How To Prepare For Your Tattoo
Whether it’s your 1st tattoo or your 100th, these tips will help us both.
Do’s
- Drink more water than usual the week of your tattoo. You wouldn’t believe how much this helps with pain level and healing process.
- Exfoliate. Use a scrub and/or washcloth to exfoliate i.e., remove excessive dead/dry skin. This is especially helpful for things like feet, elbows and knees. Just don’t over do it!
- Eat! Eat a good meal before your appointment. A lot of nerves are in our stomach. Eating first will not only really help with pain, but also keep you from passing out.
Don’ts
- Be hungover
- Be intoxicated
- Be sunburned
- Be sick with illness; If you are sick please stay home and reschedule.
- Bring children at all unless they are being closely taken care of by another adult over the age of 18.
- Shave the area to be tattooed unless we talk about it first
- Apply lotion to the area to be tattooed; Wiping it off will unnecessarily irritate skin.
I reserve the right to opt out of tattooing you if you are sick, intoxicated, sunburned or not in your right state of mind.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, just vaccinated or on antibiotics it is also advised that you do not get tattooed.
What to bring
Feel free to bring whatever makes you comfortable. Things I highly recommend are:
- Headphones
- Snacks/Food
- Non-alcohol beverages
- Comfy clothing and a small blanket
- Something to read
Mental Preparation
I strive to make the tattoo process as stress free and healing as possible.
Personally on the day of my tattoo I wake up like it’s Christmas; very excited. The regulation of the nervous system and keeping stress to a minimum is important before and during the process. Some folks tend to have anxiety before a tattoo. Talking to me about being nervous or excited is usually helpful. Distractions are helpful. I recommend using whatever tools you use to ground yourself in your day to day life normally.
How well you prepare both physically and mentally will help or hinder your tattoo process and healing. As always, ask if you have any questions about preparation.