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We do not quote before we have seen the idea · size, placement and detail move the figure too much to guess at.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.
Why there is no price list
The same design costs different amounts on a forearm and on ribs, at palm size and at half a sleeve, in fine line and in packed black. A number on a page would be wrong for almost everybody who read it.
Studios that publish a headline price tend to quote the easiest possible version of the work. You find out the real figure later, which is the thing this page exists to avoid.
What you can know up front
Four things are settled before you speak to anybody.
The consultation is free. Every time, whether you book or not.
The deposit amounts are published: £20 for a small tattoo or flash, £50 for a half day, £200 for a full day, £300 for two days or more.
Your deposit is not an extra charge. It comes off the total price of the tattoo on the day.
You see the exact figure before you pay anything, and it does not change afterwards.
When you find out the price
At the consultation, from the artist who would do the work, before any deposit is taken. If the number is not what you hoped, that is the point at which to say so · size and detail can often be adjusted to meet it.
If your artist quotes a deposit that does not match the amounts above, pay the one you were quoted. It is the one that applies to your booking.
Related frequently asked questions
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.
Read the full answer › 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.
Read the full answer › 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.
Read the full answer › 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.
Read the full answer › 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.
Still want to ask somebody? That is what the first conversation is for.
- Written and checked by
THRONE , a tattoo studio in Northampton.
Last checked 22 August 2026 .