Leaderboard

I mean, I know that tattoos hurt, sometimes a lot, but I had some medical shit happen to me in the past year that was among the worst pain I have ever experienced, like pain that makes you vomit uncontrollably (for which I was prescribed far LESS in terms of painkillers than what some people are describing in this thread), and it's made me have a low, low tolerance for otherwise healthy people (i.e. without chronic problems that exacerbate what it means to sit for a tattoo!) not being able to grin and bare it through a tattoo. It really sucks sometimes, I am not disputing that, but we all deal with it. And we are doing this voluntarily. We are feeling the pain because of something we want, not because our body is telling us that we are ill. The pain also stops as soon as the needle does. If folks want to use painkillers or muscle relaxants to make the process easier, that's up to them and their tattooers--I have never found it worth the side effects, and I really resist the notion that it is ever "necessary". Like do whatever you want, but let's remember that just because something is really painful, doesn't mean that we can't just... deal with it. We all like to complain about how much tattoos hurt as some kind of bonding exercise, but we wouldn't still be getting tattooed if it really required sedation to survive!

Got the ladyhead by Max Kuhn yesterday! Not the best pic. It wraps a bit!

Yes. It's people's personal choice what they do, who are we to judge right? But, let's say not too long ago, when I started getting tattooed in the 80's, ya never heard of anyone seeking anything to manage the pain of getting tattooed. It would never have been a deciding factor. Times were so much more simpler...one either got tattooed, or one didn't, and if one didn't it was because of one of two reasons. They didn't like tattoos or they were too scared of the pain. Simple. My personal belief is, seeking to mask the pain is kinda cheating. It's like the phrase, no pain no gain. It's like going on a diet of ice cream and cookies, it's like becoming fit by going for a stroll. We all do it at some level, seek the easy way out...every single one of us in some kind of format, it seems to be human nature. There's too many options out there. Slowly wins the race. Take the time, tough it out, the hard experiences in life earns us insight and adds to our knowledge. Yeah, I've used opiates in the past while under the machine, but not to try mask the pain...a lot more simpler than that, just because I liked to get loaded on drugs and alcohol. That's it. On top of that, I can assure you, it does nothing for pain management. All it does is fucks you up and the local pain is the same...at times even worse because of how fucked up you are, ya can't shift the pain. By far, I find the best way to pain manage is focus, straight with the good prep we talk about.

I had planned on taking a couple vicodin before starting the session on my ribs/chest/stomach, but I left the pills at home. This was the day after a 4 hour session on my thigh and still I managed to survive about 5.5 hours. It was painful and challenging but not so bad that I would take anything for future appointments. Sure the artist would prefer to tattoo another 1-2 hours but I'd prefer not dealing with any side effects of prescription meds.

first session - tiger on ribs... finished 2nd session with Scott Sylvia tying in new & old...super happy!!! :)

Like I said, do what you will do, but pain that you choose willingly, and that no matter how much we complain, we still GET THROUGH and then CHOOSE AGAIN, is not the same thing as pain that comes from something being wrong with our bodies. Like these conversations need a little goddamn perspective. If you want to dope yourself up, feel free, but don't pretend it's a necessity.

I have nearly 100hours and have never taken anything, but some ibuprofen to help with swelling. I suck it up and take it. I was pretty amazed to read that someone would need an opiate to make it through a 1.5 hour session, but I guess it's not my business. For me having a good session is where I have a clear mind and I can focus on nothing but sitting well. It takes a lot of focus. It's actually one of the rare times when I don't have random stupid thoughts floating through my head because all my energy is going into the "sit". A good sleep and a healthy solid meal before hand never hurts.

I went into my back thinking that I was going to die from the pain, and it has been fine so far. By that I mean that there have been sessions where I felt that I'd been beat the hell up afterward, and there have been plenty of OH SHIT moments while getting tattooed, but other than a beer during my last session (which was GREAT) I've done it straight and it's okay. Good to go into it with the proper amount of respect for it because it's not a walk in the park.

