the skin is not dry or flaky by the time you arrive.

Keep the sun off it. We cannot tattoo over sunburnt or peeling skin, and a burn the week before will lose you your appointment.

Do not shave the area in the days beforehand. Razor burn and ingrown hairs cause more trouble than stubble does · we will shave it on the day.

Twenty-four to forty-eight hours before

The two days before your session matter more than the two weeks.

No alcohol. It thins the blood and makes you bleed more, which affects how the ink settles.

Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen, which also thin the blood. Paracetamol is fine if you need something.

Sleep properly, seven or eight hours if you can. Being tired makes everything harder to sit through.

On the day

Eat a proper meal about two hours before you come in · something with protein and carbohydrates. Sitting down on an empty stomach is the most common reason someone feels faint in the chair.

Go easy on caffeine. Too much makes you jittery and can increase bleeding.

Shower before you come, but skip perfume, body spray and fake tan.

Bring snacks and a sugary drink for longer sessions. Blood sugar drops after a couple of hours and it is easily fixed.

Wear loose, dark clothes you would not mind getting ink on, and dress in layers · rooms feel different when you have been sitting still for hours.

Two things that will move your appointment

We will not tattoo you if you have been drinking. Thinned blood means more bleeding, ink that does not settle properly and a tattoo that heals worse than it needed to. It also hurts more, which is the opposite of what people expect.

We also cannot work over sunburnt, broken or badly irritated skin. In both cases we will move your session rather than do a poor job · tell us honestly and we will find another date.

If you are on medication or have a health condition

Tell us before the day rather than on it. Blood thinners, diabetes, skin conditions, pregnancy and breastfeeding all matter to how we plan a session, and some mean we should wait.

You will fill in a health form before we start in any case. Nothing on it is there to catch you out · it is there so we can work safely, and so is the conversation.