HEALING SCENARIO 1: OPEN AIR

If you are healing a wound over a small surface area, so this will be an easy heal, with the scabbing likely to remain for about two to three weeks depending on the way your body heals.

• When you get home, take off the cling film, shower and clean the tattoo briefly with soap and water and leave it open to the air to dry.

• Avoid greeting animals close to your body when you get home  - no tongues, tails to touch the area, and no animal hair.

• For arms: If you like, wear a clean long sleeved t shirt that’s cotton based to bed rather than no shirt. This prevents multiple locations of bacteria like pillows/sheets from touching the surface. Overnight, you may find ink on your sheets and pillows. This eventually washes out, but perhaps don’t use a light coloured set if you don’t want staining. For legs - follow the same logic, just with something like a cut off long sleeve from a t shirt.

• In the days following, clean the tattoo briefly with soap and water, and by the third day you may find a VERY THIN layer of barrier cream (fragrance free - lightweight) will help with any feeling of tightness after the scabs develop. The tattoo must not look glossy or cloudy due to too much moisture. You can still cause problems with the outcome after the four day mark is this isn’t followed. But there is a balance to reach - It’s very important that your scabs don’t split and heal over and over because of dryness and movement - this will result in patchy healing. This is why I don’t encourage any exercise or stretching gestures with your arms while you’re healing.

HEALING SCENARIO 2: SECOND SKIN

• There’s not much to do when your second skin is behaving and stays well adhered to your skin. You might see a lot of plasma/ink  build up and this is totally normal. It looks a bit weird and like a blister. Don’t worry.

• You can keep the second skin for up to four days, showering normally, and the healing this way tends to be much cleaner and gentler for the chest area.

• If the second skin begins to peel away at the corners and you can see that water or air can reach any part of the tattoo - you need to take it off and refer to scenario 1 : healing without second skin.

• TAKING OFF SECOND SKIN: Do not peel second skin away from your body at a right angle perpendicular to your skin - this will really fucking hurt, but could also rip off your scabs. We don’t want this. So firstly, hop into the shower, and make sure the water is hitting the area you are peeling. Peel SLOWLY in a motion parallel and close to your skin, away from the tattoo, checking your progress as you go. Clean with soap and water, and allow to dry.

• Please contact me with any problems during the healing stage. If you notice redness or swelling, it’s best to see a doctor sooner rather than later, as getting antibiotics for a skin infection can save your tattoo.

• While healing it’s super important that you try not to pick at the skin. It will get itchy! Ice packs and even just tapping the scab can help.

I have my own studio for a reason. I prefer a peaceful environment that caters to neurodiversity, disability, sensory sensitivity, queer and gender questioning folk. I feel strongly about the need for spaces that feel safe for those in society who have limited safe spaces.

I have a different way of working and I’m interesting in pushing the boundaries of tattooing, so I’m always experimenting and exploring. If you prefer a very traditional tattoo experience, I can direct you to some very skilled artists in other studios. Otherwise - buckle in for an experience that is it’s own friendly beast.

TOUCH UPS AND SECOND SESSIONS:

• Some areas may need touching up, or colour - and this is normal. But we need time for the first heal to settle, so we’d be making a booking for the five week mark to complete the tattoo.

Contact me for any questions and happy healing!

I offer flexible pricing based on project and complexity. My main aim is to have you relaxed and comfortable while we tattoo, and not sitting in the chair worrying for hours about how you’re going to pay the hourly rate because we’ve gone overtime.

Scenario 1)

After an initial conversation, I’ll provide a flat fee quote.

Scenario 2)

You might be working on a sleeve or a small tattoo here and there - let me know what your budget is for that session, and I’ll work the design to match your budget. I’ll give you a flat rate for that session, no matter how long it takes.

Scenario 3)

I may have released flash with a set price depending on size. You are welcome to work with that price structure, but if you want the tattoo much bigger, or to make it part of a larger project - we can discuss how that might change the pricing.

Scenario 4)

You may want a bigger piece, but you know you have a low pain tolerance. We would then have a flat rate for the tattoo, and organise a series of shorter appointments. Normally we can get a decent sized area covered in 3 sessions, but if we need more than that, there may be a small fee to cover the minimum costs for setup.

Collaborative, honest, playful, and comfortable. You choose the music. We have tea. I’m here to facilitate a really good experience for you, because it’s important.