F.A.Q. (Compiled By Louie Campopiano, Thank Lou, because this took quite a bit of time)

Frequently Asked Questions…

A first tattoo can be a daunting and overwhelming experience. We know you have a lot of questions regarding this process and may be embarrassed to ask. In trying to let you know about the process and some of the most common questions we encounter here at the shop we’ve compiled this list of Frequently Asked Questions…

Does it hurt?

Um… sorta, but not really… let me explain. Admittedly this is the most wondered about aspect of tattooing. A tattoo feels like… well… a tattoo. There are a lot of factors regarding the pain aspect of tattooing. Things like area of placement, size of tattoo, and personal pain thresholds are all considerations. Most people think that it resembles the feeling of a cat scratch. The bigger the tattoo, the more time you are being tattooed the more it accumulates the pain. Though it is worth noting that your body numbs out to the feeling after about 20 minutes so you know it’s there, but it is not excruciating.

The best way to approach the anticipation of getting your first tattoo is not be nervous, but instead excited. It does you no good to overly fret beforehand, but being a little bit anxious right before the tattoo is good. Every day we hear, “oh that doesn’t hurt as bad as I thought!” and its true, it’s much worse in your head than it actually is.

Is it safe?

Extremely. Tattooing has a bad reputation, mostly due to a now bygone era. All of our equipment is single-use then thrown away or cleaned under the same strict guidelines established with hospitals. Also we have all been well versed in cross contamination procedures.

All of our artists wear single use latex gloves. After touching you and before touching anything else they throw away their gloves and put on a fresh pair.

There is no common inkwell. The ink is poured out from a bottle into a single use cap. After the tattoo, the ink cap is then thrown away. NOT THROWN BACK INTO ORIGINAL BOTTLE. This prevents ANY and ALL contamination of your blood into anyone else, as well as anyone else’s blood mixing with yours.

All needles are pre-sterilized then thrown away into a ‘Sharps container’, the same containers used in hospitals to hold syringes. The needles DO NOT get thrown into a normal dumpster.

All tubes are soaked and scrubbed then run through an autoclave. An autoclave is the same unit that dentists and doctors use to clean their tools. These units sterilize by putting the tools under extreme heat and pressure, and kill all blood borne pathogens.

The area will be sprayed down with an anti-viral spray. If the chair comes into contact with the area being tattooed there will be an extra barrier [usually a plastic wrap] placed down and thrown away at the end of the session.

If at any time you have questions…ASK! Your safety is our number one concern.

How much is this going to cost?

That’s a hard one- anywhere from $60 to $5000, I’ll explain. First off we have a $60 minimum. This is a minimum for basic set up of materials, drawing time, and artist time. This would be the cost of a small, simple kanji [Chinese/Japanese writing character], a small star, or small simple initials- a tattoo that tends to take less than a half hour. Our artists cannot go lower than this shop minimum- sorry.

From there it is all based on time. We are $125 an hour, so if it takes a little over a half hour to do a small simple name in script- you are probably looking at $80 to $100. The more you add the more time a tattoo takes, so the more it costs. If something takes an hour and a half you are probably looking at about $160 to $180- which might be something around the size of an orange or maybe a tribal armband. A full sleeve can take anywhere from 25 to 45 hours, all dependent on what the imagery is and how intricate the designs are. It’s hard to give a good price estimate without seeing an image in person so it is always best to just come in and talk to tattoo artist, they’ll help you as much as possible.

Keep in mind that some areas on a body are harder to work than others and that may too come into play when paying. Thus usually the artist gives a $20 range and tries to keep it in that zone. Also, if you start making changes [start adding elements or drastically increase size] to a design that has already been quoted, that may change the overall cost.

Also all of our artists are professionals that have committed their lives to tattooing. They have undergone apprenticeships and tattooed for a long time with steady clientele. They know all the aspects of cleanliness, cross contamination and aftercare. You are getting what you pay for. Getting tattooed in a shop has a much higher likelihood of getting an excellent tattoo, which I need not remind you, is there forever. Shopping around for the best price on a tattoo will give you momentary satisfaction. You may have saved $40 today by not getting tattooed at a shop and instead letting your friend practice on you. Yet if you are unhappy with the job they did later in life, you may have to spend much, much more to cover it up or seek laser removal.

Can I make an appointment over the phone?

Sorry, we need you to come in in-person for that. The problem with over the phone appointments is we don’t know what you want exactly, and need to see what you have in mind. Also if we don’t know the design then we don’t know how much time to block off for your tattoo.

Many days we have walk-in availability but making an appointment is easy enough. Come on in. Talk to an artist. They’ll either draw it up right there or set you up with an appointment at a later date. Then we take a $20 or $40 [if we have to draw it up] deposit to secure a time slot if they can’t do it at that moment. That money covers the drawing cost and comes off the cost of the tattoo.

