HOW MUCH WILL MY TATTOO COST?
June 21st 2021
Tattoos have many factors which can influence their price. These include the artist’s experience, the size of the tattoo, how complex it is, how long it will take to complete, where the tattoo is positioned on your body and if it is coloured or black and grey shade. All come into play when determining the final cost of your tattoo.
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE TATTOO PRICES:
ARTIST
The artist’s expertise is a main factor in affecting a tattoo’s price and is also an advantage to the client as you spend less time in pain whilst getting tattooed, you have a higher quality tattoo and better healing results. If the tattoo artist is well-known and is highly skilled, then you can expect that the price is naturally higher than a less qualified or experienced tattoo artist or an apprentice tattoo artist.
STUDIO LOCATION
The geographical location of a tattoo studio affects the price of the tattoo. A tattoo studio located in the rural areas will be able to charge less than a tattoo studio in the main cities or CBD. This is because of a higher overhead such as rent. The prices are also determined by the demographics of clients and demand.
COMPLEXITY & DESIGN
A more detailed and complex tattoo has a higher degree of difficulty, is more time consuming to complete and therefore will have a have a higher cost compared to a similar sized simple tattoo.
Original designs will take the artist more time to prepare and complete compared to tweaking an existing design. The perks of getting an original tattoo design mean that you will not see anyone else with the same tattoo as you!
SIZE
The size of your tattoo also plays a part in the price. The bigger the size, the higher the cost generally. We say generally because a small extremely complex tattoo can be more expensive than a simple larger tattoo. Larger detailed tattoos take longer and are more work to complete.
Our artists attempt to make the best possible tattoo for you which fits your body proportions, and this may mean you require a change of size of your tattoo which also will affect the outcome of the price.
POSITION ON YOUR BODY
Where you choose to get your tattoo will also play a factor in the price. The human body contains nerves which have sensitivity receptors, there are parts of the body that are more sensitive than other parts and this can mean the client is more prone to moving and flinching making it harder for the artist to tattoo. The more sensitive parts will cost more than the less sensitive parts.
Large open areas such as your back are easier to work on as it is straight and smooth compared to work on a smaller tight area such as a foot or hand as there are many corners, veins, and bones that the artist needs to navigate. Skin type also plays a factor, rough skin is harder to tattoo than fine skin and some areas stretch whilst being tattooed like the rib area for example.
COLOUR
Colour tattoos generally take a lot more time to complete then black/grey tattoo designs and are therefore more expensive.
Colour tattoos may also require additional sittings to achieve the best results.
HOURS REQUIRED
This one is a combination of the factors above. As the position, colour, size, and complexity of the tattoo all increase, so do the hours required to complete it. Larger ongoing tattoos such as sleeves and back pieces will require multiple sessions.
As mentioned above large ongoing tattoos such as sleeve and back pieces will require multiple sittings and with this in mind your tattoo artist will usually charge an hourly rate. Whereas small to medium tattoos that can be completed in one sitting are priced per tattoo design and not at an hourly rate.
YOUR SKIN TYPE AND ABILITY TO “SIT WELL”
Some skin types, skin conditions, scars, birthmarks and even the colour of your skin can make it more difficult for your tattoo artist to complete your tattoo design, which can also affect the overall price of your tattoo. It is always important to inform your tattoo artist is you have any skin conditions, scars, etc first before booking in to get tattooed.
We understand that tattoos can be painful and some areas more than others. However your tattoo artist needs their clients to sit as still as possible throughout the appointment. If you wriggle around, flinch or move while talking it makes it extremely difficult for your tattoo artist to focus and complete your tattoo.
TATTOO EQUIPMENT
The tools and supplies used to create your tattoo are another expense incurred by the artist and passed onto you, the consumer. Such items include machines, ink, single use equipment and supplies, needles, lotions, wipes, and disinfectant sprays.
FIXED PRICE MINIMUMS
Tattoo studio minimums are the fixed expenses of tattooing a customer regardless of size, styling, detail, and design complexity. These minimum fees cover needles, equipment maintenance/cleaning, ink, and basic costs associated with bookings any size tattoo.
Therefore, a tiny heart, flower, star, or name tattoo will cost $150, whereas a small design that isn’t much bigger can cost about the same.
The minimum charge has nothing to do with the time taken to complete your tattoo and you cannot split the minimum charge with your mate.
COST VS QUALITY
Getting a good quality tattoo from a reputable registered tattoo studio is going to cost more compared to getting a tattoo from your mates’ mate who is doing tattoos in their loungeroom on the coffee table. There are health risks associated with getting a tattoo from an unregistered studio with no guarantees of the quality of the tattoo you will receive.
Everyone makes mistakes, but please understand that if we cannot adequately cover any tattoo to make it an awesome piece of art you can be proud of, and we are proud to put our name and reputation to, we have the ultimate right of refusal and can say no to tattooing.
With this in mind it is always recommended you attend a reputable registered tattoo studio and see a professional tattoo artist to get tattooed and this is naturally going to cost more then a back yard tattooist.
GET A TATTOO ESTIMATE
The best way to find out how much your tattoo will cost is to lock down a design and contact our studio for an estimate.
We are doing the most of our estimates over email so send us picture with as much information as possible keeping in mind all the factors mentioned above.
Then we can have a look and work out an estimation of price for you. We only ever give a rough price as there are some many variables that come into play when getting a tattoo (refer to above) but we do our best to get as much information from you first to be able to give you the most accurate estimate as possible.