Things To Know Before Getting A Tattoo
First have a basic idea of what you want with a general aesthetic or style in mind. You might have a meaningful reason behind why you want to get tattooed, or you might just have an interest in bringing your body a new aesthetic, or perhaps there is an artist's work you love. Some other things to keep in mind are:
LICENsING
This tattoo will be a collaboration between you and your chosen artist. Try to find someone whose work you respect and admire. It is important to ensure that the shop is licensed by local council as well as holding a state tattoo licence. Each artist should be individually licensed too. A quick Google search will show you what your state’s rules are as well as the licensing details for any artist or shop. At Paragon Tattoo all applicable licenses are up to date and visable on our walls.
ATTITUDE
You are about to trust someone to create a piece of artwork to live permanently on your skin and in order to do this, you have to be confident with the artist and their work. Make sure to ask if your artist offers consultations. You want your artist to be into your ideas and enthusiastic, or at least understand your passion behind the idea. But remember, just because you like their portfolio, they may not want to work with your ideas. This can happen sometimes when your ideas and style do not align.
ATMOSPHERE
Gauge the shop's feel and atmosphere.
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Take note of the general professionalism and personality of the shop and artist. When the overall atmosphere in the shop is not fine-tuned or not suited to you, it's a good idea to move on to the next one. Just be sure to thank the artist for their time, before you see your way out.
SANITATION
Keep an eye out for any general health and sanitary practices. Any reputable tattoo shop should smell like disinfectant and have clean workstations and floors. Artists are required to use single-use needles and ink to avoid any cross contamination. This also applies to gloves, bandages, swabs — anything that your artist might use must be new or sterilised.