Got this lady head from Max Kuhn on Monday! Wraps a bit!

You can't compare a medical procedure with getting a tattoo. ...and I will add...I had my tonsils taken out (as an adult). And I would re-tattoo my stomach w/ no painkillers over the 2 week post-tonsillectomy healing period with painkillers, any day of the week !!! Now I've tried a bunch of things to take the edge...somebody called me the Hunter S Thompson of tattoo clients (LOL) for my investigative work earlier in this thread (in the name of science!). But shit that's just bactine, nyquil, pot cookies and booze. I've never tried the numbing cream that makes you feel like your wearing a leather jacket. Maybe I will try that when I finally get going on (the ass section of) my backpiece. Or maybe I won't because I want to feel every second of that fiery fury that I've heard about (thank you LST). But I haven't even heard of half the pill cocktails people are talking about here. I can understand if people want to medicate/numb to push through long or back-to-back sessions, party on your ribs or knee ditch. More power to you. But if you need to default to numbing cream and a handful of pills to get a 2 hour banger on the side of your neck, c'mon. This is tattoo! My point is if you are that scared about the pain or can't take it, maybe reconsider why you want to go through with that tattoo in the first place...tattooing isn't for everyone, but holy shit this new age is using every trick in the book to make it accessible for everyone. You don't need to be a hero...but you also don't need to be a pussy ! To each their own. Maybe I'm being a bit brash. My $0.02 /flameon - - - Updated - - - I may have got into this tattoo mess much later than you Mick, but I couldn't agree more! - - - Updated - - - 7 hour session is NOTHING to feel shame about, that's a mega-sit :) You are bang on @Swifty - we the people, we love tattoos. And people will do whatever it takes to get what they love. peace

I have two skulls on my right upper arm. One takes up most of my inner arm, the other one is smaller, about the size of a fist, on the outer part of my arm. They look cool because skulls always look cool.

That's pretty much on the money @Cork. Slammed my rear 11", went back to 16" bars instead of drag bars, wrapped my pipe today. Then ripped her through the hills. Good

Ha @scubaron! I keep saying "I'm done for a while" or "I'm done until I start my back" and then I find other tattoos to get in the interim... My husband is kind of irritated with me too ;)

@keepcalm I agree. It's nice to see everyday photo of people sometimes. I find online it's usually zoomed in on the artwork (fantastic!) or professional odel photos that are not quite everyday, ha. I don't even know if I make sense. I usually don't prior to having my coffee. ;) @pidjones Ha! Thank you! I'm forced to disagree- I'd vote there's not a homely looking one among you bunch.

I was joking about meeting up around Times Square. Times Square is one of my least favorite places in the world and I'd rather not hang out at all than hang out around there.

Are you claiming Boston as a NYC borough now?

@jonnyw - Is there really a need to take the pain down to a 3 or 4? A 7 isn't acceptable to minimize the side effects for a 4ish hour session? You really can't handle an upcoming 3+ hour session without being seriously drugged? And even then, you still have to split it into 2 sessions? So 60mg Vicodin+valium+muscle relaxant for what sounds like less than a 2 hour tattoo? I haven't read this entire thread in a while, but I doubt your conclusion that the general consensus is to dope up to this degree. Unless you have some medical pain issues you are being treated for, my only reaction to this is to man up. In full disclosure, I take 3 Advils at the start, and also 1/2 a 7.5 mg Vicodin pill at the start and the other half around hour 3. It is prescribed while I work through some very painful pelvis/spine problems that make it impossible for me to sit without a lot of discomfort. This very low dose makes sitting in a massage chair vaguely possible, and I find it does nothing for the tattoo pain.

Well..... Richard's contract had the same clause in it..... No use of illegal substances, or having them.... Lesson: Either share with everyone, so they all go down too. Or don't get caught.