Can I bring in my own design?

Please do. Yet it’s worth noting that not every design is very “tattooable” [or doesn’t translate perfectly from paper to skin]. The tattoo artists will then make some changes to your design to make it more tattooable, and hopefully you’ll be happy with it and go for it. But don’t feel like that if it’s not perfect that you have to go with it- making you happy is our most important concern. We can redraw until you get what you want.

I have an idea, but can’t draw. Can I explain what I want and have you draw it?

Yes we can and love to do custom work! Though we do recommend a few things. Try to be as clear as you can when describing what you want. This means explaining content, style, placement and size. If you saw a picture or tattoo at all like one you want, bring in a picture as reference, the more the better. Also reference doesn’t have to be the same piece, instead just something in the same vein as what you want, so we can see if you like certain aspects of ‘this’ picture and parts of ‘that’ one.

Also please don’t think just because it was in a tattoo magazine the artist has seen it.

Though there are a few considerations regarding what makes a good tattoo:

Style- You may have noticed there are many different types of tattoos:

Tribal- Thick black lines that tends to follow the flow of the body

Realism- Realistic looking tattoos

Asian- Japanese / Chinese imagery

Graphic- Simple and non-detailed; logo-esque

Traditional – Americana; reminiscent of old ‘sailor’ designs

New Skool – New approaches to old imagery usually using more color and more modern shading techniques.

Bio-Mechanical – A blending of metal and living or organic imagery. Much like the works of HR Giger or even the ‘real world’ of The Matrix movies.

Knowing what style you are interested in is just as important as what the actual image is.

Content- When getting a tattoo you want to make it as readable as possible and this usually means not putting too many ideas into a single design. Often times people want to put too much into a tattoo, and instead of one really good design, they put several elements together and overwhelm the piece. Find a central theme and go with it, and use the other ones for future tattoo ideas.

Size- You may not be able to get exactly what you want at the size you want. You want to think of the smallest tip you can find in Sharpie markers, this is about the smallest you can go for a tattoo. Try drawing your design with one of those, and if it still looks good then it will probably make an excellent tattoo. Sure there are some small tattoos that look great at first, but if done too small over time they become ‘blobs’. We have all seen tattoos of roses about the size of our thumbnail that after 30 years, are just red and black blobs. Going a little bit bigger is not tattoo artists way of scamming an extra $20 out of you, they are trying to give you the best tattoo possible. If you want something really detailed, 9 out of 10 times you need to go a tad bigger.

Placement- This can be an element that dictates a lot more than one may originally think. The best tattoos are ones that ‘fit’ a body part, not fight it. Your body has a natural flow already established to it, and having a tattoo sit comfortably on and properly fill that area can help make an excellent design. Again the size of a tattoo can dictate how well it ‘fills’ an area. Putting a tattoo that doesn’t fit an area just right can make it appear to just be ‘floating’ on an area as opposed to looking ‘right’. As an example think of a tribal design on the lower back. These designs sit excellently on the natural curves of the hips as that they have a slight arc and taper. Again consult the tattoo artist as to what they think might work best.

Will you go over how to take care of this?

Yes we do. After you have finished getting tattooed the artist goes over their specific aftercare. Keep in mind a tattoo is scarred skin similar to a burn or road rash. All of our aftercare is intended to take care of your skin in much the similar way. The more you play with and mess with your tattoo the more likelihood of scarring, color loss, or worse yet- infection. There are several different methods to take care of a healing tattoo. We tend to recommend:

Day One:

Keep it clean. Keep it covered. If bandaged take it off after 2-3 hours [lightly moisten to remove if need be]. DO NOT RE-BANDAGE! Putting a bandage on will cause the fresh ink to stick to a bandage and when you pull it off it will pull out some of the tattoo.

Wash with a mild antibacterial soap [such as Dial], when showering only put it under the spray briefly- a moment or two. Pat dry with a clean towel, DO NOT RUB!

Depending how big of a tattoo you got, you may be very tired. Rest if need be, going out and being active may cause you to upset your tattoo.

Keep clothing off your tattoo.

Day Two

It will be sore. It will be red, irritated, swollen, and the skin will be raised. Your skin is now going to be trying to heal itself so take very special consideration on how to take care of it.

Keep it clean! Wash with a mild antibacterial soap [such as Dial], when showering only put it under the spray briefly- a moment or two. Pat dry with a clean towel, DO NOT RUB!

Apply a VERY THIN layer of generic Triple-Antibacterial ointment onto your tattoo. If you put it on and there is enough to wipe off… you have used too much. Wipe off the excess and leave your tattoo alone. Do this 3-5 times a day to keep your tattoo moist.

