8 Things No One Tells You Before Getting A Tattoo, According To Our Tattoo Artists

Many people sit through appointments in silence, worried they’ll ask something that sounds silly. In reality, tattoo studios expect questions. Aftercare, healing timelines, pain levels, placement adjustments—these conversations are normal, and they’re encouraged.

Artists would much rather answer questions than have someone leave feeling anxious or misinformed. Clear communication builds trust, and nothing improves a tattoo experience more than understanding what’s happening to your body.

If you’re unsure, speak up. Chances are, your artist has heard the question hundreds of times before, and will be glad you asked.

It’s tempting to ask everyone for feedback on a tattoo design. Friends, family, coworkers, group chats, social media followers, and suddenly your personal idea turns into a public debate.

The problem with crowdsourcing opinions is that most people don’t actually understand tattooing. They don’t know how designs age, how placement shifts with movement, or how certain details translate onto skin. Tattoo artists do.

Trusting the artist you chose isn’t blind faith; it’s respect for experience. A tattoo doesn’t need universal approval. It only needs to make sense to one person: the one wearing it.

One of the most common mistakes artists see is clients arriving on an empty stomach, running on nothing but nerves and excitement. Tattooing puts your body under real physical stress, especially during longer sessions. Without proper fuel, that stress can turn into dizziness, shaking, nausea, or even fainting.

Eating beforehand isn’t optional; it’s preparation. A solid meal with carbohydrates and protein gives your body the steady energy it needs to manage pain and support healing. When your blood sugar is stable, your body handles the experience far better.

And while it should go without saying, showing up hungover only makes everything harder. Alcohol thins your blood, lowers your pain tolerance, and can affect how your skin behaves during the session. It can also lead to increased bleeding, which makes the artist’s job more difficult and the process less comfortable for you.

Skipping the bar the night before might not feel heroic, but your body, your artist, and your tattoo will thank you for it.

Budget concerns are completely understandable, but extremely low prices are often a red flag. Poor-quality tattoos don’t just look bad; they create long-term problems. Uneven lines, blowouts, patchy saturation, poor healing, and lasting regret are common results of rushed or inexperienced work.

Fixing those issues almost always costs far more than the original tattoo. Cover-ups are complex and limiting. Laser removal is expensive, time-consuming, and painful. What seemed like a bargain at first can quickly turn into a long, costly process.

A well-executed tattoo is an investment—not just in art, but in confidence and peace of mind.

There are few things tattoo artists cover up more often than names. Ex-partners, former spouses, youthful romances that once felt permanent—names have a way of outlasting the relationships they were meant to honor.

Even when someone feels completely certain in the moment, life shifts. Relationships change. People grow. Tattoos, however, remain exactly as they are. Removing or covering a name is rarely simple, and almost never inexpensive.

Pausing before committing someone else’s name to your skin isn’t pessimistic; it’s practical. Some sentiments are better honored in ways that won’t require laser removal later.

Almost everyone walks into a studio convinced they’re getting “just one tattoo.” And almost no one sticks to that plan.

There’s something about the experience itself—the hum of the machine, the quiet focus, the moment you watch your skin transform—that pulls people in. Before long, many clients are booking appointments back-to-back, filling space faster than they ever imagined. What starts as a small symbol on the arm can quietly turn into a sleeve-in-progress, often without much pause for reflection.

The issue isn’t getting multiple tattoos, it’s getting them too quickly, without thinking long-term. Prime placement disappears fast. Styles evolve. Tastes shift. Many people end up covering or reworking early pieces simply because they didn’t leave room for growth. Thinking about cohesion, spacing, and future ideas from the beginning can save a lot of regret later.

Tattoo trends move fast. One year, it’s tiny minimalist symbols; the next, it’s micro quotes or whatever flash design is circulating on Pinterest. Social media has sped up the cycle even more, making certain styles feel inescapable, for a moment.

The problem is that tattoos don’t fade out the way trends do. What feels fresh and exciting today can start to feel dated or disconnected from who you are a few years down the line. Studios see it all the time: people who don’t regret having tattoos, but regret the reason they chose a specific design.

A simple rule of thumb helps: if you’d still love the tattoo even if no one else had it, or if it suddenly stopped being popular, you’re probably making the right choice.

Many first-timers leave their initial session thinking tattoos aren’t that painful. Then they choose a different placement the next time, and reality sets in.

Pain varies dramatically depending on location. Areas with more bone, thinner skin, or a high concentration of nerve endings tend to be far more intense. The ribs, feet, knees, and inner arms have their reputations for a reason. Style plays a role, too: a delicate fine-line piece feels very different from dense blackwork or detailed realism.

Understanding this beforehand doesn’t make you weaker; it makes you prepared. Knowing what to expect allows you to pace yourself, breathe through it, and manage the experience instead of being blindsided by it.