During winter break of my freshman year, I got a tattoo of a crescent moon on my middle finger. My friends from home and I had always enjoyed lying on a tapestry and looking up at the sky and stars, and once we all turned 18 we talked about getting matching moon tattoos. Although we didn’t act on the idea right away, by the time winter break of freshman year rolled around we made the sporadic decision to get our tattoos.
On a whim, we went to a random tattoo parlor without reading any reviews (already a bad sign). Most credible tattoo parlors don’t even do finger tattoos anymore because they fade quickly. Nonetheless, we drove to the tattoo shop and walked in knowing we wanted moon tattoos, but without any other real planning.
The tattoo artist drew out the tattoo for us, and we quickly agreed on the design. He charged us $50 each, the minimum price for the shop. He also made us pay up front, another bad sign. My friend Alex went first, and after her tattoo was finished, the tattoo artist took a shot of some type of liquid from a flask. We assumed it was alcohol, but we had already paid, and Alex had already gotten her tattoo.
The process of getting tattooed probably took thirty minutes total for my three friends and me. Long story short, our tattoos started to fade within a few days. In retrospect, I wish we had them. I love tattoos and think they can be really meaningful and beautiful, but if you plan on getting one, PLAN. Remember you are going to have this tattoo on your body for the rest of your life, unless you get it removed, which I’ve heard is a very painful process.
Do extensive research and read reviews on the tattoo parlor you plan to go to, and don’t let the tattoo artist pressure you into his or her design. If you don’t like the design, speak up.