Honest First-Tattoo Advice From a Guy Who's Heard Every First-Tattoo Question

First-timers come to my chair with big plans and bigger nerves. Sometimes both need adjusting. Here's what I actually tell them.

Someone's first tattoo idea is two full-day pieces. What do you tell them?

That getting your first tattoo is like climbing a mountain — and you probably don't want to start with Kilimanjaro. Climb a couple of hills first. I'm not talking you out of the big idea; I'm sequencing it. Start with one session, see how you and your skin handle it, and build from there. The plan stays the same — the order gets smarter.

Can people book two full days back to back?

They can, and I usually recommend against it — especially for a first tattoo. It's a marathon, not a sprint. The first day is fine. The second day is the problem: you're already beat up from the day before, your body is spending energy healing, and now we're going again on sore ground. I reserve back-to-back days for heavily tattooed people or clients traveling from far away. Saving one trip isn't worth suffering through a session you'll remember for the wrong reasons.

How much does it actually hurt?

It's different for everybody, and anyone who gives you a universal answer is making it up. What I can tell you: it's not some end-all pain — it just sucks, and the longer the session, the more it sucks. A six-and-a-half-hour day is hard at the end no matter who you are. I've tattooed Delta Force guys — it hurts them too. I've also watched first-timers you'd never bet on sit like statues. Toughness helps less than people think; being rested, fed, and calm helps more. And there's numbing cream for the spots that need mercy.

Why two weeks between sessions?

Because those two weeks are information. When you come back, I see exactly how your skin healed — and I adjust my inks, my needles, my whole approach based on it. If any spot needs some love, I catch it then. Everybody's skin takes ink differently, and the first healed session is the only honest test. Skipping that feedback loop means guessing, and I don't guess on skin.

What should someone do to prepare their skin?

A week before your appointment: lotion, daily. That's it — and it matters more than people think. If you work with your hands — mechanics, degreasers, detergents, washing your hands fifty times a day — or you're out in the sun a lot, your skin builds a shell. It hardens, loses elasticity, and takes ink worse. A week of daily hydration softens all that up. And this is exactly why I look at your skin in person before making promises — I can't feel your skin through a phone.

What about placement — anything first-timers should know?

A few things nobody tells you. Vertical beats horizontal for most imagery — your arms hang down, so a piece designed to be read sideways spends its life sideways. If you wear a watch, say so before we design, not after. And some spots are honest trouble: knees rub ink out from pure flexion, small lettering blurs over the years, and a design that turns the corner from forearm to bicep will never be one seamless image — the arm just doesn't work that way. None of this kills an idea. It shapes where the idea should live.

How does the money work for a first-timer?

Same as for everyone, and it's all published: $1,700 for a full day, $900 for a half day, $500 deposit that goes toward the price. The deposit is non-refundable with one reschedule, and I'll have you read and sign exactly that so there's zero confusion. Do your homework before the consultation — my pricing page and FAQ answer most of it, and my favorite clients are the ones who walk in already knowing how I work. Asking "how much for a sleeve?" cold is like asking "how much for a car?" — what car? How big? There are variables. That's what the consultation is for.

Last one: what makes a good first-tattoo client?

Someone who knows what they want, listens to advice about what will actually work, and remembers it's forever — so make sure you want it. There are no bad ideas, but there are ideas that need adjusting for skin, placement, and time. Heed the advice. I'd rather say no to something that won't age well than take your money and put my name on a future regret. That's the deal in my chair: you bring the story, I make sure it still looks good in twenty years.

First tattoo on the horizon? Start with the full first-tattoo walkthrough, then book a free consultation — Thursday–Sunday, 12:00–5:30. The conversation costs nothing.

---