How affordable are tattoos over there?

12 comments

1. Prices will vary a lot by the establishment and by the artist. And, probably by the region as well. Some charge by the tattoo’s size, others by the time it takes for them to do the tattoo.

   Most recent artist I checked out did $100/hr. Which seemed a tad high to me personally but could be a normal rate. This was in central PA.

2. Depends what tattoo you want.

   Experience of artist, Size of and time needed is what determines price.

   Check out r/tattoo

3. Prices can range a lot depending which shop you go to, and regionally it can vary across the US. I’d say a good rule of thumb would be to assume $50-$200+ an hour with $50 on the end of being about what you’d be charged by a quality but high availability shop, and the $100-$200 side being the more in-demand local shops. A shop being in demand or not is not an indication of quality usually, an artist can get hot because of a lot of factors and can charge more if they’re booked out for many months to years.

   If you want to get something quick and small (as in might take 3 hours or less) or something they have already designed in their flash you could also get a cheaper rate.

   Additionally with the tipping culture in the US, we do tip tattoo artists so plan on 15%+ ontop of that rate for a tip.

   So if you wanted to get something about average sized that you’d guesstimate could take 1-3 hours, I’d plan around $250-$300 to be safe. Also if you know what city you might be wanting to get one in, check out that city’s subreddit if it’s large enough or the state’s. People might be able to give you some recommendations and more specific local price expectations. If you find a shop you like they will probably be very willing to do a phone/zoom consultation with you, get you a set appointment, and can provide an approximate price.

4. They can range from tens of dollars to thousands of dollars depending on size, artistry, and coloring. Generally the more complex something is the more it will cost.

   You would have to talk with the tattoo artist to get a price for what you want specifically. $50-200 per hour of work is probably a decent rule of thumb.

5. It really depends. Some shops have an hourly rate and some artists go by piece work. Typical price around me $125/hr or around that. And one artist that I intend on going to quoted $450 for a compass on the back of my hand. Sure it’s expensive for a small area but I seen a lot of his work and I feel like I’m getting a discount at that price.

6. Unfortunately, my opinion at least, tattoos here really a “trust your instinctincts” situation. You can get amazing tattoo artists for shockingly little, and shitty ones that also overcharge. And everything in between.

   A solid strategy is often to ask if you can see their “album” or “porfolio”. You can preview a little bit how good they are as an artist, but that’s not really the point here.

   The point in that scenario is that they take pride in their work, and aren’t ashamed to show it off to a potential customer. That’s always a good sign.

7. My wife paid around $500 for a beautifully done tattoo the size of about two dollar bills, with intricate linework. Is that affordable or not, I have no idea. All I know is if you’re planning to wear a piece of artwork for 50 years, you may as well get it done well even if it costs some money.

8. Depends on about a million factors: the location of the shop (an in-demand artist in NYC is going to be much more expensive than a drop-in shop in a tiny midwestern town, for example). Most shops will have shop minimums, so you can get a tiny dot that looks like a freckle and you’ll have to pay $80 just to cover the artist’s time/materials. That varies from shop to shop though. I’ve seen some as low as like $40, some as high as $200. Lots of artists, especially the bigger ones, are appointment only, and they might have hourly rates that are $500+. You can also find artists that are $50+/hr.

   I’d recommend looking up some artists near where you’ll be staying and contacting them directly.

9. $75-$200 per hour depending on how popular the artist is, the area you’re in, and how much detail you want.

10. It varies based on what you’re getting and where, and how experienced the artist is.

    Pricing is pretty much the same as bbq grills and hookers. $50 for a shitty one, $200 for a decent one, and $500 for a really nice one.

11. Whatever you do, don’t go to a bullshit tourist tattoo shop in Orlando, florida. Y’all euros like to do that

12. While I don’t have any, if I were to get one it’s something I would not want to skimp on so that’s it’s well done both artistically and safety.

    That said, in prison you could probably get one for a pack of cigarettes.