All tattoos hurt a little bit. Some areas will hurt more than others and sometimes you will barely feel it, but all tattoos are bearable, otherwise people wouldn’t be extensively tattooed. The best thing to do to minimise the pain and anxiety of getting tattoo is to stay calm and don’t tense up, breathe slowly and accept that it will hurt a little. Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing and that you have eaten and had a good night’s sleep beforehand. Many people chose to take a pain killer such as ibuprofen an hour before the tattoo and find that this helps to take the edge off.
Everyone’s pain threshold is a little different so this will vary from person to person. When thinking about the placement, you should have the tattoo where you want it not where you think it will hurt less, the pain will be short lived, but the tattoo will be permanent. In general, the places that have more contact in day to day life hurt less (such as upper arms/legs) However when choosing the placement of your tattoo it would be advisable not to take this into consideration as pain is temporary but the tattoo placement is not.
It is commonly acknowledged that the ribs are one of the most painful places to get tattooed.
Numbing creams can be great for smaller tattoos. They generally don’t work for more than a couple of hours though so we would not recommend them for longer sittings. Always consult your tattoo artist before using numbing cream as not all artists like to work on skin that has been numbed.
The cost of your tattoo will vary depending on the size, placement, design and artist. The best way to get an accurate price estimate for a tattoo is to have a consultation with the studio or artist and we will then be able to advise you on the price. We also offer 0% finance options for larger projects.
The general healing time for a tattoo is 7-14 days. This does not mean that it will hurt for 14 days but you may find that is it a little itchy and scabby. Each artist will provide you with suitable aftercare instructions for the tattoo you are having. In general, the best advice is to keep it clean by washing with hot water and a natural, perfume free baby soap for the first few days and then to make sure you use a recommended tattoo aftercare cream to moisturise the healing tattoo. Never pick the scabs off a healing tattoo as this will result in colour loss and patchy healing. You need to keep a new tattoo out of prolonged contact with water for 14 days, so no swimming or long soaks in the bath. Showers are fine though. It is advisable to keep any tattoo out of the sun and to always use factor 50 sunscreen.
It is not advisable to get tattooed while pregnant and no reputable tattooist will do this. You will be asked to sign a consent form before your appointment, one of the things it will ask you to declare is that you aren’t pregnant.
By law you must be over 18 to get a tattoo in the UK. You must be able to produce a valid form of photo ID.
Unfortunately, you cannot bring a friend into your tattoo appointment, there are loads of great coffee shops and restaurants nearby where someone can wait for you though. If there are circumstances where you require someone to be present, please let the studio know beforehand so that we can make arrangements to accommodate you both in the studio.
Your design will be ready to view in the studio on the day of your appointment. If there are any small changes that you want to make there will be plenty of time for you to chat with the artist and they will be more than happy to amend the design.
The time your tattoo takes will vary depending on size, placement and detail. Your artist should be able to give you an idea of how long the piece will take at the time of booking. Please note that we can only give an estimate on the time a tattoo will take as each design is custom.
To book your tattoo simply fill in a request form on your chosen artist’s Instagram account, or on the No Regrets website and one of our sales team or the artist themselves will reply to start the booking process with you. You will have a consultation and you will need to leave a non-refundable chair rental fee (which will come off the overall cost) to secure an appointment. We will let you know an estimated price before you schedule your appointment.
You will have a consultation with either the sales team and/or your chosen artist before your appointment to ensure that your design is exactly what you want.
For contamination reasons we do not tattoo using ashes.
When choosing a tattoo artist, it’s essential to thoroughly do your research, look at artists’s portfolios, read reviews from previous clients, and schedule a consultation to discuss your design and ensure a comfortable and confident partnership.
To put it simply, yes, you can apply for tattoo financing, which lets you spread out the payments so you don’t have to worry about paying for it all at once.
No, we recommend avoiding swimming or sun exposure while your tattoo is healing. Swimming can introduce bacteria into your new tattoo and sun exposure can cause the tattoo to fade and discolour. Both can cause the healing process to slow down so we recommend following your artist’s aftercare instructions on the best ways to look after your tattoo.
Yes, it is possible to tattoo over scars, but it depends on certain factors such as the texture of your scar and how healed it is. We recommend booking a consultation with your tattoo artist so they can advise on the best way forward for your tattoo.
