Well I’ve just gotten my first tattoo… so I thought I would share my experience.
It took about 2 months once I had decided to get a tattoo.
First I did internet research to see if getting a tattoo was safe. While there were plenty of warnings, the basic answer was, yes it is safe. The artists sterilize everything, wear gloves, and the needles are all single use. In Oregon, tattoo artists must have a license from the health dept so that increases safety as well. Oregon is one of the few states that has this requirement.
Next you have to pick a tattoo artist. We have a tattoo studio very near my house and that was my first inclination. But the internet was a big help because the on line reviews of the studio near our house were pretty bad. I kept searching and found a place in inner SE Portland that got rave reviews– Lady Luck Tattoos. I went to the studio not knowing what to expect… tattoo right then & there or … Turns out that first you need to select an artist and then the artist does a design. I chose Brynn as my artist and we set up a design appointment the following week. I had a basic concept for my tattoo, but not a detailed design. Once we talked about the design it took her about 3 weeks to do the design… she said spring always is peak season & so she had quite a bit of work stacked up in front of mind.
Once the design was done, I came down to the studio to check it out & approve it. Then we set an appointment to get the tattoo… about a week later. I didn’t get nervous until I was biking down to the studio on the day of the tattoo. In the shop I was more nervous… how much pain? would it look good? etc…
My tattoo is relatively small and a single color. It took about an hour to do the tattoo and cost me $150. The tattoo is guaranteed for life. There was some pain involved in getting the tattoo. I would say it felt like having a bee sting you over and over and over. Not terrible, but I was not laying there relaxed either. The process starts by the artist taking her drawing and transferring it to your skin, sort of like a temporary tattoo. You agree with placement, etc… and then she uses those marks (outline) to guide her needles in actually doing the tattoo. She had a variety of tips to use; different ones for the outline, from doing shading, etc. There is no blood. They shave the area to get a nice smooth surface & continuously apply vaseline to keep your skin soft and smooth while doing the tattoo.
My tattoo took about one hour of pretty continuous work. Once Bynn was done, she put a gauze pad over the tattoo and wrapped my leg in hospital tape. Within a couple hours the pain was gone… still feel some pain, sort of like having fallen and gotten an abrasion… nothing bad at all. Takes about 2 weeks for the tattoo to heal. First week you really have to baby the skin, no dirt, etc. Second week you are still careful; then you are suppose to be good to go.
Here is what my tattoo looks like, still quite red just one day after the event:
My first tattoo