Thanks for taking a minute to learn about how we work.
WE KNOW THIS IS A LOT TO READ. And we appreciate you taking some of your own time to research our process. We get a lot of emails, and do not have the extra staff to respond to inquiries containing the basic questions and instructions outlined here.
To expedite the process for everyone, if you do not follow the instructions for booking, you will be directed back to this policy. We hate to have to hammer this point in repeatedly on our website, however we constantly receive an overwhelming amount of inquiries from folks who do not read the page and make things slower for everyone else.
If your question is NOT answered on here please feel free to use our contact page.
Do you do piercings? Sell body jewelry?
No sorry, we are strictly a tattoo shop.
Do you take walk-ins? How long until I can get a tattoo?
Tattoo sessions and consultations are by appointment. All our artists require a consultation to get to know you and your tattoo idea before we book you an appointment for a future date. This allows an artist to put more into your design. Each artist has different availability and can discuss that with you in the consultation. Since our artists are typically booked out in advance, walk-ins are only available circumstantially. Please call ahead first.
So I want to make an appointment with an artist. Now what?
Well, first off, thank you for choosing us!! If you want a larger, or more involved or stylized tattoo, and have not yet chosen the artist you’d like to work with, we recommend doing a lot of research on the style, size and placement you’re looking for in a finished tattoo, and work backwards from there to the right artist for the job. If you find an artist on our site with work in their portfolio that matches the style of work you want, you might be a good match! Choosing a tattoo artist is a very personal decision based on the final product you’re picturing, so unfortunately we do not have the required staff available to help everyone choose an artist if they are not particular. We ask that you decide yourself who you’re comfortable working with based on their portfolio.
Your next step is to contact the artist you’d like to work with and ask if they would like to take on your tattoo project; if they accept they will arrange a consultation (usually digital these days) and collect a deposit before scheduling your actual tattoo appointment. We are fortunate to receive more requests for tattoo work than we can accommodate at any given time, so if your design does not fit within the artist’s preferred tattooing styles, or they simply can’t take on any new work at the moment, they might decline and, if they are able, make a recommendation for another artist who would do a great job at it. If this is the case please be respectful that we have to turn away some work to do a great job at the ones we do accept. We would rather not compromise quality or time spent with clients to take on a higher volume of work. We want you to end up with the artist that has the time, interest and ability to give you the attention your tattoo deserves and who will do an amazing job at it, even if they don’t work in our shop.
Our artists schedule their own consultations and appointments personally, so contact them directly through email. You can find a Tattoo Request Form via the website on each artist’s page. This form asks for all the criteria needed to give the artist a good idea for what you want tattooed. Or you can construct your own email. Please be thorough in your email with a description of: the tattoo you want, size (approximate dimensions in inches), placement on the body, and reference photos that help describe your ideas to the artist, to avoid any unnecessary emailing back and forth before we can even understand the work you want done.
Our artists get a very large volume of emails, which they respond to for free in their off hours, when they could be tattooing, drawing tattoos, promoting, or playing with their cats, among many other things. To save time, our artists respond to all their emails in batches every week or two, so it is not uncommon to wait a week or more for a reply. We do however try our best to reply to everyone. You’re welcome to resend an email if you do not hear back within a few weeks (it might have gotten lost in the hustle), but please do not call the shop or resend if you have not heard back in 2 or 3 days. This is not emergency dental work, and we value our artists’ well-being by encouraging them to work on emails at their own pace. We thank you for being patient with a response.
Can I just call the shop or walk in to schedule?
While we do have a phone, we use it mainly for clients to call to notify us of last minute cancellations or lateness, or for urgent matters like aftercare questions. We do not give price quotes or schedule anything over the phone.
How much does a tattoo cost?
Asking “How much does a tattoo cost?” is similar to asking “How much does a bag of groceries cost?”… it varies hugely based on what’s in it, how big the bag is, and whom you’re buying it from. There are as many factors in pricing tattoo as there are factors in designing tattoos, so we cannot give you a price until the tattoo is designed and sized with you in person. Your idea of “small” or “simple” may not be the same as our idea, so we do not want to give anyone inaccurate information. After talking with your artist at a consultation, they can give you a ballpark range for a single-session tattoo, or an hourly rate for a larger, multi-session tattoo. Our minimum price to set up for ANY tattoo (even smaller than a quarter with no color) is $120 and they go up from there. We cannot give you a price range for a tattoo over phone or email.
What happens at a consultation?
