To make your tattoo appointment more enjoyable follow these instructions to allow ease at the moment of getting your new tattoo.

 

During the 48 hours prior to your tattoo appointment

 

  1. Hydrate: Drink plenty of water, allowing your skin to hydrate making it easier for the ink to be absorbed by the skin therefore making the tattoo process smoother and less painful.
  2. Moisturize: Use lotion on your skin to hydrate and soften the area you plan to get tattooed.
  3. Don’t shave: Right before placing the stencil, your artist will sanitize and shave your skin. Therefore it is recommended not to do it at home before getting tattooed to avoid a cut and a possible infection that might damage the tattoo during the healing process.
  4. Shower: Shower and clean yourself before coming to get a tattoo, it is important for the skin’s hydration as well as the cleaner the skin the less risk of infections during the healing process. Also, your artist will thank you *wink wink*
  5. Eat a big breakfast: Make sure the morning of your tattoo appointment you eat a big breakfast, you want your body to have good nutrients to withstand the pain during the tattoo.
  6. Sleep well: Make sure you sleep well the night before your appointment, a well rested mind is key to increase your energy and pain tolerance.
  7. Don’t drink or smoke: Try your best not to drink alcohol or smoke weed in the 48 hrs prior to the tattoo, as well as 48 hours after. Alcohol thins your blood making you bleed more than usual and making it harder for the ink to be absorbed inside the skin, and weed will make your body hypersensitive causing you more pain than usual.
  8. Don’t take pain killers: Pain killers tend to have blood thinners which, like alcohol, will make the tattoo process longer, harder, therefore more painful.
  9. Don’t apply numbing creams: Numbing creams as well as pain killers are big No Nos in tattoos, not only do they not work as expected when battling the pain, they also make your skin more sensitive and propense to swelling causing you more pain and skin trauma in the long run, specially during long sessions.