Style: How Much to Pay for a Tattoo?

Getting a tattoo has become an integral part of social culture over the last decade with shows like Miami Ink and Ink Master giving people an even greater urge to add some ink.

But tattoos are not just a form of fashion. They are also a fine art and they come with a fine art price tag. The average hourly rate for getting a tattoo in London is £100 per hour, with some studios reaching up to £350 per hour. Each tattoo is as unique as the person getting it and the artist applying it so it can be difficult to give clients a price over the phone.

Style, size, detail, and technique all affect how long you’ll be sitting in the chair so tattoo studios and artists will not book you in without first having a consultation to discuss your options and give you a hard cost. You can pay £20,000 to have your entire body covered in traditional work by one artist, while another can charge you the same amount for a fantasy micro-work sleeve.

For a very rough idea of prices before you even book your consultation, I suggest getting the studio’s hourly rate first. Looking at the size of the area you’d like to have tattooed, break it down into 30mm x 30mm sections, and multiply that number by the hourly rate. Keep in mind that if you’re going for a colour tattoo, or a style or technique that is very intricate that will add extra hours.

Tattoos may be an expensive art investment but they are also a permanent addition to one’s own canvas, carry risks of infection and disease, and require a considerable amount of preparation before the actual application.

The industry is not yet fully regulated – a situation that Ami James from Love Hate Social Club London is trying to change – so it is possible to find an artist in a city the size of London who is willing to charge far less than the city’s average. However, when it comes to ink there are no two ways about it, you get what you pay for.

Just like the creators of luxury automobiles and designer shoes, tattoo artists charge what they are worth and when their skills and creative palette are of the highest calibre, they charge a rate to reflect that.

A tattoo application begins with a consultation with your artist. They’ll walk you through the process and get your thoughts on what you’re hoping your piece will look like. They spend a considerable amount of time with you trying to understand your vision to increase the chances of getting it right. After the consultation, the artist will spend hours sketching, researching and re-sketching your concept.

Before you even arrive for the actual tattooing session your artist will have spent hours obsessing over your design. When applying it, the artist needs to ensure not only that all the equipment is in working order but also that everything is up to a clinical standard of hygiene.

Tattoos are open wounds and need to be considered as such. From application to final wrap the artist takes extreme precautions to avoid any risk to your health. Even after you have left their studio they will check in to ensure you are happy with the result and that the healing process is going well, and to find out whether you need to pop in for any touch-ups.

The whole process requires high-calibre fine art skills, the ability to work on the curvature of a body, clinical practices, and high quality ­aftercare. The artist’s services certainly go well beyond the time you spend in the chair.

A tattoo that is exactly what you had in mind, that heals quickly and without complication, and was applied by somebody concerned about your overall experience: that is certainly worth a decent price tag.

 

by Natasha MacKenzie

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