Booking Process

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 You can find us on Priory Place, around the corner from CEX and directly to the left of Pure Hair & Beauty. Our address and a map of the location can also be found at the bottom of this page. We are based on an upper level, so this may affect accessibility for some customers - please get in touch if you’re not sure and we will try our best to arrange an accessible solution. 

We can't guarantee there will be space for an extra person in the studio, other than who is booked for the appointment. Where possible, please try to attend alone as bringing friends can make the tattoo space quite cramped. If you feel like you need someone with you, please make your artist aware in advance and we will accommodate where possible. 

 If you're wanting a quote or price for a tattoo, there are several ways to get in touch with us. 

You can fill in our booking form here, message us on our Facebook or send us a DM on Instagram.

When enquiring, there are a few things you can do to help us out so that we can give you the most accurate quote we can! (As well as getting as close as we can to that beautiful tattoo vision you've got in your noggin).

Please let us know:

-The rough or even precise size of the tattoo in inches or cm.

-Where the tattoo is going on your body.

-If it is a coverup of an old tattoo or scarring (usually not a problem either way, we sometimes just need to see these things in person so we can work out what would give you the best outcome!).

-What you are actually wanting to have tattooed - if you have inspiration pictures these are always really helpful. Even if the images aren't exactly what you want but have parts of them you like they're a really good starting point for both client and artist to bring your vision to life.

If you can't find or don't have any inspiration images that's not a problem at all, a good description with specific details can work just as well.

 Yes! We do require a booking to secure an appointment and essentially pay for your chosen artists time to draw your design or prepare any necessary stencils for your appointment. But don't worry, the deposit goes towards the total cost of your tattoo.

E.g. You have been quoted £120 for a tattoo, and you pay a £30 deposit to book this. On the day of the tattoo, you will have £90 left to pay.

 A common request we get is to create a tattoo design before someone has even booked an appointment, so that the client can decide if its worth booking or not. We really would love to be able to do some simple sketches to bring the clients idea to life, but there's just not enough time in our work week or even personal week to be able to do something like this. During the work day, we are tattooing clients, then during the evening whilst we are at home, we are preparing designs for the next day. We hope you understand!

Will you draw my design before my appointment? This isn't something we currently have time to offer, as much as we would love to!

As mentioned in the prior question, we tattoo all day, then on an evening in our personal time we prepare the design for the next days client.

Preparing the designs any earlier would require us to dedicate one of our two days away from the studio to drawing designs up - when else are we meant to binge anime and lose League of Legends games?

Every artist has a completely different policy when it comes to drawing up designs. Some will do this a week before, some the night before, and some even on the day of the appointment - its a complete personal preference depending on the individuals work flow.

We hope our work and portfolios speak for themselves and show the quality and style of work we do - that's why you have chosen to contact us and trust us with your vision!

 There are a few things you can do that will definitely help us to give you the best tattoo possible - these are not necessary by any means but we would appreciate anything you can manage!

-Free up your day!

The time quoted for your tattoo is estimated from the minute the needle makes contact with your skin to the last bit of ink being placed. This does not account for the time outside of this such as filling in your consent form, checking over the design, sizing up the design, breaks, general chinwagging or sharing memes. So a tattoo quoted for an hour may mean you’re at the studio for up to two hours! So in this case, if you are quoted for a 4 hour tattoo, this can take anywhere between 4 hours to 6, depending if you have a break for food, the toilet, a stretch or sometimes the tattoo just takes longer than we guessed. The best thing you can do for us is make sure you have the entire or most of the day free so neither of us are rushed or stressed. Tattoos are a treat and should be as chill as possible! Even for small tattoos, it's good to have nothing big planned afterwards as your body will be tired out and need a rest.

-Protecting your skin

Although it's not always possible, please try to avoid bruising, injuring or getting sunburn on the area to be tattooed. If this does happen please let us know asap so we can assess the situation and let you know if you need a reschedule.

-Exfoliating

This might be something already part of your daily routine (if so - amazing!) or you might not have even heard this word before. By using an exfoliating scrub or sponge on the area of your tattoo, you will be ridding it of dead skin and making the tattoo process more pleasant. Sponges and scrubs can be found at most supermarkets (places like Boots and Superdrug are good too). In the weeks or days leading up to your appointment, all you need to do at the end of a bath or shower is gently rub your skin with the sponge or scrub for 10/30 seconds. If you experience excessive redness or irritation do not continue, and do not exfoliate if you have a skin condition or very sensitive skin - if you’re not sure just drop us a message!

-Moisturising

Similar to exfoliating, moisturising your skin can really help us have a smooth tattoo session! Most natural moisturisers such as cocoa butter are excellent for soothing and hydrating the area. If you’re not sure about which one to use or are generally clueless about the whole skincare thing, popping into Lush and asking a staff member will make their day and also send you home with some lovely pampering goodness.

