Client Consent in Tattooing: A Guide
**This is a living document! I hope to continue to revise it as I receive feedback and suggestions to make it more helpful*
My hope for this guide is to provide some practical scripts and ideas around different times that you, as a client, may need to advocate for yourself or revoke your consent during a tattoo consultation, booking, or appointment. While in an ideal world, the tattooer would create an environment of active consent throughout the process, we know that this unfortunately doesn’t always happen! I want you to be prepared to advocate for yourself with confidence and have complete agency as you experience the process of getting a tattoo. - Emily Rose
Booking
The first stage of any tattoo is the booking process. This is going to look different for every artist that you work with - you might call the shop to schedule, email them, dm them, fill out a form, or receive an invitation from a mailing list. Research your artist to learn what their booking method is!
Choosing your artist can be a daunting task - I suggest carefully looking over the instagram (or website) of whichever artist you are interested in. Do they show their work healed? Are their photos edited to reduce redness, increase contrast, or obscure skin tone? Do they have examples of their work on someone with a similar skin tone to you? Do they clearly display where they work? How far back in time does their work go? You may want to follow an artist for some amount of time to see what sort of content they share, if this aspect is important to you.
When you’ve booked your appointment, set aside the money that you plan to spend on the tattoo now, or begin to set aside the amount that you’ve budgeted for, so that when your appointment time comes, you’re financially prepared.
Initial Booking Considerations
Red flags : Artist doesn’t display healed work or only has newly healed (a few months) images, nothing healed over a year. If an artist cant show you their work healed, you have no idea what your piece will actually turn out like. If an artist doesn’t have examples of work on your skin tone, especially if you are someone with more melanin in your skin, this could be a red flag too. Skin with more melanin can be more prone to scarring, and certain styles of color work should have their colors selected for based on your skins undertones. On the other hand, your artists shouldnt pressure you into getting a color test. If ~you~ want to see what a color might look like healed on your skin tone, you should absolutely ask for a color test, but there is no reason to do a color strip on you just for the sake of it.
(possible red flag) :The artist works from a home studio or works from an air bnb - obviously this is not always a red flag! But it may be important to you to know this in advance. Folks may work on this way for a variety of reasons, including accessibility for themselves or others, access or lack of access to other studio space, newness to tattooing, and more. Some predatory men in tattooing regularly tattoo out of air bnb’s as reputable shops wont host them. Conversely, many of my dear friends have or continue to tattoo out of home studios!
Script
“Do you have examples of a tattoo like this one you did healed?”
“Is your space/ are you licensed?”
“It’s important to me to get tattooed in a licensed space. I cannot continue this booking with you.”
Design consult
So you’ve picked your artist and contacted them to book a tattoo. The next stage, if you’re getting custom work, will be some sort of design consultation or overview. Make sure that you send adequate information in your booking request! This will increase your chance of getting booked, as the artist will be able to visualize your idea, and will also reduce back and forth between you and the artist during the design process.
Some artists will send you a design in advance of your appointment, but many folks prefer to show the drawing just at the time of the tattoo. While reasons for this policy can vary, some reasons can be that an artist doesn’t have time to draw in advance (except close to the appointment date, or the day of the appointment), or because sending designs in advance tends to lead to a lot of back and forth adjustments, as clients will show the design to friends, get feedback on changes to make, and then keep requesting alterations. Showing you the design day of will get your immediate reaction to the piece, and generally when you first see a design, your eye will catch any details that could later bother you. This does require a level of trust in your artist, though, so make sure to go with someone who’s body of work is reflective of the type of piece you want.
Is it important to you to see a design in advance and mull it over? Ask your artist if this is an option. Some artists are down, but may take an additional deposit for this service, to cover the additional amount of work that it requires. Other artists will not be able to accommodate this request, which may mean they’re not the right fit for you.
Regardless of your artist’s rules around seeing art in advance, remember that ultimately, this tattoo is about ~you.~ Is your vision being executed? Does the design feel right? Even if you’re seeing the design for the first time at the actual tattoo appointment, you are not obligated to get the tattoo. This is a change to your body that is permanent, and it’s important to be confident in your decision!
You can ask for adjustments to the design. Depending on the extent of the revisions, your artist may need to move your tattoo to another date. But, many small changes can be easily made at your appointment, and most artists who work this way schedule time for adjustments into your appointment.
Occasionally, an artist may just not be able to design the tattoo that you have envisioned! This happens. If you still aren’t feeling 100% on a design, after revisions, you can still say no. In this instance, it’s respectful of the artist’s time to offer compensation (at your discretion, but around $50 seems fair to me at minimum), as they’ve put a lot of unpaid time into your design and will be making far less money that day then expected.
