I recently got my first tattoo (well my first two tattoos while on vacation recently. Afterwards, I realised how little I knew about the nuts and bolts of getting tattoos, so I’m doing you the favour and sharing what I learnt in the process.
Cost
Tattoo prices depend on where you are and the size and detail of your tattoo. The artist/studio will tend to cost in advance and finalise things like fonts and designs. The studio I went to measured the area of skin where I wanted the tattoo to go and costed it based on that. Simple word tattoos are on the lowest end of the time and effort scale. Also worth considering throwing in miore than one tattoo in a session to make it cheaper.
Process
After you’ve discussed and finalised design and signed a consent form, a stencil is usually made and applied to the skin (do you remember the temporary tattoos that used to come in lollipops?) to confirm size and placement. The artist shaves the area of skin where the tattoo goes and then the actual ink is applied. The tattoo feels like cutting the skin with a blunt knife, I found it quite painful. However, it’s very very fast, which makes it more bearable. It took about 5 minutes to do my two tattoos.
Aftercare
After the tattoo, a bandage is applied to the tattoo and only needs to be left on for two to three hours. After taking it off, the tattoo and area around it will appear red and swollen, which is completely normal. Wash the tattoo surface and apply ointment. A thin layer of ointment or lotion needs to be applied two to three times day. The goal is to keep the tattoo moisturised (but not overly so) to assist the proper healing of the tattoo. If the skin is left to constantly dry out, it can affect the appearance of it and how it heals. After a day or two, the tattoo will start to scab a little and the colour may appear a little fainter. Just continue to moisturise and let it heal, it will take anything from a few days to two weeks for the scabbing process to stop.
Where did you get it done?
Love Hate Social Club in Notting Hill, London. It cost £180 for both.
Existential Questions
How did you decide what to get? The tattoos resonated with me
What do the tattoos mean? Both are a reminder of my mum. One of the tattoos is her signature, which I recreated to make it more appropriate for a tattoo.
What if you get bored? It is what it is