How To Request a Tattoo Appointment
First off, we are honored that you would choose us for your tattoo. Thank you. We’re about to get serious, but it does not negate our gratitude for your interest. Our booking process may seem inflexible or complicated, but it is necessary due to the volume of requests we get. Please read thoroughly and also check out our FAQ page.
To make the process more efficient for everyone, if you do not follow the instructions for booking, your email may be deleted without a reply.
Due to the custom nature of our shop, we do not have an admin or office manager who books appointments. Each artist accepts work at different volumes. While some take emails year round, several of our artists only open their books to requests for work in a specific time window every few months, in order to condense their correspondence times. Each artist has details of how they accept inquiries on their artist page.
If the artist’s page that you are interested in says “books are closed”, that means that you cannot request an appointment now, and will have to wait for the next time window when that artist is booking. If you are interested in an artist whose books are currently closed, we recommend following them on social media through the links on their artist page to be notified exactly when their books open.
Our artists schedule their own consultations and appointments personally, so contacting them as is outlined on their artist’s page is the only way they can be reached. If you are not particular about which tattoo artist does your work, and do not want to wait for our artist’s books to open, we suggest visiting any of the other tattoo shops in the area, as nearly all of them take walk-ins and are of good quality.
We’re going to repeat that one - EMAILING WHEN BOOKING IS OPEN IS THE ONLY WAY TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT.
In your email, please include:
A description of the tattoo design you want
Approximate size and dimensions, in inches
Placement (which body part and where on that part)
Any reference images (knowing that we will not copy an exact image, but to use as a reference point of what you like visually in terms of style, color, coverage, etc)
If your email does not contain this information about your tattoo, you may not receive a reply.
I emailed, now what?
Our artists get an overwhelmingly large volume of emails that they respond to when they are not working directly with clients, and they typically respond to all their emails in batches when they open their books. Therefore, it is not uncommon to wait up to two weeks for a reply once their books open. We do our best to reply in a timely manner to everyone who follows booking instructions. You're welcome to resend an email if you do not hear back within a month, but please do not resend if you have not heard back in 2 or 3 days.
Why did my appointment request get rejected?
We are fortunate to receive more requests for tattoo work than we can accommodate at any given time, so please don’t take it personally. If your design does not fit within the artist's specialties, or they simply can't take on any new work at the moment, they will decline. We have to turn away some work because we will not compromise quality or time spent with clients to take on a higher volume. We want you to end up with an 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.
We are a slow-service establishment.
There is no way around our booking process and there are not any shortcuts to getting an appointment here. We thank you for your patience.
Common Questions Once You Have Booked Your Tattoo Appointment:
What happens at a consultation?
At your consultation your artist will discuss size, layout and placement with you. They will also discuss a price range, either for a single-session tattoo, or an hourly rate for a larger, multi-session tattoo. If the artist feels that they can meet your expectations, you like their direction and you decide to book, then they will take a deposit, typically equivalent to one hour of the artist's hourly rate, to start work on your design. Please read our deposit and billing policy before your consultation.
It is super helpful to bring in 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. This ensures that you get a super unique tattoo 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.
How should I prepare for my tattoo appointment?
Be well rested, and eat two to three hours before your appointment. Wear comfortable clothing that you would not mind getting dirty, and will easily allow access to the area of your body that will be tattooed. Feel free to bring music or other entertainment that you can enjoy without moving (a book, podcast, or a tablet with a movie for very long sessions, but no gameboys etc). 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 will make your appointment more difficult and cause your tattoo to take longer. Excessive bleeding can also make your tattoo heal improperly - causing it to look faded and unattractive. If you take any prescription medication, especially any type of blood thinner, please check with your physician to make sure it is safe to receive a tattoo on your medication and let us know before your appointment. It is important that you are in a clear state of mind and feeling well during the tattoo - we won’t tattoo you otherwise.
Can I drink or take pain medication after my tattoo?
Refrain from drinking immediately after your tattoo appointment. After any bleeding has stopped, generally a few hours later, you can resume regular merriment or take tylenol or ibuprofen to help with swelling or pain. Read more about aftercare here.
What types of payment do you accept?
We accept Cash and Credit Cards (Visa, MC, AmEx, and Discover). We do accept cards, but like any small business we appreciate cash transactions.