Your First Tattoo: What to Consider

Almost everyone arrives with a motif rather than a style. That's the right way round.

A style is a way of building an image, not the idea behind it. The same flower can be tattooed in fine line, dotwork, color realism or a graphic style. Each one looks different, needs a different amount of room and ages differently.

So you don't have to commit before you get in touch. What helps more is being able to say what your tattoo should show and how it should feel. We'll work out the rest together.

You can explore the options in our overview of tattoo styles.

This is where first tattoos get decided too quickly more often than anywhere else.

A studio is a room with hygiene standards. The tattooing is done by a person with a style of their own. Picking a studio and then asking who has time leaves exactly the decision that shapes the result down to chance.

Look at portfolios, and not just at a handful of favorite pieces. Pay attention to healed work, not only fresh work. A fresh tattoo always looks good. What's interesting is how it looks after a year.

If you already have a clear idea, the portfolios will tell you who fits it. If you don't, that's fine too. Matching the two is our job.

Our article on how to choose a tattoo studio covers what else to look for. You'll find our whole team under our artists.

For a first tattoo there's a simple rule: pick a spot that sits still.

Upper arm, forearm, thigh, calf and back have even skin and little friction. That's where a tattoo stays closest to how it was made.

Hands and feet take more punishment. Movement and friction mean tattoos lose definition faster there, and fine details have the hardest time of all. Our article on hand and foot tattoos explains why.

Ribs, knees and elbows are also less comfortable. How you experience being tattooed depends on your own sensitivity and on how long the session runs. On a first tattoo you don't know that yet, which is exactly why an easy placement is a good call.

Scars and stretch marks can be tattooed over too, but that needs lead time. More on that in our article on tattoos over scars.

Small and highly detailed at the same time: that's the most common misconception about first tattoos.

Every line needs room next to the next one. If a detailed design is tattooed too small, the lines move together over the years, and the detail turns into a solid area.

So sometimes you'll hear from us that a design should be larger than planned, or that some details are better left out. That isn't a sales tactic. It's the difference between a tattoo that still works in ten years and one that needs reworking by then.

If you're unsure about size, talk it through with your artist. On the body, they see straight away what works.

You do not need a finished design. Four details are enough for an initial assessment:

1. A short description of your idea
2. A few reference images, including color, mood or style
3. Your preferred placement
4. An approximate size in centimeters

You don't need a finished design. References can be several images that each show part of what you have in mind.

A note on references: an image from the internet is welcome as a reference. A one to one copy of an existing tattoo is not something you'll get from us, and not only for legal reasons. Why, is covered in tattoos and copyright.

More on writing a good inquiry is in how to get a tattoo appointment.

A deposit is due when the appointment is booked. That's standard in the industry and there's a concrete reason for it: your artist's work doesn't start on the day, it starts with the confirmation. Research, planning and drafts all happen beforehand.

How large the deposit is and what applies if you reschedule or cancel is covered in our article on the tattoo deposit.

In the days before: drink plenty, keep your skin supple with body lotion, no sunburn on the spot.

The day before: no alcohol, no recreational drugs, no excessive caffeine. If you take medication regularly, don't stop on your own. Check anything you're unsure about with your doctor first.

On the day: come rested and fed. No cream on the area to be tattooed. Comfortable clothing that leaves the spot accessible. And don't forget your photo ID, we're not allowed to tattoo without proof of age.

The full version is in how to prepare your skin before a tattoo.

This is hard to describe and easy to show. In this short video you can see an appointment at our studio, from arriving to the moment the tattoo machine starts.

First you go through the prepared design with your artist and adjust it together until the motif, size and position are right. Then the stencil goes on your skin, more than once if needed, until the placement works. Only then does the tattooing begin.

The important part for you: until the stencil is on, everything is still changeable. Take your time looking at the size and position. If something bothers you, that is exactly the moment to say so. After that it gets complicated.

Yes. But differently than most people expect.

The most useful comparison is a graze, so a scratching, burning feeling rather than a stabbing one. How strong it is depends on the placement, on the length of the session and on you. Fleshy areas are manageable, spots directly over bone are less pleasant.

What helps: eat beforehand, take breaks, breathe instead of tensing up. What doesn't help: alcohol beforehand, because it increases bleeding and makes the result worse.

Most people are surprised after the first ten minutes that it's doable. On longer sessions it gets harder toward the end. That's normal, and you don't have to push through. Just tell your artist when you need a break.

Your artist will take care of the fresh tattoo and explain how to care for it.

In short: clean gently, moisturize thinly, don't scratch or pick, avoid unnecessary friction. For the first weeks, no direct sun, no swimming, no sauna, no long baths.

Surface healing usually takes two to three weeks. It often takes four to six weeks or longer before the tattoo settles into its final appearance. In between it looks dull and flat in places. That's normal and it passes.

Everything else is in our aftercare guide. How to tell that something isn't right is covered in our article on the infected tattoo.

Tattoos are charged by time, not by the centimeter. The price depends on the level of detail, style, color, placement and the work involved, and the hourly rate differs from artist to artist.

A reliable estimate is only possible once we know your motif and the key details. Send us both and we can judge the effort realistically.
How prices come together is covered in how much a tattoo costs.

When getting your first tattoo, it is worth looking beyond the price. A correction or cover-up can cost considerably more later than the difference between two quotes. So also consider whether the style, size, placement, and Artist are right for your idea.

1. Deciding too fast. A motif that has stayed with you for six months is a different basis than an idea from last night.

2. Choosing by availability. If you want a particular artist's style, you sometimes wait months. That's time well spent.

3. Going too small. Many people want their first tattoo to be as discreet as possible, then regret that the design has no presence.

4. Collecting too many opinions. Ask for feedback by all means. In the end the tattoo stays with you, not with the people who had an opinion about it.

5. Underestimating aftercare. The first two weeks help decide what the result looks like in ten years.

We tattoo people aged 18 and over only, and not earlier even with a parent's consent.

You don't need all the answers before you get in touch. If you're unsure about the motif, the size or the placement, just ask. There are no stupid questions about a first tattoo, and we'd far rather spend ten minutes talking it through beforehand than correcting something afterward.

Send us your idea, a few references, your preferred placement and an approximate size through our inquiry form. We look forward to hearing from you.