tattoo pain

hello, i havent got a tattoo but i have made a definite decision to get one, i am going to a tattoo place which is popular and clean, and im curious about the pain, i am getting the tattoo on my right upper arm were my muscle is, im kinda nervous about the pain i can deal with shots and stuff when i go to the doctors and stuff but i want to know the pain leval and stuff, also do they numb your arm before they do it. Thanks

well thats the least painful place to get a tattoo. it ain't bad at all

thanks alot for making me feel better, is there any way to describe the pain, i mean iv gotten my ears pierced and all that stuff im not to iffy about pain, o btw im 18 i see ppl get pissed about 14 and 15 year olds wanting tattoo's

also im wondering if i should do anything before the procedure like take aspirin or something, also how long would it take im going to call a tattoo parlor tommorow and book an appointment

Hi! No, don't take anything, you won't need to. To me, it felt like a hot pin or razor blade... You know how doctors always say "You'll feel some pressure" Or "You'll feel a pinch." ? It's not that bad. :) At least not where you are getting it :)

However if you are as trepidatious...sorry ...If you are as concerned about the pain to this extent I would recommend that you not be tattooed at this time....your anxiety could affect your ability to sit still and, believe it or not...the way your tattoo heals. But think about this....the thousands of people that get LARGE tattoos evry single day and survive....and I'm not trying to be a smartass here....some concern is natural but the way it sounds you may be excessively concerned....TAz

I got my first Tattoo last year and was really afraid of the pain. My husband went first and I got to watch the whole thing and even ask the artist questions. I think that helped settle me down. I made sure I had ate about an hour before I went in to get mine and I was sipping a soda the whole time he was tattooing me. My tattoo is on my ankle and the closer it got to the shin the more vibration I felt from the machine. The pain level was nothing like I was expecting. ( I hate shots…they hurt) Felt like a burn when you get into the shower and the hot water hits it. Piece of cake. Cant wait to get another one!!! Katwoman

Well I would love to give you an answer, but it really isnt worth it! Not to sound like an ass.. But I have many tattoo's, some hurt more then others! But, everyone says the less flesh there is (ie, right on the wrist or elbow) the more it is supposed to hurt.. Well mine didnt hurt at all there! But the places that people told me that it wouldnt hurt, with lots of flesh.. did hurt more! So to sum up... Everyone reacts to different types of pain in a different way! I guess the only real way to find out, is to get one done! ;) But if you really are THAT concerned... You should wait... maybe go watch one being done.. that may help... Sorry I wasnt much help for you. Baker sendz................

My first tattoo is pretty large and on my ribs. Some of it hurt like nothing else...like someone was shooting lava into my body, the majority of it, however, felt like a pleasant tickling...I laughed alot. Like everyone says, people take pain different ways. All I can say it wasn't the worst pain I've had in my life...it makes the top 10 maybe, but it's not the worst. Just try to chill out, roll in there like a professional and before you know it, everything's over. Like a doctor's visit...but more personable. After all, it could always be worse. ahlyn

To re-iterate what was said earlier, the arm is probably the least painful spot on your body to get tattooed, except maybe yer butt! The razor blade was the best description I could equate it to, but it's not the same as having to do it to yourself. The main thing to keep in mind, aside from what TAz said about how many people do this every day, is that the pain is only skin deep. If you just relax, you'll be fine, and you'll probably be excited as hell when you see the finished piece! Good Luck! TCE

If it was described to you perfectly, the fact is that you still wouldn't know what it felt like, no matter how accurate the description was. Best bet is to just grin and bear it, even if it was excruciating, you won't feel it 10 years from now (or even 10 minutes after the procedure), but you'll still have that tattoo to enjoy (granted, 10 minutes you'll feel as if you've been tattooed, which is comparable to a minor sunburn, and it's isolated, not all over your body). My advice- don't harp on it so much and relax when you have the procedure performed. You'll be a much happier person in the longrun and your artist will love you alot more:)

Hey friend, mine was about 12 hours worth total, and I have to tell you, like these guys said, everyone reacts to it differently. For me, I was surprised that after all I had heard, frankly, it was nothing. I went in the first time all psyched up, like it was some kind of rite of passage... a hot poker or something. Was all ready to be a badass and suck it up and my artist says "Okay, I'm gonna lay a line in just to make sure you are okay, ready?" I grit my teeth and "HOLY FUCK!!!!" Nothing. No big deal. I was like "That was IT?" So relax. You are way too worried about it. When it's healing up, it feels EXACTLY like you got a decent sunburn, and that's how it acts too. First it feels like you are sunburned. Then it peels like a sunburn does. Then it itches like a sunburn peeling does. Then it's over, and hurray! You are in the club!!

Just make sure to spray it down with Alcohol to set the ink.... *WACK!* IT WAS A JOKE!!! *wimper.*

HA HA Werk! I heard a little ben gay is just the thing to make it feel better.

...or soak it inside her.... *WACK!* Cider, CIDER... I MENT IN CIDER! God Damn Ninja clipchords!

lol...reading this and the razor blades made me think of work (i do shipment at Old Navy and have to break down boxes sometimes with the retractable razor blade), and how it stings for a sec and then doesn't hurt that much, just sore. Then, my thought process went to other types of cuts, and how much the hurt...and how, almost anyone will agree, the worst kind of *MINOR* cut (pain wise) is a...*drum roll*...a paper cut! SOOO......... Tattoo more or less than a paper cut?

Good one Ducky!! X-acto Knife too! Holy crap!!! That's gotta be right up there....

Al, Ducky, I have to agree, the whole tattoo pain thing is somewhat laughable once you've done it. People with tattoos don't seem like badass's anymore simply because of the ink. I guess more than anything, this is what irks me about youngsters willing to permanently mark up their bodies with any quality work, at any cost. Getting tattoos doesn't even come close to making someone a badass. Like I said, the pain is really only skin deep. TCE