Getting your first tattoo

What should you know before your first tattoo?

Most of the anxiety around a first tattoo is about not knowing the sequence. It runs: find an artist whose portfolio matches what you want, enquire with a reference, size and placement, pay a deposit to hold time, then turn up fed, sober and unhurried.

Before you book

Decide the placement before the design. Placement changes what design is even possible.
Most New Zealand studios will not tattoo anyone under 18 and will ask for ID. There is no national age law; it is set by council bylaws and studio policy.

What it will cost: tattoo prices in NZ, from five studios

Give the artist room to adapt your idea. The best outcomes are usually collaborations, not instructions.

On the day

Eat properly beforehand. Most people who feel faint have not eaten.
No alcohol beforehand, and reputable artists will turn you away if you have been drinking — it thins the blood and it makes consent murky.
Wear clothing that gives access to the placement without you having to improvise.
Bring water and something dull to occupy you. Sessions are longer than people expect, and you can ask for a break at any point.

What the next four weeks look like: tattoo healing stages, week by week

About the pain

It is uncomfortable rather than unbearable for most people, and it varies enormously by placement — over bone and on thin skin is sharper than on a fleshy outer arm. It is also survivable in a way anticipation is not: most people find the first ten minutes worse than the next hour.

The thing worth taking seriously

Choose the artist carefully and be patient about timing. Waiting three months for the right person is nothing against the length of time you will wear the result. Almost every tattoo regret traces back to being in a hurry.