Tattoo Pricing

Generally when it comes to getting a tattoo, you get what you pay for. Good equipment isn’t cheap. Good quality inks that will last for many years as a crisp tattoo and minimal fading are not cheap. Good hygiene and all of the disposable safety barriers are not cheap. Renting a studio space in a convenient area with enough workstations to handle a large demand without making people wait a year for an appointment is not cheap.

A quick story about Thailand

Thailand and other parts of South East Asia have had a surge in tattoo popularity that matches or exceeds the frenzy here in Australia. All over Kao San Road, Koh Phan Gan and virtually all of the back-packer and tourist areas have almost as many tattoo parlors as travel agents these days. Be careful. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. The equipment is almost without exception Chinese made crap. The inks are inferior, if not dangerous. The quality of the tattoo is rarely woth mentioning. Hygiene is almost non-existent. I once saw a Thai tattoo artist in Haad Rin (Ko Phan Gan, Thailand) giving a tattoo. He was wearing gloves and seamed to be practicing relatively good hygiene. About half way through, his Thai mate – who looked like he had been awake all night at a full-moon party and had not showered in a few days – waked into the ‘studio’ and stood over the person getting a tattoo while smoking a cigarette! The ash was falling over the open tattoo area! I thought I was going to flip out at the irresponsibility of the tattooer… when it got even worse! The guy handed his cigarette to the tattoo artists who took it with his gloved hand and proceeded to take a few big drags. He then handed the cigarette back to his mate and kept on tattooing. I had to leave. The germs and possible infectious diseases from the mate’s mouth had transferred to the cigarette and then to the gloved hands of the tattooer. He then spread these micro-organisms all over the raw and open tattoo area. I felt bad for the person getting the tattoo, but in the end felt that they had probably gotten what they had paid for.

Tattoos are for ever. Think wisely about what you want and then budget for it properly. A high price per hour of a studio does not always mean that they are ripping you off. If an artists is fast at giving a tattoo but charges $200/hour this might end up being cheaper than an artist who is much slower but charges only $100/hour. Once you have decided on your design, show the artists and always ask them to estimate how long it might take them. This will give you an indication of total price.

Obviously you should visit more than one studio and you should shop around a bit to make sure that your ate getting a fair deal, but something as serious and permanent as a tattoo is not something to be a tight-arse over.