For years, the process of getting a tattoo has been a bit murky. While tattoo shops survive because they work with new and old customers alike to tattoo amazing designs, that doesn’t mean they’ve always communicated processes clearly. Here at Certified Tattoo Studios, we pride ourselves on being transparent and upfront with our customers about the entire tattoo process from start to finish. Sharing information on our website, on YouTube, and on social media is all a part of this process! 

If you’re looking to gain some tattoo insider access to information about all the things tattoo shops don’t want you to know, we’ve got you covered.

Your Tattoo’s Story

While the story behind your tattoo may be incredibly meaningful to you, many tattoo shops don’t want to know the story behind your art. This is not meant to be inconsiderate or offensive in any way, but most tattoo shops, and tattoo artists, are focused on actually doing your tattoo and making it the best it can possibly be. Because tattoo artists are so intensely focused on the art they are tattooing on your skin, the story isn’t always important. It can be a super meaningful and impactful tattoo to you as the person getting the tattoo, but oftentimes the meaning behind a tattoo truly only matters to you. And that’s the beauty of it, really! Tattoos are so very meaningful to those who choose to get them, as well as being amazing works of art.

Hourly vs. Piece Pricing

If you’ve ever gotten a tattoo, or even discussed getting a tattoo with a tattoo shop or artist before, you know that pricing can be a bit complicated and convoluted. The problem with pricing is largely due to how difficult it is for a tattoo artist to name their price without you giving them a budget. Because of how complex tattoos can be, figuring out your budget ahead of time can help your tattoo artist determine the type of tattoo and the techniques needed to do that tattoo, which in turn helps them determine pricing.

At Certified Tattoo Studios, we have a team of knowledgeable sales representatives who help figure out pricing for our tattoo artists and for our customers, but for most tattoo shops that’s not the case. Many places will have a hard time figuring out the hourly cost vs. the price per piece since both can vary greatly. Because of the way the tattoo business has been run in the past, pricing can simply be complicated! Get to a place where you can say what your budget is and still pay your tattoo artist what their time and skill is worth, and you’ll leave happy—even if it takes a little while to get there.

Walk-Ins

Many tattoo shops prefer not to do walk-ins, though that isn’t always clear upfront. Especially when it comes to well-known and revered tattoo shops and artists, bookings can be for months or years in advance. It’s important to understand this when calling up your tattoo shop to ask about getting your next tattoo.

Walk-ins can be difficult from the tattoo artist’s side, but that isn’t always understood from the client’s side since it’s historically not been communicated well. With walk-ins, tattoo artists are often put on the spot to create a tattoo based on the client’s artistic ideas. This can lead to a rushed process, which doesn’t always result in the best tattoo! Tattoos are art, and anyone familiar with any sort of art knows that rushing the process can cause the art to suffer. If you schedule an appointment ahead of time and give your artist plenty of time to create the best tattoo, then you’ll walk out of your tattoo session with an amazing new piece of art on your skin.

While all Certified Tattoo Studios do accept walk-ins—we always want to keep the customer in mind and are here to serve you—scheduling an appointment is a great option in almost all cases, especially if you have a custom or unique tattoo design in mind.

Not All Designs are Great

The simple truth of the matter is that not everyone who walks into a tattoo shop walks in with a jaw-dropping custom design—in fact, most don’t (at least not at first.) We know that not all of our clients are artists, and that’s okay! It can be tricky, though, to communicate thoughts and suggestions to improve your art design. Tattoo artists need to be able to draw the tattoos they are tattooing, so that’s one of the reasons it’s important to work with your tattoo artist to create artwork they can successfully ink onto your skin. 

This doesn’t excuse rude or overly critical critiques on behalf of any tattoo artist when you’re discussing your design with them, but it does mean that both parties should come to the tattoo process with an open mind and some flexibility. If you run into pushback on your tattoo design, be open to hearing the tattoo artist’s suggestions. All tattoo artists want to do great tattoos. They take pride in their work and want to create the most amazing art they possibly can so that you (and the tattoo artist) are happy with your new art.

Pricing Details

Anything that has to do with money is tricky sometimes. Some tattoo studios don’t want you to know pricing. They are concerned with making sure that their time and skills are fairly compensated, but they also want to make sure that you are getting something within your budget. Each tattoo artist is unique and has their own spin on all the tattoos they do, and that can make it hard to figure out pricing. But if you go into the tattoo experience with an open mind, a budget, and a flexible mindset, you’ll find out everything you need to know about pricing and walk away with an incredible tattoo.

Now that you know some of the things you might run into when you schedule a tattoo session at your local tattoo shop, you can start the entire process feeling more confident and prepared. With these five secrets tattoo shops don’t want you to know now exposed, you can be ready to get your new ink and have a great overall tattoo experience.