In this day and economy, we're always looking for a bargain, and when you're out for some new ink, it's no different. We want good value for our hard-earned dollars. So some of us will go to someone who's just learning to tattoo and get ink from him or her because they're usually doing it for 'free'. Some of us will be happy to go to someone's kitchen, garage, or basement to get a 'reduced priced' tattoo and save a few bucks that way. Some of us will go to the local flea market because there's a tattoo booth there and we feel that we'll get a bargain by going there. Some of us will even go so far as to buy tattoo equipment and try to do our own tattoo, all in the name of saving a dollar.
But, you need to stop for a few minutes and think about what you're doing. When you get ink on your body, it's there forever. Is it going to be something you can show off with pride and make your friends jealous because it's such a beautiful, interesting, colorful, well-done piece? Or are you going to have to hide it, and when someone does get a look at it, are you always going to have to justify why the piece looks so bad?
I hear things like this: Customer says "I only paid $10 for this, isn't it great?" My pat answer when I see bad work is "Oh, isn't that interesting?" I will never say it's good-looking work when it's not. But, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and rather than say, "That's some of the absolutely worst ink work I've ever seen." I'll instead try to be nice and say "Oh, isn't that interesting?" So, if you're in my shop and hear me say that, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm looking at some pretty awful ink work.
This same customer, then usually asks me what I'll charge to "fix it up". When I quote anywhere from $100 - $500 to attempt to fix or just go for the complete cover up, I get a reply, usually in a whiny voice, "But I only paid $10 for it!" Yes, I know, that's why you are in my studio asking me to fix it. Why didn't you just get that inked on yourself: "But I only paid $10 for it!" Then you wouldn't have to spend the rest of your life repeating that phrase to everyone who sees your ink that really does look like you only paid $10 for it.
What many people fail to take into consideration is the fact that whatever quality of tattoo work you get, it's on you forever. Most don't have the money for laser removal, that most likely will cause scarring, change your skin color, and hurt like hell, plus having to go back over and over again for repeat treatments. I wish you'd thought of that before getting that poor quality permanent ink on your skin.
Why do you think the student doesn't charge for his work? Because he/she knows they're not good enough to work in a licensed shop, and so to gain practice, they'd prefer to mess up your skin while they learn. A student will never, ever give you as good ink as a professional can. Why do you think that person working out of their home charges so much less than a professional tattoo studio? Again, because if they were good enough, certainly they would be working in a professional studio under supervision and health department guidelines. Do you really think they use a brand new needle each time they work on someone? Do you think they take the same precautions with your health as a professional studio would? Do you really think they aren't high or drunk when they're working on you? And if so, what does that say about the quality of that forever after work they're putting on you? If their work doesn't land you in the hospital with a life-threatening infection or get you an incurable disease, you're lucky. But, what you are left with on your skin is not luck. It is sub-standard and again, you'll spend the rest of your life explaining why the work is not up to professional standards. Or pay hundreds of dollars trying to fix or cover it up.
Going to the flea market is no bargain either. You might think you're getting a deal when you sit down in their chair, but chances are, they're cutting corners to give you that bargain price. Do you actually see them open a brand new, sterile needle in front of you? Do you see them dispose of it properly in a red, biohazard, plastic container after each customer? Do you see them open a sterilized barrel that holds the needle in the tattoo machine? Are they using the highest quality inks they can get? Probably not. Are they following all essential health department guidelines, like using hot, running water to wash their hands before and after each tattoo? Are they using industry-standard cleaning agents that actually do kill AIDS, HIV, Staph, and all the other diseases a professional tattoo artist is trained to kill by using hospital grade disinfectants? Again, probably not. They cut corners to offer you a 'deal'. And, the quality of work they do leaves a lot to be desired.
In my studio, we get a steady stream of people from the flea markets around us coming in asking what we can do to improve their tattoos obtained at a discount. Often the fixes cost 2 to 5 times more than the original cost of the discount tattoo. Most flea market tattoo artists can't be trusted to tell you the truth about how long they have been tattooing. I once gave a pair of tattoo machines to a guy at a flea market because he helped me locate the person who burglarized my studio. A week or so later, I had customers coming in asking for me to fix work they'd gotten there, and they told me that same person was claiming to have been tattooing for 6 years, when in actuality, he had only started after I gave him his first pair of tattoo machines!
Needless to say, there are many reasons why you should go to a reputable tattoo studio, not the least of them being that the work will be of higher quality, by a trained professional, using the best tattoo inks, in a clean environment, with new, sterile needles for each customer, and you'll have a much larger inventory of images to choose from as well as being able to work with a skilled artist to develop something uniquely yours, if that is your choice.
In closing, let me restate my original thought behind this article, bargain tattoos often aren't bargains in the long run. And, it's one of the biggest traps out there, trying to save a buck when you get a tattoo. Many people fail to remember, that whatever they get, it will be on them for a long, long time. I have never understood why a person would have no worries about paying $200+ for those nifty new Nikes that will probably be lost in the back of their closet in 6 months, never to be worn again, and yet will balk at paying that same $200 for a tattoo that will be on them for the rest of their lives.
So, my advice, to everyone thinking about getting a new tattoo, don't shop for a bargain. Or you might just get it and then pay the long-term price many times over when you realize that it was no bargain at all! Do your research, ask questions, look at the artist's previous work in their portfolio, ask to watch them do a tattoo on someone else before you get yours, watch where the needle comes from and where it goes after use. Ask about the brands of ink they use. Ask if they 'thin' their inks. Watered down inks don't make for good tattoos. Ask to have some client's names who have gotten work there and contact those clients to see if they were happy with the work and how the tattoo looked once it was healed. Listen to what kind of aftercare instructions are given. If they tell clients to use A & D ointment or anything containing petroleum on a healing tattoo, chances are it will not look as good as when it was first done. Do they wrap the tattoo in clear, plastic wrap? Another bad idea. Do they give written and verbal after care instructions? When the artist is gloved, what are they touching? Is there a chance germs are being transferred to your new tattoo because the artist is not careful about what they touch when wearing gloves?
If you want to get the best tattoo and have a prized work of art on yourself that will last a lifetime, and give you pleasure every time you look at it, do yourself a favor, don't bargain shop for your next tattoo. Go to a licensed, reputable tattoo studio where trained professionals will give you work that you'll be proud to show off.
Visit http://www.addicted2tattoos.com to see the studio and artists plus their work. If you have comments on this article, please feel free to email them via the form on our web site.
Lenny - Shop Owner @
Addicted 2 Tattoos
Tampa, FL
813-936-8282
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