Red flags : Artist not following the custom design they agreed to, the design does not match idea, artist doesn't send drawings in advance (this varies per artist, may not be a red flag but is important to consent to!)
Scripts
“Can we move this element / change this shape / make this darker / etc?”
“Can we add [this specific design aspect] from this tattoo that you did to my design?”
“I need to see the drawing before the appointment to make sure that it is what I want. Can I pay a drawing fee to see it in advance?”
“This doesn’t quite look like how I imagined even after revisions. I don’t want to move forward with this appointment anymore.” [Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate to offer to pay for their drawing time. Be aware that most appointment deposits are considered nonrefundable, typically to cover this occurrence]
At the appointment
It’s the day of your appointment. Make sure to check transit time and account for delays, so that you arrive on time to your appointment. Eat a good meal in advance, drink some water, and generally care for your body leading up to this point. Moisturizing the area that will be tattooed and exfoliating can also help with ensuring the best possible outcome of your piece! If you are prone to ingrown hairs, please ~don’t~ shave in advance, as you may irritate your skin; let your artist shave immediately before the tattoo.
You and your artist should both be treating this appointment with care and commitment. Be on time, be clean, and be respectful in the space you are in. Similarly, your artist should be at your appointment on time, alert, and focused on you. If your artist shows up late, seems hungover, or otherwise causes you concern, know that you are within your right to change appointment dates or cancel your appointment.
Before starting:
Red flags - artist is late to appointment, appears hungover or under the influence of a substance,
Script
“I waited at the studio for you for 30 minutes and you did not arrive. I do not wish to continue our appointment together”
“It seems like you may not be in the best headspace to tattoo right now. I would like to leave”
-During the process (preparing stencil, comfort in positioning, applying tattoo, breaks, asking for separate session, asking to end session, applying tattoo covering/second skin)
The structure of your appointment will vary depending on who you are working with. The design may be printed out already, you may look at it together on a tablet to make final changes, or they might be drawing directly on your skin. No matter the application, changes can always happen! A paper stencil can generally be reused many times, or easily remade. A drawn on area can be erased with alcohol and redrawn. The stencil is setting the stage for your tattoo and you should be happy with how it fits on your body!
If you aren't sure about placement, your artist can place the stencil in multiple placements. This can also be an option in draw on appointments, but due to the time drawing on takes, it may require you to make a second appointment to actually tattoo once you decide on placement.
Red flags - stencil - feeling like there wasn’t enough explanation/assurance that the artist can do the stencil as many times as necessary, feeling rushed, or that your artist is impatient about placing the stencil, feeling like your artist is aggravated by you asking for a different placement, even if slightly different, your artist saying that a placement won’t work, without explaining why it is their opinion that it won’t, or your artist placing it differently (angle, area) than you communicated
Script -
“I need more time than this to think about changes”
“I want to think about this placement. Can we put the stencil on another spot as well so I can see both at the same time?”
“Is there a way I could put the stencil on?”
“I want to take my time with this. Could we make this session just about getting placement right?”
“After seeing it actually on me, I think I want to take some time outside of our session to visualize if that’s the right spot.”
“I don’t feel confident about the placement/design. I want to think about this on my own.”
“I’d prefer to take the stencil off myself. Do you have gloves/wipes so I can do that?”
“That’s different than what I planned/envisioned - I need more time to think about it so let’s not do this today”
“I’m feeling too anxious to continue. I’m going to get my things”
“I don’t actually feel like doing this, I’m going to head out”.
Regardless of the stencil application, your artist should be checking in with you about touching your body and also should be offering you plenty of options for coverage of your body. Even in many intimate placements, there are ways to tattoo with you mostly covered! Ask your artist about this ahead of time if you’re unsure what your options are. A lot of times clothes can be taped to the side or swim suits can offer sufficient coverage while providing access to the tattoo area. There is absolutely no reason to expose parts of your body that aren’t being worked on.
At this stage of the tattoo, the artist’s respect for your body should be evident. Are they speaking about your body in a way that makes you feel safe? Do you feel empowered to make decisions about size and placement of the design? At no point should an artist make an unsolicited comment about your body - and when they do comment on your body, these remarks should relate entirely to how the design fits ~your~ body.
Example that your artist might say:
“I think this design fits this curve in your arm nicely”
“This flows with your leg in a cool way”
“Are you happy with how this wraps in this placement?”
