Getting a tattoo is a very important decision. When you see other peoples tattoos, I’m sure they look cute and you wish you could run out and get one also. Before making that long term commitment by putting ink on your skin, read these 8 tips.
Get a Referral
Don’t just walk into any tattoo parlor — get referrals from friends whose tattoos you admire. If you don’t have any friends with tattoos, do research on your own and make sure you see some of a prospective tattooist’s finished work before you commit.
Scope Out the Place
Go to the tattoo parlor and check it out for yourself. Make sure the studio looks and smells clean and seems sanitary — this may be an indication of the cleanliness of the instruments that will be going into your body.
Check Licensing
Tattoo parlor licensing varies by state and location. Check with the local clerk’s office or health department to see how tattoo businesses are regulated in your area, and make sure the place you’ve chosen is, in fact, licensed.
Investigate Sterilization
Checking the license is not enough, however. Make sure the tattoo studio uses proper sterilization techniques, including an autoclave for steam pressure sterilization, sterile packaging that is opened in front of you, and sanitary disposal procedures. The studio should not reuse inks, ointments, or other materials. And the tattoo artist should wear sterile gloves throughout the tattooing.
Meet the Artist
Interview prospective tattoo artists, check out their work, and choose someone who makes you feel comfortable — and, of course, whose work you like. You may also consider asking if you can watch the artist work on someone else first.
Choose Your Colors Carefully
Keep in mind that the colors will fade over time. Ask about the purity of the ink the studio uses. And — not that you want to worry about tattoo removal before you even get tattooed — here are a few things you should know about colors: Dark blue and black respond best to laser treatments for removal, yellow and green are both very difficult to remove, and pink and red can sometimes turn black if you try to remove them with laser treatments.
Be Prepared for Pain
The ink does go through a needle after all, and your skin will react with bleeding, scabbing, and redness.
Think It Through
Finally, and most importantly, be sure it’s what you want. I’ve had to do painful laser treatments on tattoos that people no longer wanted, so just make sure you’ve thought it through — especially if the tattoo is going to be visible (on your neck or hands, for instance). And think twice if you’re planning to get yourself tattooed with someone’s name or something controversial.
Valery Amador, Daily Venus Diva -- Daily Venus Diva.
ummm the 5 i got i never did all that…lol….3 things to add
- think about placement and find out about the pain factor on that particular area. everyone has a difference tolerance for pain, however, some areas hurt for majority everyone. some areas dont even hurt right away.
- think about cost. i’ve been referred to tons of places but ultimately its my budget that makes the call some places are more expensive because of name alone. also get pricing info before you committ. the size of your tat changes the price. dont get all excited thinking you’re finally getting that tattoo then find out you cant afford it. location changes pricing too – for instance expect to pay more in miami even if you dont go to the miami ink thats on tv.
- colors – you need to also find out what shows up better on what skin tone. having darker skin there are colors good tattoo artist will tell you wont show up at all or will definitely fade and need instant retouching.
-retouching – did you know alot of shops will do retouching on their work for free…just fyi
Wow, I didn’t know some places retouch for free. There are many things to consider and placement is definitely one of them! I too have 5 BUT I wish I would have not been so spontaneous when I got them. Usually when I have my mind set, that’s it and when I was younger that was it for me.
I am glad that I got them in somewhat hidden places but there was a time in my life that I was willing to get more. I am sooo thankful to God that I stopped before getting carried away though because I got some that I just really don’t like anymore… what was I thinking!? LOL! Either way that is just how it is once you get them, so think long and hard about it first. I got one in Delaware, 1 in New York and the rest in Philly. The one I got in New York was the worst! Me and my friend were hanging out in NY and I just decided I wanted a tat. I had been thinking about it and then walked into a few shops. I did look to see how clean and friendly the people were and mainly focused on the price. At first it was cute but when I got to Philly I hated it, my butterfly was lop sided and just ugly. I later got it fixed by freestyling some wings that I wanted to fix the ones I already had and the artist fixed it up….this was costly and made the butterfly bigger than I wanted on my body so i would say YES, spend time looking at the kind of skills your artist has and really think about it because it is permanent….unless you can afford to have it removed by laser. Hey I hear of a balm that helps make tats fade, have any of you?
If you are really into modeling, I read that many clients prefer models without tats so that is something to consider too!
Pretty much everything that the article above mentioned is very good to consider and what TMarlene said was good too. Hoping this helps!
I’ve never gotten a tattoo but my mom has 2 and my younger brother has 2. There was a time that I thought about getting one, but I’ll just pass.
Great advice. I have one tattoo that I just got this past Spring. It’s a small star with Zebra print inside. I thought about the placement a lot before I got it. I am very happy with it. I just got the black ink instead of black and white because my artist said that the white fades too quickly. I have wanted this particular tattoo for awhile now and I had a lot of time to think it through. I can say that this is my first and last tattoo I will ever get.