-Shaving

Shaving the area to be tattooed the night before can help us save time on the day and also let the skin settle ready to be tattooed. If you have not shaved before or are not confident doing so we are more than happy to do this for you on the day so don't worry! We would rather do it for you than you injure yourself or give yourself razor-burn (if this happens we may not be able to tattoo you). If the area is quite dense with hair but you're not confident shaving, using a trimmer or scissors to shorten the hair for us to shave is really helpful too.

This is totally normal and something we see all the time, don't worry! We both try to make a relaxed, warm and welcoming environment. Both of us have been in your position at some point, whether it was going to a new studio, getting our first tattoo or even just leaving the house - we totally know how it can feel to be intimidated by social situations. If there is anything we can do for you to make you as comfortable as possible please let us know on the day or when you’re booking. If you prefer a silent appointment or to wear headphones that’s totally fine and not something you should have to worry about - we are both happy to chat with you or let you do your own thing there are not any expectations at all.

If there are any other worries such as wanting to move the tattoo, adjust the design or change the size, please let us know! Again this isn’t something you need to worry about - it's our job to make YOU happy not the other way around. We would rather spend 10 minutes making adjustments to give you the perfect tattoo rather than having you leave with something that's not what you wanted.

 Please try and get to the studio 10 minutes or less before your appointment (try not to be too early as we may still be with the client before you or still setting up the area for your tattoo). If you are running late please let us know asap, lateness of more than 15 minutes may require a reschedule and a new deposit.

Supplies! Snacks! A plushie! Lots of things can help you get through your tattoo, but ideally you want to bring sugary drinks and snacks, even a lil packed lunch is a good idea to get you through the session. Try to avoid things like coffee and energy drinks as caffeine can sometimes make you quite shaky! 

Also, bringing a book, games console or headphones is totally fine if you'd like to distract yourself during the appointment, we don't mind at all.

Loose, baggy and comfortable clothing is the best thing (even pack your PJs to change into - trust us it's worth it!) If you’re getting a tattoo on your leg, clothing like shorts or skirts are the best, or baggy joggers that can be rolled up. Tattoos on the arms/ribs/torso are good to wear a tank top or strappy top for. And lastly, if you wear white to your appointment - you are very brave and may the odds be ever in your favour. 

Soreness, swelling and redness.

These three things are normal for a fresh tattoo and in the following 1-3 days afterwards. Areas like the upper arm, thigh and lower leg can swell quite a lot. If you experience excessive swelling and you are able to take it, ibuprofen can help settle this down. It can also feel like you have bad bruising in the area which again is normal. Experiencing any of these things in excess can sometimes indicate an issue with healing (this is a rare occurrence). Please get in touch with us if you have any worries or if you have any health issues concerning the tattoo do not hesitate to contact your GP. Tattoos are essentially an open wound for the first few days, and are a magnet for germs and dirt, even when you are tattooed in a clean and sterile environment like our studio, and when proper and thorough aftercare is followed - there's always a risk of infection due to the nature of the process. 

 It takes anywhere between 4-8 weeks for a tattoo to be completely healed. During this process, you may lose some saturation or detail in your tattoo. This is completely normal and can happen for a number of reasons, but mainly your body tries its best to break down the ink in your skin as it's not something that is normally meant to be there. We offer touch-ups for this reason, as long as you have followed our aftercare advice, this service is free of charge! The tattoo must be fully healed before we can do any touch-ups, if you’re not sure if you need any or if your tattoo is healed, you can always pop us a message and we will be happy to have a look. 

The boring bits!

Deposits

The term 'deposit' used throughout our website, social media and online correspondence refers to a booking fee used to secure your chosen date and time for your appointment. This fee is non-refundable and may be forfeit under the following circumstances:

• Cancellation/lateness/no-show

If you cancel your appointment, the booking fee still applies and is non-refundable - you will not have to pay for the remainder of your appointment if you do cancel.

If you request a reschedule less than 48 hours before your appointment, another booking fee will be required for a new date. If you require more than one reschedule - even if you do give 48 hours notice, you will need to pay a new booking fee.

If you are more than 20 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, you may need to reschedule with a new booking fee.

If you do not show up for your appointment, you will need to pay a new booking fee.

• Change of design

If you change the design you initially booked for, even if its before your appointment date, we may require a new booking fee.

• Change of placement

If you change the location on your body where you initially booked to have the tattoo, we may require a new booking fee.

• Abuse/harassment of staff or other clients

Our team reserve the right to refuse service to any customers they are uncomfortable tattooing, and to also refuse any designs they are uncomfortable tattooing. We have a zero tolerance policy for any verbal/physical abuse and harassment of our staff or clients. In the case of this, you will forfeit your deposit, design and be refused service.

Aftercare

Clients are solely responsible for the care of their own tattoo, our artists can advise good hygiene practices and routines but they are not responsible for any infections, scarring or reactions a client may have from improper aftercare.

Our artists offer free touchups on tattoos within 3 months of a tattoo appointment, but may charge for this service if the client has damaged their tattoo through improper aftercare.

Vouchers

Tattoo vouchers paid for either online or in studio are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. Vouchers are non refundable and can only be exchanged for in-studio services.