Couldn't agree more Mick, I have a coworker who's been trying to talk me into using numbing cream because "it's awesome, I can't feel anything". I've been going out there and took the pain as part of the experience, it's satisfying after 9 hours when your artist tells you you earned it... and it wrecked me when I tapped out after 7 and a half hours on my 2nd appointment, felt some serious shame and now, 6 days later I want to kick myself for not sitting the last hour and a half. I was just saying that ultimately, it comes down to personal preference, if some people can't take pain but still want tattoos, they'll do whatever they gotta do to get it done, that's all.

I agree, but at the same time, if you were to get plastic surgery, or have your tonsils removed, you're not just toughing it out because that's something you want... I understand why some people chose to take medicine to help with the pain... it comes down to personal preference and pain thresholds.

^THIS

We're staying in Park Slope.

when i was getting my chest done i started with nothing then i was like holy fuck...this tattoo hurts worse than any other tattoo i've ever had done...it was my 21st tattoo. so i took some hydrocodone i don't think it helped much. and then after i was done i felt like shit. and it started to fuck with my brain. so the last session i didn't take anything and it hurt pretty much the same amount. which is to say it didn't feel good at all. but pretty sure the pills made it worse.

Let me be clear that Arnica is not a painkiller in any way. Tt just helps with the side effects of tattooing, like bruising and swelling. Buy the pills, not the topical cream, for obvious reasons. You should be able to find it at any pharmacy. I take it like every two hours on the day of and day after tattooing.

Welcome. I think that idea could be really cool if you found the right artist to do it. It makes me think of a Lord of the Rings sleeve that Rob Noseworthy up in Nanaimo BC did: (I can't seem to get the image working from my phone so here's a link to the tattoo) I don't know of anybody in San Diego who tattoos like that, but maybe somebody who has better knowledge of the area can chime in with some suggestions.

This thread got weird! While I enjoy all the chatter, am I correct that me, @Graeme, @Fala and @ironchef (and various partners) are the only people actually meeting up?

I used to be convinced I hated New York - it turns out that always arriving at the Port Authority bus terminal and walking through or around Times Square to get to my destination were 95% responsible for that feeling.

what you described is most certainly not using "meds as medicine." there is absolutely no medical justification for taking large amounts of opiates before getting tattooed, unless you're dealing with chronic pain thats unrelated as SeeSea described.

When people get tattooed it is usually an outward reflection of their internal climate, and what with damn near every person on the planet being obsessed with their death, skulls tend to be a popular motif.

@DeathB4Decaf Thanks for posting a picture! It's great to be able to see people just hanging out with their tattoos. @Pugilist I definitely agree. I'm still in school (and working from home) so I'll probably end up waiting until I've settled into a career etc. etc. It seems like every office has a different policy and attitude towards these kinds of things. (also I hope I tagged people correctly? I am not great at the internet)

cool thing to collect - throw some pics up - interesting stuff i collect all things vintage bike though my spare dollars have been more and more going to ink but anyway - i have a decent collection of freewheel removers - weird huh

@scubaron Pool league? Seriously? One of my vices....custom pool cues.

My husband eggs me on. :(

I play in a pool league Sundays at 6, but matches sometimes gets postponed. Might be better for me not to see everyone's cool tattoos. Wifey giving me a real hard time about potentially getting another tattoo.

I had that last week on my hip - felt my nerves light up from my foot all the way up into my jaw. This has motivated me to see which acupuncture meridian may have been temporarily activated... GallBladder! Good stuff!

Finishing my thigh with Seth Wood on December 1st! Looking forward to it.

The only thing that is acceptable at Times Square is the movie theatre - if you go for a first-show-of-the-day, you miss all the tourists. Times Square early on a Saturday or Sunday morning is strangely awesome.

Got this from Timothy Hoyer last month. Really stoked about getting a tattoo from one of my absolute favorite tattooers.

