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.

What you should see

You do not need to know anything technical. You need to see a few specific things happen, and you should see them whether or not you are watching for them.

Needles and tubes opened from sealed packets in front of you, not already laid out when you sit down.
Fresh gloves, put on after the artist has set up and changed if they touch anything else.
Cling film or barrier film over the machine, the clip cord, the lamp handle and the bottles.
Ink poured into single-use caps, and those caps thrown away in front of you at the end.
A sharps bin, and the needle going into it when the session ends.

The registration certificate

In England and Wales both the artist and the premises must be registered with the local council, which inspects before issuing it. Working without one is an offence.

It should be displayed. If you cannot see it, ask · nobody running a clean studio minds being asked, and the reaction to the question tells you as much as the certificate does.

Fair questions to ask

None of these are rude. A studio that treats them as rude has answered you.

Are the needles single-use? The answer is yes everywhere it should be.
How do you sterilise anything reusable? An autoclave, with records.
What is in the ink, if you have allergies or want vegan pigments.
What happens if something goes wrong afterwards, and who do I contact.

The risk that is actually yours

Most infections do not come from the studio. They come from the two weeks afterwards · a hand that was not washed, a swimming pool, a picked scab, a gym bench.

The aftercare is not paperwork. It is the half of this you control.