The thought of getting a tattoo is one I had always danced around. On the one hand, I could have something incredibly meaningful with me for the rest of my life. On the other, what if I regret it down the line? Yes, no, yes, no; back and forth until one day, I simply said, “what the heck” and decided to bite the bullet. Well, it wasn’t as spontaneous as that, and I can’t say I recommend a first tattoo being sporadic. I spent months doing my best to research local tattoo artists, figuring out what I wanted, and hyping myself up. It’s been almost three months since getting my tattoo and I am very happy with how the entire process went. Though I can’t force you to follow my advice, these are the steps I took to ensure my experience went as smoothly as possible.
Researched my artist
In my opinion, this was by far the most important step in my plan. I have multiple friends and family members who have tattoos and have heard about some less-than-ideal experiences. This is a decision that I did not take lightly. I had looked at multiple tattoo parlors, as well as several artists from each parlor. In the end, I decided to go with a parlor I had heard positive things about, and an artist where not only did I like her artistic style, but that I knew personally. Doing all this research definitely was the key to relaxing my nerves.
Decided on a design and location
From the moment I finally decided on getting my first tattoo, I knew what I wanted. My tattoo artist ended up creating the final design for me, but I made sure to give her a rough sketch of what I was looking for, as well as some additional reference photos to use. I also made sure to mention the size of the tattoo I was looking for, and where I was looking to put it. I found that having these things sorted out ahead of time made the wait period easier for me.
What to wear and what to bring
Since I was getting my tattoo on my arm, I made sure to dress appropriately. I wore a tank top to avoid any sleeves getting in the way. I also wore dark coloured clothes, greys and blacks, to eliminate any possible staining in case the ink spilled. I also brought a couple extra things to help me out. The most important being a full stomach. Although I was nervous, I knew it was important to eat before I left. I am a person who sometimes gets woozy around needles so to make sure my blood sugar didn’t drop, I packed some extra snacks. I did plan on bringing a water bottle but forgot it at home. Luckily, my friend who agreed to come with me brought me one.
Keeping up with aftercare
After spending all that time getting your tattoo (which I promise does not hurt as much as you think it does) it’s important to take care of your new artwork. Be sure to follow the instructions given to you by your artist, including lots of moisturizing and avoiding exfoliants.