I got my first tattoo this week and the number one question people have asked me is how bad it was. So I’m here to give an honest review on the overall experience of getting my first tattoo.

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Before – On the way there, my nerves were definitely up. For about a half hour my artist, Nico, worked on creating an outline of the tattoo to turn into a stencil. He then prepped my skin and put the stencil on my arm before he prepared his tattoo gun and all the ink. By then I had gotten a bit more comfortable, but I was nervous. Nico was a very easy person to talk to and he kept conversation flowing which was a good distraction. Once I got on the chair, and he was about to start my heart rate skyrocketed and reality set in. I asked him a lot of questions regarding the pain level, but he reassured me that people usually work themselves up but then realize it’s not that bad. 

Pain rating – When he made the first couple of lines, it definitely hurt. It’s a very unique feeling. Like a very slow scratch. When he’d make curvier lines it was a little more uncomfortable than the straighter lines. My arm went slightly numb pretty fast which made it a lot easier to get though. I’d describe the sensation as a sharp, persisting sting. It was more annoying than anything, but I do have a pretty high pain tolerance so take that into consideration. Occasionally he’d hit a spot that was a little bit more painful and the longer the line was the more it started to hurt. The shading was the easiest part. It barely hurt because he didn’t have the needle as deep as he had it for the line work. I’d have to rate the pain a 6/10 simply because it was long lasting.

Aftercare – He put a second skin bandage over the tattoo in order to keep the ink in place and aid the healing process. He told me to keep the bandage on for three to five days, and after I take it off, he says to wash it with an unscented antibacterial soap and moisturize it around three times a day. After all of that, I have to be pretty careful for three weeks to prevent infections and/or damaging the tattoo. He told me that I can’t fully submerge it in water and to avoid sun exposure, hot tubs, pools, and to try not to sweat.

Healing process – It takes about a month for the tattoo to heal on the surface; however, it continues to heal under the surface for about six months. The first four weeks are the hard part. Right after getting the tattoo, it is typically pretty sore and sensitive for the next couple days. This depends on how large the tattoo is. It progressively starts to feel better, but while the tattoo is drying out, it gets very itchy as it scabs up. Do not scratch at it though, or you could ruin your tattoo and run the risk of pulling the ink out. I’d recommend keeping some Tylenol or Advil around so you can go about your day to day activities more comfortably.

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Overall, it took about an hour for my tattoo which wasn’t too bad and it cost $175. I’d definitely recommend going to Nico at Cream City Tattoos. He is a very talented artist and made the experience a lot more relaxing for me. If you are interested in getting a tattoo from him, you can reach him through his Instagram @tattoosbydanger.