Ask Around

When I was getting my first tattoo, I spent over two months searching for the right studio to do my inking. During this time I was on the look-out for anyone who had an amazing tattoo. When I saw someone, I went up to them and asked where they had their work done. I did this on trains, trams, in the supermarket, walking down the street… anyone and anywhere was fair game. Virtually everyone was very keen to help. Firstly, they were proud that someone noticed their tattoo. Secondly, someone who had such a great tattoo usually did a fair bit of research themselves and the fact that it turned out so well (hence me asking them about it) usually meant that they were happy to pass on the praise to their tattooer. Some of my conversations went something like this:

If the person thought the studio was good (and the work was obviously good enough for me to ask) then I would write down the name of the studio and artist (if they fave it to me). After a while of doing this, I started seeing patterns. The same studios and artists kept popping up. What I noticed most is that certain styles of tattoo were often done by specific artists or even whole studios. For example, I heard the same name popping up again and again when I would ask someone with a tribal style tattoo. This is often the case, as artists tend to settle in a particular style. If you want an old Sailor style tattoo, then ask people who have tattoos of that style… and inevitably you will hear the names of the best artists and studios who specialise in that style.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more you know about where a person got their tattoo, the better prepared you will be when choosing your own studio. Some of the other questions you might ask are:

“How long did it take? How many sessions?”

This is good to know because some tattoo artists are faster than others! Depending on how much they charge per hour… this can mean a big difference in cost.

“Did you have to wait a long time to get a booking?”

Many studios are really busy with the new surge in tattoos. Sometime you might have to wait up to 5 months go get a place in the chair!

“Did they offer to do free touch-ups?”

Tattoo ink (often called pigment) takes differently in each persons skin and on different parts of the body. Sometimes, depending on the quality of the ink, the density of the coverage, the constant movement of a specific body area (like a shoulder, elbow or knee joint) the ink can ‘fall out’. This is when the ink gets faded or patchy immediately after healing. Many studios will offer a free touch-up visit where they can go over any light areas again to make sure you are getting the best looking tattoo.
Do they use disposable needles?

Virtually all commercially run tattoo studios these days will offer this – but with the high number of tattoos being inked and the very real possibility of infection or transmitting of Hepatitis or even HIV through needle re-use, it’s always OK to ask. You can read more about choosing a studio that is safe in our Check the Shop page.

When you have compiled your short list of studios that other people have recommended, its time to call them up better yet, go down and meet them.

Now it’s time to Check the Work.