Lena Graves

Get a good night’s sleep, drink water, and eat a proper meal before your appointment. Arrive showered with clean skin. For longer sessions, bring water and a snack.

Wear clean, comfortable clothing that gives your artist easy access to the area. Choose something you don’t mind getting ink on. Let your artist know beforehand if you need privacy or additional coverage.

Leave shaving to your artist unless they instruct you otherwise. Avoid waxing, exfoliating, or doing anything that could irritate the area right before your appointment.

Contact your artist before coming in. Sunburned, damaged, irritated, or infected skin may require rescheduling.

Arrive sober. Do not drink alcohol or use recreational drugs before or during your appointment. An artist may decline to tattoo anyone who appears impaired.

Yes. Share relevant conditions, medications, allergies, adhesive sensitivities, and any history of fainting or unusual scarring. If you take blood thinners or have a condition affecting immunity, bleeding, or healing, speak with your healthcare professional beforehand. Never stop prescribed medication to get a tattoo without medical advice.

Tell your artist before booking and discuss timing with your healthcare professional. Your artist may have a policy requiring you to wait.

Ask your artist before applying anything. Products and studio policies vary. Some numbing products contain unsafe levels of anesthetic, and incorrect use can cause serious side effects. Follow medical advice and product directions; never apply extra or wrap it to increase its effect.

Bring a valid government-issued photo ID, your agreed payment method, and any references your artist requested. Confirm the studio’s age requirements before booking.

Contact your artist as soon as possible if you have a fever, contagious illness, or feel unwell. Check the artist’s cancellation, rescheduling, and non-refundable deposit policies before booking.

Yes, but the sensation varies with placement, size, session length, and your own sensitivity. Let your artist know if you’re uncomfortable or need a break.

Tell your artist immediately. Don’t try to push through it or stand up suddenly. Your artist can pause and help you get settled.

Speak up before tattooing begins. Check the stencil’s spelling, dates, size, orientation, and placement carefully. You should feel comfortable with the design before giving approval.

Ask first. Guest and photography policies vary. Always get permission before photographing or recording your artist or other clients.

Yes. You can request a break or stop at any time. Your artist will explain how this affects completion, future sessions, and pricing.

Follow the written aftercare instructions provided by your artist. Bandage types require different care, so confirm which dressing you have and when to remove it. If a healthcare professional gives you instructions for a complication, follow their treatment advice.

Use the timing your artist gives you for that specific dressing. A traditional bandage and an adhesive film, sometimes called second skin, are not interchangeable. Don’t use someone else’s removal schedule.

Some ink-colored fluid can collect underneath. If the film leaks, exposes the tattoo, or causes significant itching, burning, or a rash, contact your artist promptly for removal and care instructions. Don’t puncture the film or try to seal a leaking dressing with household tape.

Wash your hands first. Gently clean the tattoo with lukewarm water and mild, fragrance-free soap, using your fingertips. Rinse gently and pat dry with a clean disposable paper towel. Don’t scrub or use a washcloth. Clean it about twice daily and after it becomes dirty, following your artist’s instructions.

Use a thin layer of the fragrance-free moisturizer or aftercare product recommended by your artist. Avoid thick buildup. Don’t apply products under an adhesive dressing unless its instructions specifically call for it.

Avoid rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, fragranced products, exfoliants, and harsh cleansers on the healing area. Don’t use antibiotic or steroid creams unless a healthcare professional recommends them.

Some initial tenderness, mild redness, swelling, and small amounts of clear or ink-colored fluid can occur. Itching, flaking, and light scabbing may follow. Symptoms should gradually improve rather than become more severe.

No. Let flakes and scabs come away naturally. Picking, scratching, or shaving over healing skin can damage it and affect the finished tattoo.

Healing varies by person, tattoo size, and placement. Surface healing takes several weeks, and deeper skin takes longer. A tattoo that looks healed may still be healing underneath.

Yes, following your dressing’s instructions. Keep showers brief, use lukewarm water, and avoid scrubbing or directing a strong spray onto the tattoo. Pat it dry afterward.

Wait until the skin is fully healed—with no open areas, scabs, or peeling. Avoid pools, lakes, oceans, baths, and hot tubs during healing. A waterproof dressing does not make swimming safe.

Avoid activities that rub, stretch, or irritate the tattoo while it heals. Keep it away from shared gym surfaces and equipment. Resume gradually based on placement, healing, and your artist’s guidance.

Keep a healing tattoo out of direct sunlight and avoid tanning beds. Protect it with shade and loose, clean clothing. Once fully healed, use broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher to help protect your skin and preserve the tattoo.

Use clean bedding and avoid pressure or friction on the tattoo when possible. Keep pets away from the healing area. If clothing or bedding sticks, gently wet it with clean lukewarm water to release it—don’t pull it off dry.

Wait until the skin has fully healed and is no longer peeling, scabbed, or tender.

Seek prompt medical care for spreading redness, increasing pain or swelling, worsening heat, pus, foul odor, fever, chills, or red streaks. On darker skin, redness may be less obvious, so also watch for changes in warmth, swelling, tenderness, and drainage. Don’t wait for your artist to respond before seeking treatment.

Contact a healthcare professional for a persistent or worsening rash, blistering, or significant itching. Reactions can involve ink, adhesives, or aftercare products and may occur even after healing. Trouble breathing, throat or facial swelling, or fainting requires emergency care.

Contact your artist for routine aftercare questions, dressing instructions, and concerns about appearance. Contact a healthcare professional for suspected infection, allergic reactions, or other medical concerns.

Possibly. Let the tattoo heal fully before assessing it with your artist. Touch-up timing, eligibility, and pricing vary by artist.

Moisturize as needed, protect healed skin from sunlight, and avoid tanning beds. Tattoos naturally change over time. Have a healthcare professional check persistent bumps, texture changes, or other unusual skin changes.

Make sure you know when to remove your dressing, how to wash and moisturize the area, which activities to avoid, and how to contact your artist. Ask for written aftercare instructions so you can refer to them at home.