@Cork - nearly done - 3-4 sessions and he wants it done by the end of the year. FML. With much trepidation, I'm booked every other Friday through Jan 2. Through the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. I think it's quite insane, but we have a dive vacation at the end of Jan and he feels very strongly about not going more than 3ish weeks between sessions. UGH! I think I'll be burning some sick days trying to stay healthy. Red and irritated at the top, and some of the marker is showing through. We have to fade out the sides around my ribs (joy) and a few more little critters below my waist to come. Aside from final whites and highlights most of this is done, EXCEPT for the eagle rays in the very center. It's pretty obvious they are still the first coat of paint. Those eagle rays were the reason I wanted a tattoo - I may have described this elsewhere, but that was a picture I took very early one morning right off the dive boat, and their beauty and strength I wanted to capture with a tattoo on my back. (Every critter here is a picture I took scuba diving and my tattoo artist created the scene from my photographs.) So, in the tradition of bringing the dragon to life by filling in the eyes last, we are saving the eagle rays until the end to bring this around full circle and bring the ocean scene to life.

I think a good tattoo artist understands flinches and some uncontrollable movements, and can compensate. I have a muscle in my back that always does a long slow twitch when we start in that area, and he recognizes that. The body's musculature has some common traits that are somewhat stereotypical, or can be anticipated. Don't kick yourself over something your body does without your control. Your artist knows what your body might do. If they spend hours with you, they learn how your body responds. There is a difference between involuntary twitches and a fidgeting PITA whiny client. Doesn't sound like you're a PITA. Don't worry about it. Congrats on sitting strong - you are so close to the end! Exciting!!!

I Did this one on a Coworker at a convention this year, its on her thigh. took about 6 hours i think? anyways, Enjoy! i may repost if i can find the healed pic she sent me it healed immaculately. Open to input but try not to be an a-hole haha so yea, done by me (Marcus Hardy) at Planet Ink Tattoos in Hiram GA

My recommendation is to stop looking at your tattoo with a flashlight. That shit is just weird.

Got this from Theo Mindell while he was visiting Austin for a few days. The guy might be the straight up nicest dude I've met in a long time. And Paco Cendon at electric13 was super nice too and has an awesome shop. I very much underestimated the pain on the back of the thigh, just above the ditch of my knee. It's 3 days later and I'm still limping around.

I have sometimes taken a prescription anti-inflammatory in conjunction with some over the counter pain relief medication, but in my view it's not necessary except if you are really pushing the boat out: A very very long single day's tattooing (6+ hours), or if you are getting tattooed many days back-to-back, and need to get as much done as possible. I have never bothered for a 'normal' single day's tattooing, or if the place being tattooed is an arm or a leg - somewhere where the pain level is simply not comparable to the back, ribs, belly, sternum etc. My experience is that, particularly when I was doing 2 days of tattooing back to back (or in one case, 3 sessions in 2 days back to back on my back piece) taking something can allow you to go that extra 2-3 hours when otherwise you might have to stop. It can slightly blunt the edge of getting tattooed somewhere very unpleasant. It's definitely not some kind of silver bullet or ticket to a pain-free tattooing experience. I feel like the healing process has never been affected. In fact, anecdotally I would say that the dramatically reduced swelling and discomfort from the anti-inflammatories might actually help the aftercare process overall. It's certainly easier on travelling afterwards. In addition to remembering that it's not going to make the whole process a walk in the park, I'd also echo @Pugilist when she says that prescription drugs aren't something to take a gamble on if you're already stressed out about being tattooed in a tough spot. It could result in nausea, disorientation etc. I have a friend who is a doctor and I ran things by him first. The final thing is the question of whether this interferes with some 'authentic tattoo experience'. I can only say that, having been tattooed for long sessions both with and without, at the end of the day there is not such a big difference. In my book, when I travel to get big work done, I want to get as *much* done as I reasonably can during my visit. This is a way to do that.

Love that chrysthanemum @mmikaoj who did that chestpiece man?

@mmikaoj Looks great! I also really like the one with the guy holding the hammer. Rad.

@mmikaoj hell yea, that looks awesome. Something about giant flower shoulder caps, man.