Come prepared.
A few things before you sit down. Small habits that make the session smoother, the work cleaner, and the result better from the start.
Set yourself up right
What you do the night before matters more than most people think. A rested, hydrated, well-fed body handles a session better — faster, cleaner, and with less discomfort.
Get a proper night's sleep. Fatigue makes you more sensitive to pain and more likely to feel lightheaded. Drink water throughout the day before — not a glass before bed, but consistent hydration across the whole day.
Avoid alcohol the night before your session. Alcohol thins the blood, which means more bleeding during the tattoo — and that directly affects how the ink sits in the skin. The result suffers. One evening without is a small trade for work that lasts.
Avoid aspirin or ibuprofen in the 24 hours before your session. Like alcohol, they thin the blood. If you need to take something for pain, paracetamol (Tylenol) is a safer option — it does not affect bleeding.
How to arrive
A few things on the day itself can make the difference between a smooth session and an unnecessarily rough one.
Have a solid meal beforehand
Eat a proper meal 2–3 hours before your appointment. Low blood sugar makes sessions harder — you're more likely to feel faint, shaky, or just generally uncomfortable. Don't skip this.
Sessions run long
A full lunch is completely normal — bring it. Your blood sugar will drop over a long session and a proper break keeps you finishing strong. Don't plan to go hungry.
Don't train right before
Intense exercise raises your heart rate and inflames the skin. Both work against you during a tattoo. Save it for after — or better, the day after.
Show up showered
Clean skin is easier to work on. Don't apply any lotion or cream to the area being tattooed on the day of the session — it can interfere with the stencil and how the skin takes ink.
The canvas matters
Healthy skin holds ink better. A little attention in the days leading up to your session goes a long way.
- Moisturize the area daily in the days leading up — soft, healthy skin is easier to work on
- Stay hydrated throughout the week before
- Shave the area the night before if needed — never same day, as it can cause minor irritation
- Wear or bring clothing that gives easy, clean access to the area
- Fresh sunburn — we won't work on burned skin, no exceptions
- Heavy tan on the area right before — it affects how the ink reads and heals
- Lotion or cream on the area on the day of the session
- Any abrasive skin treatments (scrubs, peels) in the week before
Pack light, pack smart
You don't need much. But a few things will make the session more comfortable, especially if it runs long.
Bring food — something proper, not just a snack. Headphones if music or a podcast helps you relax, we have a speaker going but everyone settles in differently. And comfortable clothing that makes the area easy to access without a whole production.
If the consultation and session are happening on the same day, bring everything you have — images, screenshots, sketches, anything that helps communicate the idea. Even a few extra options never hurts.
What to expect
Getting tattooed for the first time comes with some unknowns. Here's what's worth knowing before you sit down.
- Nervousness before — completely expected
- A sharp or scratching sensation
- Some areas hurting more than others
- Waves — it gets easier as you settle in
- Lightheadedness, especially early on
- Relief when it's done and it looks exactly right
- You need a break — always okay to ask
- You feel faint or shaky
- Something feels wrong or too intense
- You want to check the stencil placement again
- You have any last questions before we start
The anticipation is almost always worse than the experience itself. Once you're in it and see the work taking shape, most people forget to be nervous.
Before the needle touches
For most sessions, a consultation happens before the appointment. This is where we work on the sketch together — going through references, direction, composition, and feel. The design is built in conversation, not handed over as a finished file.
For returning clients or those coming from out of town, the consultation and session sometimes happen on the same day. If that's your situation, build in time at the start — the sketch work is part of the process, not something to rush through.
Stencil placement and final adjustments happen on the day of your session, before we begin.
Bring your references — images, moods, anything that communicates what you're after. Know the placement you have in mind and have a rough sense of scale. The more grounded your starting point, the more the sketch can grow from there into something that's actually yours.
Questions before your session?
Ask. We'd rather answer ten small questions than start a session with open ones.
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