Over the years I’ve talked to hundreds or possibly thousands of people regarding tattoos. Most people seem to to want something that means something to them and want to know what is going to cost. Many of these people even explain that they are inquiring with multiple artists to find the “best price”. I would imagine the “best price” means the lowest but you can already see that this is a losing strategy.

The truth is, no tattoo artist in their right mind gets into the industry to do tattoos at low prices. Some artists may keep their prices low feeling it’s necessary to attract clients but their only doing themselves a disservice.

For me, the “best price”is and always has been whatever the artist I want to get tattooed by charges. Choosing an artist to permanently put art on me based on how much it costs is pretty uninspiring. I want to get tattooed by the artist who does the tattoo that makes me think “I have to get a tattoo from that artist”. Truthfully,the difference in price from one good artist to the next won’t be that much. I have no problem saving money for an extra month or so if it means getting tattooed by the artist I truly must get tattooed by. I won’t even address the scenario where someone might save hundreds of dollars by going to someone who charges $50 an hour. Anyone charging these prices on a regular basis can’t have much respect for themselves or the tattoo industry.

Bottom line is, how would I feel about saving $20, $100, even $500 when in 10 or 20 years I’m not totally stoked on the tattoo I got? That money will be nothing but a distant memory while I have to walk around with the tattoo I got from my 3rd or 4th choice in tattoo artist because I couldn’t wait a bit longer to save for who i really wanted to do it.

Don’t cheat yourself. Do your research, meet the artist, drop a deposit and be excited……..