DO NOT USE THE BRAND NAME NEOSPORIN- it contains zinc and that will leech out the color.

Do not submerge in a body of water. Hot tubs, bathtubs, oceans, lakes saunas; all of these will hurt your tattoo. Avoid for at least 3 to 4 weeks

No TANNING or SUN! Your tattoo is injured skin and submitting it to heavy UV exposure is bad for the healing of a tattoo.

Try not to put tight, constrictive clothing on your tattoo. These rub and irritate your tattoo.

Day Three to Day Five

Apply the Triple-Antibacterial Ointment 3-5 times a day. Very Thin Layer!

It will start to scab. DON’T PICK THE SCABS! That will pull your color out and you tattoo will look SPLOTCHY!

Try not to put tight, constrictive clothing on your tattoo.

No TANNING or SUN!

Do not submerge in a body of water. Hot tubs, bathtubs, oceans, lakes saunas

Day Six and Beyond

Keep your tattoo moist with a basic, NON-SCENTED hand-lotion [Lubriderm or Curell].

DON’T PICK THE SCABS!!! They will fall off naturally.

You tattoo will be itchy. DON’T SCRATCH IT! This may pull off the scabs, and with the scabs will go the color. Instead slap your tattoo. It sounds weird but it works

No TANNING or SUN!

Do not submerge in a body of water. Hot tubs, bathtubs, oceans, lakes saunas

Continue to do all of this until your tattoo feels like normal skin [typically 2-3 weeks].

What if I heal it with Tattoo Goo?

Sometimes our artists recommend a balm called Tattoo Goo. If you use this item, instead of applying the triple antibacterial ointment, apply the Tattoo Goo. Then instead of switching to a fragrance free lotion, keep applying the Tattoo Goo for a full ten days to 2 weeks after being tattooed before using lotion.

I just got this tattoo about 3 weeks ago. Does it look weird?

If your tattoo has a dull, opaque look but with a shiny, waxy coating it is still healing. It can look like this for up to 6 weeks afterwards. It is just new skin forming. If you are still concerned stop into the shop and we’ll look at it. Don’t feel foolish asking questions, it’s your body and we want you to be happy with it.

Will I need to get this touched up in 6 months?

Not likely. Often times people that had tattoos fade that quickly usually did not go to a shop or an experienced artist to get them done. A professional tattoo artist’s work will last without problems so long as you take proper care of it afterwards. All tattoos fade over time and how you take care of them is the most important factor regarding how well they maintain. That is not to say that there are never problems with the healing process. We guarantee all of our work and will gladly fix any mistakes. Sometimes a section of the tattoo doesn’t take the ink as well as it could, and if this happens we gladly retouch our work for free.

What’s the longevity of a tattoo?

A fresh tattoo should hold up excellently for at least 10 years if you take care of it. The largest contributors to a ruined tattoo are sunlight [or tanning booths] over time or submerging it in water during its healing process. A tattoo that is covered from the sun will hold up much better than one that isn’t. As a tattoo is exposed to the sun it will begin to have the colors fade and the black lines will begin to blur. So if you are going out in the sun [or tanning booth] keep it covered or put sun block on it, and keep lotion on your skin.

During the healing process DO NOT SUBMERGE IN WATER!!! That will leech the colors of the fresh tattoo from your skin. Soaking, swimming, and saunas are the big ‘NO-NOs’ of tattooing. You need to keep from submerging it in water [BUT KEEP IT CLEAN!- i.e. shower] as much as possible but keep it well lotioned until it feels like normal skin. And if you do go into the water to surf and are wearing a wetsuit, wear a rash guard over the tattoo for an additional month.

Black will hold up the longest, and white will fade the quickest. So long as you take care of a tattoo the colors should remain vibrant and it should be many years before you need a true touch up.

Which colors hurt the most?

No color hurts more specifically than any another. Usually when people think a specific color hurts the most is because that is the last color used and the skin is at its most irritated. Often times a tattoo is ‘built up’ from darkest colors to lightest. So by the time an artist gets to, let’s say, white [a highlight color], they have already irritated the skin fairly drastically and it seems to hurt more. But if you were to do white first it would hurt no more than black being first.

Can’t I get cancer from the ink?

This is an old wives tale used to deter people from getting tattooed. In very rare instances the worse that can happen is your body developing a reaction to specific inks. If that does occur consult your tattoo artist.

Can I put this tattoo on the arch of my foot?

Of course you can, but we HIGHLY recommend against it. Again this is a question we hear all the time and hard to explain without a visual. People see fresh tattoos on the foot all the time and they look like cool and clean tattoos, regrettably after about 7 years the tattoo becomes faded and blurry. The arch of your foot is constantly rubbing against your shoe/sock/ground/sandal whatever and that causes the arch to have a high skin regeneration rate. As the skin regenerates it pushes some of the ink out and the overall design is lost. You may think this is great because you don’t want to have the tattoo forever anyway. Well the problem is that it doesn’t fade away completely; it just loses half the color and some of the outline so it looks terrible.

