Coucou les witches. J'ai envie de me faire un tatoo. Avez-vous des conseils pour choisir un tatoueur ou meme en général pour son premier tatoo ? svp merci (boostez si vous voulez !!!)

@KingArmand ouais!! (ça serai très longue, donc désolée)

@guerrillarain you can speak in English btw (and it's all fine, the more details the better :)) Thanks!!!

@KingArmand oh thank god, I have NO idea of this topic in French. Do you have an idea of what kind of tattoo you want? (Either content or style, i.e. pin up, american traditional, photo realism, water color, heavy detail, Japanese style, geometric, etc.)

I recommend googling tattoo parlors in your area. Most parlors have many tattoo artists who cover a range of styles, so at a general shop, you'd find 2-3 who claim to do photo realism for example.

@KingArmand All tattoo artists will have a collection of their art on the website. If they don't, don't trust them. You should be able to see what exactly their tattoos look like. I shopped around at maybe 2 or 3 parlors until I found an artist whose work I LOVED enough to trust them with my idea. If you don't feel 100% sold on what they can do, don't go there.

From there, reach out for a consultation. They will talk about pricing and designing the tattoo.

@KingArmand I'm not sure exactly how much tattoos cost where you are, but larger tattoos (i.e. spanning a forearm) will cost about $150+ minus tip. I always tip 20% but that's on you and your budget. You might be able to find cheaper, this is all based on what I've found.

I like my tattoos to be collaborative. I give them the idea and I like for them to design it the way THEY feel most comfortable. They should always show you a stencil/sketch before they start working. You shouldn't feel pressured into saying yes.

@KingArmand If at any point you feel pressured or not 100% happy, walk away. You will find someone who make it work.

Tattooing will hurt. Some places hurt more than others. Drink a lot of water BEFORE you go. This will make all the difference between it being unbearable or not. They will set you up in as comfortable as a position as possible. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, tell them. Don't feel bad about needing a break. My friend actually fainted because he got a giant tattoo on his back and didn't take any breaks or anything.

@KingArmand Also, tattoo machines are much louder and scarier than they seem. It's loud, but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it SOUNDS like. You will be okay, I promise.

And last part is health. Do NOT let someone tattoo you if you don't see them UNWRAP the needles. You must be tattooed with clean needles. It is a safety hazard to not do so. When it is done, leave it wrapped for about an hour, then let it loose. Get an unscented jelly (like aquaphor or tattoo goo) to lather LIGHTLY. This will make it heal faster and itch less. Just don't scratch.

@guerrillarain thank you for all that information, very much appreciated!! I guess I'll start saving some money now, look a bit at parlours around here, I also need to decide to where on my bodyI am going to do it and what I am going to do (even though I have a good idea)

@KingArmand Mmm good luck! Here's a map of painful and least painful places. I got one on my forearm and I felt basically nothing for most of it. http://www.inkedmag.com/tattoo-pain-chart/