Tattoos—you may love ‘em or hate ‘em, but here I am to talk about ‘em. Right off the bat, I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest tattoo connoisseur, and it’s important to do a lot of research and planning before getting one. I personally have three, relatively small tattoos that never took more than half an hour, but hey, I still have some knowledge to share from these experiences that will hopefully help out some of you who are considering getting one.
1. Money/Safety
The average shop minimum for a tattoo ranges from $40-$60. Before running off to the cheapest tattoo parlor, make sure to read reviews and look at pictures of their previous work to make sure they are reliable. Read up on their health regulations and practices. Tattoos are definitely an investment, and you should make sure that you’re going to a safe shop, regardless of their pricing.
On a side note, if you want something really small and are on a budget, consider waiting for Friday the 13th specials, when you can choose from a range of tattoos for only $13. Just remember to research the shop in advance.
2. Design
Whether you believe tattoos should be meaningful or simply see it as art on the body, the design should be one that you feel you will appreciate for the rest of your life. Choose wisely. More power to you if you want to rock Hello Kitty on your wrist ‘til eternity.
3. Pain
The pain level obviously differs for each person and for each body part, but some level of discomfort will affect everyone. The discomfort will pass, so if you truly want a tattoo, I wouldn’t let the idea of pain stop you. For me, getting my rib tattoos done meant getting extremely ticklish and fighting the urge to giggle. Am I a freak? Possibly.
4. Healing Process
I think that the healing process is the worst part of getting a tattoo. Washing and applying ointment every day isn’t too bad. The frustrating part is when the skin where your tattoo is gets ridiculously itchy for about two weeks, but you can’t scratch it because it can distort the tattoo. The most you can do is slap it and hope that the itch goes away. Seeing your skin peel bit by bit as the tattoo heals is pretty gross too, but you’ll get over it.
5. People’s Judgment
I personally would ignore the people who ask, “Won’t you regret it when your tattoos get wrinkly when you get old?” A tatted granny sounds amazing to me. You’d just have stories to tell and proof that you lived a bad*ss life.
I’ll end on a cliché note: live your life the way you want, and do what you want with your body as long as you’re being safe and smart about it.