It is super helpful to send any reference pictures of tattoos, artwork, or photos that you like the look of to help explain your ideas to your artist, but remember we are all custom artists, and will use your references as inspiration only and not directly copy someone else’s tattoo that you bring in. Luckily for you, this will ensure that you get a super unique tattoo that is designed just for you. We do have a large library of reference material for you to check out, but do not have many pre-drawn (“flash”) designs, with the exception of some drawn by our artists. Since our artists all work in a set drawing style, we realize we cannot effectively tattoo 100% of styles. If you want a tattoo in a style that we don’t feel like we can execute effectively, we will happily give you a recommendation for another artist, if we can, even if they don’t work with us. We firmly believe that commissioning a tattoo is just that, commissioning a piece of custom artwork from an artist that you connect with. We prefer to tattoo a smaller amount of customers who “get” our work, to give as personalized an experience as we can. We hope you understand.
During your consultation your artist will discuss size, layout and placement with you, and if you like the direction they are going with it, they will take a deposit towards the tattoo to start work on your design and comes off of the price of the last session of the tattoo. This deposit is to ensure that you’re serious about getting the tattoo you’ve discussed with your artist, and if you decide not to get the tattoo for any reason, do not show up to your appointment, or are over 30 minutes late, the deposit is kept as payment for the artist’s time. We recommend you look over and understand our deposit and billing policy at the bottom of the page.
What types of payment do you accept?
We accept Cash only for tattoo payments. Deposits can be made in cash or via Venmo.
How should I prepare?
Be well rested, and eat a good meal two to three hours before your appointment. If you are hypoglycemic or diabetic, please inform your artist ahead of time. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing that you would not mind getting dirty, and will grant access to the area we need to tattoo. Feel free to bring music or other entertainment (your phone, magazines, a tablet with a movie for very long sessions, anything you can enjoy without moving). It is always nice to be on time, if not a few minutes early, but please no more than 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. State Law prohibits persons less than 16 years of age from entering the tattoo shop, so please plan accordingly. We also recommend bringing a small snack and a sugary drink, especially if this is your first tattoo. Being tired, hungover or having low blood sugar can increase the discomfort level, which brings us to our next point:
Can I drink or take pain medication before my tattoo?
No! Alcohol and aspirin thin your blood, making you bleed more than normal. This not only makes the job harder and your tattoo take longer, but excessive bleeding can make your tattoo heal improperly causing it to look faded and unattractive. As far as drugs go, we are not pharmacists and there is no way to tell how every drug will affect you being tattooed. Most importantly we want you in a clear state of mind and with the least possible chance of feeling ill during the tattoo. This is an exception of course for prescribed medications. Check with your doctor if you are not sure if it is safe to receive a tattoo on your medication. So please come in feeling like yourself, we won’t tattoo you otherwise. And yes (because everyone asks), after the tattoo you can drink again after the first few hours (after bleeding has stopped), or take Tylenol or ibuprofen to help with swelling or pain.
After your consultation, we take a deposit to secure your appointment spots and start working on your design. We have a copy available here for your reference, of our policies on changes and cancellations to your design or appointment. Thank you for your cooperation in this, as short notice changes to our schedule cause us to lose tattooing and drawing time, when other clients are waiting for availability as well. We truly appreciate your understanding.
Deposit Policy
A tattoo deposit is paid after a consultation with an artist to begin work on a tattoo design, and to hold a tattoo appointment thereafter. The amount of the deposit is equal to the artist’s hourly rate. (Hourly rates vary by artist and currently range $120-$150/hour)
All tattoo deposits are non-refundable.
For multi-session tattoos, the deposit will be held as payment towards the last hour of the last session of the tattoo.
Upon paying a deposit you acknowledge that you have communicated your tattoo design idea to the artist to your satisfaction, and have reviewed the artist’s prior works to decide that the artist can implement your idea to your satisfaction. Please understand that creating a tattoo design based on a client’s concept is subjective, and that variations may exist between your concept and the finished design. If the finished design is not to your liking, minor changes will be made at the artist’s discretion. However, substantial changes to the design or the request of an entirely new drawing or draft will require a new deposit, and the original deposit will be forfeited as payment for the artist’s drawing time.
No Drawings or drafts are emailed or otherwise previewed to clients before their scheduled appointment time.
A deposit will also be forfeited in full in the case of:
- I do not appear for a tattoo appointment;
- I cancel or reschedule an appointment without giving at least 48 hours’ notice;
- I reschedule an appointment within 48 hours more than twice;
- I arrive more than 30 minutes late to a tattoo appointment;
- I fail to reschedule a new appointment within 7 days of a cancelled appointment;
- I fail to reschedule an appointment within 7 days of being contacted with the phone number or email given;
- I arrive to a tattoo appointment without government-issued identification.
Billing Policy
Clients will be billed at the artist’s hourly rate, starting when the physical application of the tattoo begins and ending when the piece is completed to the artist’s satisfaction.
We do not accept pre-payments. We do have hand-designed gift certificates that you can purchase if you wish, but you are solely responsible for keeping the physical copy until your appointment.
Congrats! You made it! We thank you so much for taking the time to read and review our policies and procedures. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns that were not covered here! Hope to see you soon!