So to answer the question, yes we will do it, but if you are set on having a tattoo on your foot can we recommend that you put it on the top of your foot. The tattoos heal out much better and the longevity is much higher. Also it is best to wear open topped shoes [or none at all are best] while your tattoo is healing for 2-3 weeks.

Will you do ‘ring’ tattoos on the finger?

Again this is very similar to the tattoos on feet question, but with a few other nuances. Your hands are constantly in sun, and the sun is the number one reason tattoos fade. Also the finger is in constant motion so that will wear on the tattoo as it heals. The top of a finger holds up the best so long as the design is simple, the less intricate the better. As the design wraps around the side of the finger the tendency for the wear and tear to take its toll on the tattoo becomes noticeable. The underside of a finger has a very low tendency to heal out well and look ‘mushy’ very rapidly.

Tattoos on the back of hands have many of the same problems as the feet; the sides heal out awkwardly while the top remains a better place.

As a side note regarding tattoos on the fingers and hands: We are still in a society that looks down on visible tattoos and getting tattooed there may have much broader consequences that you may imagine. If you are interested in doing hands or knuckles it is usually best to accumulate a large amount of tattoo work beforehand. With all of that said, yes we will do these tattoos but do try to warn you of the repercussions.

Can I workout after being tattooed?

Yes you can but you may want to revise your workout schedule. If your get tattooed on your arm you may want to focus on doing cardio and legs for the first few days after getting tattooed. The opposite would then be true for your legs. Talk to your tattoo artist before getting tattooed.

Can I go surfing after being tattooed?

You have to way 3 to 4 weeks before you do go surfing. Many of our surfing clientele plan their tattoo appointments around when the bad weather is going to be. Submerging a tattoo in water can ruin it. So you want to wait until it feels like normal skin and is fully healed before you go back into the water. Once you do, you should wear a rash guard over the tattoo to prevent the wetsuit from rubbing on it.

Can I bring a friend in with me?

We know getting a tattoo can be an intimidating experience and if bringing in a friend helps you to alleviate nervousness that totally fine. Though bringing in your entire graduating class may be a tad much. Keep in mind that this is a work environment and other artists are working. So long as your friends are polite and respectful they can totally visit with you while being tattooed.

As a side note though: Taking phone calls on your cell phone can have dire consequences for your tattoo. When you take a call you tend to move involuntarily and that can ruin your tattoo. Please leave it on vibrate or at home.

Can I get a tattooed covered?

Yes you can, but there are several elements you need to understand about cover-ups. Usually a cover up is about three times the size of the original and will attempt to incorporate the old tattoo into the new design. You may not get to have too much input with the design for a cover-up. Red is the easiest to cover up and black is the hardest. Also just a large black ‘tribal’ is not always a great cover up. Often times that will still have the scar tissue of the old tattoo show through the black ink. When covering up an old tattoo the larger, and more organic looking the image the better. If you hate a tattoo that much you may also consider getting laser removal or at least lasered somewhat so it lightened to better tattoo over. Talk to the tattoo artist about what the best ideas are for cover-ups.

Can I get tattooed over a scar?

You may be able to depending on size and freshness of the scar. Usually at you will need to let it heal fully and then wait an additional 6 months to a year before you can tattoo the area, otherwise the tattoo may not heal right. This is a very specific question that would definitely require you to come in and speak directly with an artist.

How long have you been tattooing?

All of our artists have at least 4 to 7 years of professional shop experience tattooing. Everyone who works here puts out clean, solid tattoos. The best way to choose which artist you want to work with is to look at the portfolios and decide which style you specifically like the most.

Can I get tattooed while drunk?

Nope. On our release form we ask if you are under the influence. This is not just for liability reasons, but also for your safety. While intoxicated you are much more likely to move while being tattooed, it is your body’s involuntary reaction to avoid pain. This moving undoubtedly will lead to you screwing up your tattoo. So don’t do it!

Can I get a tattoo even if I am not 18?

No.

What if my parents sign and say it’s ok?

No.

There are several laws on the books that prohibit minors from getting tattooed. This may vary from state to state but also it can fall under federal child abuse statutes. Regardless we are not willing to deal with court and legal fees and potentially losing the shop just because a minor wants to get tattooed. There is no room to move on this.

Use that time to think and research more ideas for your tattoo. What’s a year or two compared to another sixty or seventy?

How can I get an apprenticeship to get into tattooing?

Sorry, but currently we aren’t looking for anyone.

Do you sell any of your equipment / inks/ needles / machines?

Not to you.