All the information found here is taken from the Black Moon Tattoos website and is the advice that we give out to all clients at the studio.  

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PREPARATION

The days leading up to your tattoo appointment are just as important as the aftercare stage. Here are some tips to get the very best out of the entire experience…

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In the week leading up to your tattoo make sure you keep the area clean and moisturised preferably with cocoa butter. Make sure you drink plenty of water as this helps us to work efficiently as the skin as in the best condition possible.

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Do not put moisturiser on for the day of the tattoo, clean skin is better as any moisturiser will make the stencil harder to stick and stay on.

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SUPPLEMENTS

Vitamins A & C are great for skin health and general immune system support, garlic is a great antioxidant, Zinc helps skin to heal and is antibacterial and together these things will help to keep you at peak health to ensure your tattoo experience is as easy as possible!

*Always check that you are not allergic to any ingredients in these products.

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We also recommend upping protein intake prior to being tattooed and for a little while after, this encourages healing and speeds up the process. staying well hydrated will help too!

Check out our 14 day aftercare guide for more info on supplements, available at the studio or as printable PDF via email request.

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THE DAY OF YOUR TATTOO

 

EAT A SUBSTANTIAL MEAL

We know that nerves often don’t make eating easy, but you absolutely must get something in your belly! Sugary or junk food does not count here! Eat within two hours of your tattoo appointment. The biggest cause of fainting or feeling sick is lack of food and drink. It also helps tremendously with any pain you might experience. Carbs are great but including loads of protein is even better for long-term energy.

 

BRING SNACKS

Sugary drinks and sweets are good during the tattoo to give you a short-term sugar boost and get you through until lunch. On a full day sitting we will break for a half hour lunch, during which time we recommend another substantial meal.

 

HYDRATION

During the tattoo, hydration is really important, especially when the weather is hot.

 

CLOTHING

Put on clean clothes that you aren’t too worried about spots of ink getting on. The ink can stain clothing and shoes. Be sensible about your clothing choices, for example, if you are having a thigh tattoo, bring shorts otherwise you will be sat in your pants all day! You also want to be comfortable.

 

TEMPERATURE

It is common to feel cold when being tattooed because of the drop in adrenaline and blood sugar. We do our best to regulate the temperature in the studio with central heating and extra fan heaters, but it is an old and very big building so please be aware that you may feel cold from being tattooed when others feel very warm! So you may need clothing that will keep you warm and comfortable. You can also bring your own freshly cleaned blanket for warmth if you wish. 

 

PAYMENT

We are a cash only shop, so please remember to bring enough cash with you.

All tips are at the customer’s discretion but are greatly appreciated.

 

PAIN AND COMFORT

A huge amount of how well a person can handle the feeling of being tattooed is to do with mental positivity, some people ‘get in the zone’ some like to focus on other things and try to ignore the pain, but having a game plan and a positive attitude is a huge help in pain management.

 

Please be polite to staff and to other customers. We do not tolerate rudeness and we reserve the right to refuse tattoo or pierce anyone who we feel is acting inappropriately towards staff or customers.

Please try to keep the noise level to a minimum, there will be other people trying to concentrate on being tattooed (and doing tattoos)- we know it hurts, and we expect people to make some noises reflecting this, but vocalising this excessively loudly, swearing or whimpering constantly can make the atmosphere in the shop very uncomfortable for others. If you think this could be a problem for you, please inform your tattoo artist.

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We are happy to stop for a break whenever you need so you can take a moment to regroup. 

 

We can recommend things to do to take your mind off of it. We understand getting tattooed is painful and are fully aware of how hard it can be. We want you to be as comfortable as possible so we are happy to do whatever we can to ease the pain.

 

PAINKILLERS/NUMBING CREAMS

Do not take any painkillers unless discussed with your artist beforehand.

 

Some painkillers can thin your blood and make the whole process more difficult and it will, therefore take longer and hurt more.

 

Some are effective for pain relief during a tattoo but please talk to your artist before taking any.

 

Numbing creams are ok, as long as you have discussed the use of them with your tattoo artist and agreed upon the brand. You will need to supply and apply these yourself.

 

We do not ‘recommend’ numbing creams for sessions over 40 mins, because it is actually worse for your body when the sensation comes back and your body has not engaged your natural pain management system.

 

The first 10 mins will be the worst and then your body will adapt and the pain will lessen significantly.

 

ALCOHOL

Please avoid excessive amounts of it the night before and the day of your tattoo. It does thin your blood but it is also not going to help with your pain tolerance to be hungover, it is also not pleasant for us to be faced with a hungover client.

 

The same applies to illegal drugs.

 

KEEPING OCCUPIED

Bring headphones or a book. Having something to distract you will drastically improve your experience. We love getting to know our clients, but it is not always easy for us to hold conversations all day because it takes a lot of concentration to tattoo. We are happy to chat of course and we enjoy talking to our customers, but don’t rely on just this to get you through!

 

Bring your phone charger as we may not have the right one for you to borrow.

We have tea and coffee facilities and water available.

 

DURING YOUR TATTOO

Try to stay still and breathe deeply. O2 is amazing for pain relief, holding your breath will do more harm than good. We get used to the rhythm of your breathing and work along side it.