What exactly happens during a tattoo appointment?

Yay! You're about to get tattooed! This article will help you visualize what your day at the tattoo shop may entail. This is specifically catered towards clients of "Good News Art Studio", but even if you get inked somewhere else, you can expect a similar chain of events. The shop is a small private studio, so you will walk up to Suite #115 "Good News Art Studio" and knock on the sliding door. An artist will come open it for you, greet you, and offer you a drink and a snack as well as show you a place to store your things. The artist will show you the design and will ask if you would like to make any adjustments to the artwork. (Please don't be shy! This will be on you forever and our feelings won't be hurt.) If everything looks good, we will hand you a release form to fill out. While you're doing that, the artist will work on making a stencil and will get your input on sizing by holding a printout up to your body and letting you see it in a mirror. Once the sizing is completed, an actual stencil will be made and the artist will then wash their hands, glove up, clean and shave the area to be tattooed, and apply the stencil. At this point, you will be asked to double check that you like the stencil placement. If you feel like it's not exactly where you were hoping, this is the time to let the artist know that you'd like to see it adjusted. This part wipes off and a good artist won't mind doing this as many times as it takes to get it just right. After you and the artist land on the perfect placement, the artist may give the stencil a few minutes to set up and dry on your skin. During this waiting time and the entirety of your appointment, you will not want to touch this area as it needs to stay as sanitized as possible to prevent infection. Now that the stencil has dried, you will be seated in a tattoo chair and will be able to watch the tattoo artist open up needles or needle cartridges from brand new, sealed, single use packages on a set up that is completely covered in single use disposable plastics and paper towels, ink caps, etc.. The artist will pour out pigment and will then ask you if you're ready to get tattooed! Getting tattooed has been compared to the feeling of bee stings, scratching feeling... you name it. But really nothing feels like it. With that being said, if you need a break during the tattoo appointment, definitely let your artist know and they'll be happy to accommodate. When your tattoo is all done, the artist will wipe the tattoo clean and guide you to a mirror to let you take a look at your new body art! The artist will give the tattoo some time to "ooze" and then will proceed to apply aftercare products after consulting you on which you feel will best suit your needs. The artist will give you aftercare instructions, and then will proceed to help you check out. Good News accepts cash, card, Venmo, and PayPal for payment. After that, you are free to go home and enjoy your new tattoo! The healing process will take a couple of weeks. During that time, you can always reach out to your artist with any questions about healing.