Your artist should absolutely not make negative comments related to your weight changing over time, your posture etc, but it may be appropriate to point out how a design might change when your skin in an area changes over time. Pay attention to the language that your artists uses when discussing your body- it is important and very telling of how you will be treated during the tattoo process. Your artists shouldn’t be commenting about a design’s placement “in case you lose weight” or “in case your posture gets fixed” or otherwise make any shameful comments about how your body exists in that moment.
Red flags - skin exposure - artist making you remove an entire article of clothing instead of taping your clothes out of the way - removing an article of clothing that isn't directly covering the tattoo area, artist moving your clothes without your explicit consent, artist making you remove clothing for a photograph without giving you options
Scripts:
“What are my options for exposing this area to be tattooed?”
“Why do I need to remove my shirt / pants / bra? Is there another option that I can have?”
“I’d like to keep my shirt on for the photograph”
“Can I tuck the dental bib into my waistband myself?”
Next you will get into a seated or laying down position for the tattoo. Generally, an artist will need the area to be tattooed to be facing upwards, towards the ceiling, but your actual position doesn’t make a ~huge~ difference, pending placement.
Some artists have tables where you can sit up for a leg or arm tattoo, or will have you sit in a chair and use an armrest for your limb. You can ask in advance how you will be positioned, or what your options are! I try to give my clients a sitting up option and a laying down option, depending on where the tattoo is being placed. Some folks prefer sitting, while others like to lay down!
Red flags - positioning: you are uncomfortable in the way you are sitting or laying, even before the tattoo begins. Your artist doesn’t provide you with options; your artist moves your body without asking you to do it by describing what to do, or not asking if they can touch you at all.
Script
“My [back/leg/etc] hurts/is going to hurt/fall asleep like this. I need to move”
“I’m not ready to start - I need to get comfortable”
“Is there a different way I can sit? I don’t want to lay down on the table”
“This positioning is uncomfortable for me”
“Can I use a pillow or headrest?”
“Can you give me some other suggestions for sitting? I don’t like [element of position...]”
“I’m not comfortable”
Tattooing
During the tattoo, the established boundaries for touch and consent should remain in place. I like to ask my client before I move their limb or explain to them how to adjust their body, instead of physically moving their body for them without warning. If I want to use a barrier to cover their clothing, I ask them to tuck it into their waistband, or ask if they’re ok with me tucking it in. I do my best to offer my client some warning or indication that I will begin touching them again, if we have paused for a break and are resuming.
Your artist can give you a time estimate for how long the tattoo will take, which can help you mentally prepare for the process. While pain is to be expected, this pain can be managed through breathing, numbing products (check in with your artist before using independently), stretching breaks, distraction, etc. Sometimes a tattoo needs to be broken up into multiple sessions, and that’s ok too! Listen to what your body needs, there is no shame in taking care of yourself.
Script
“Is there a numbing product I can bring in case I need it?”
“Are you ok with the use of numbing products?”
“Can I take a few minutes to get up and stretch?”
“Can I grab a sip of water?”
“I feel at my limit for the day. Can we complete this in another session?”
After tattoo
Photos
Your artist most likely will want to take photos of the piece, to use on social media or for other promotions, or just for documentation. Know that you are under no obligation to let an artist take a photo of your piece, for whatever your reason may be! They will be fine without a photo.
It is also up to you as to if an artist can share the photo that they take. Are you comfortable being shown on social media? Do you want to approve of the photo before hand?
You should never be made to remove more clothing than is comfortable to you. An artist may ask you to adjust or remove a piece of clothing for their photo, but ultimately consider your comfort first! A sternum piece may look best in a photo if you remove your top and bra, but a taped clothing photo is fine too.
Red flags
Not asking for specific consent to take photos/use photos in a specific way/how you would like to be associated or identified either in or alongside photos
Red flags same as re skin exposure, above^
Script examples -
“Can I see the photo that you took?”
“I don’t like that photo you took. Could we take another?”
“I actually don’t feel comfortable taking photos-let’s just finish the session here”
“I know I said on my consent form/in person that it was okay for you to use the photos we took afterwards for your website but I don’t want them used/want to clarify I don’t want them used on instagram/want to clarify I don’t want you to use my name or tag me in them”
Know that it is okay and your right to follow up at any point with an artist about use of photos - even if a lot of time has passed
Bandaging
Post appointment
After your tattoo, your tattoo artist should remain professional. They should not be making advances towards you towards contact past your appointment time (and the way they might feel if you make advances towards this will vary person to person!).
Red flags
unwanted communication or contact initiated by artist
Script examples -
“I don’t wish to continue our conversation outside of my appointment. Please do not message me again”
With the process in mind, I hope that you are able to navigate the experience of finding a tattoo artists and getting tattooed with confidence and agency.