SKIN PREP
Ready for Your New Ink? Here is How to Prep Your Skin!
Preparing your skin is the most important step you can take to ensure a smooth session, sharp lines, and vibrant healing.​ We want your tattoo experience to be as comfortable and flawless as possible. To get the best canvas for your new art, please follow these simple skin prep steps in the weeks leading up to your appointment:
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Hydrate from the Inside Out: Drink plenty of water in the days leading up to your session. Hydrated skin holds ink much better and recovers faster.
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Moisturize Daily: Apply a gentle, fragrance-free lotion to the area daily to prevent dry, flaky skin.
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Gently Exfoliate: Use a mild scrub or washcloth 1–2 times a week to remove dead skin cells.
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Protect the Canvas: Avoid sunburns, tanning beds, and heavy scrapes. We cannot tattoo over damaged, peeling, or sunburnt skin!
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On the Day of Your Session:
Show up freshly showered, but leave your skin completely natural. Do not apply any lotions, oils, or perfumes, as these leave a residue that interferes with our stencil transfer. Finally, please do not shave the area yourself. We will handle all shaving right before we start to ensure a perfectly clean surface and prevent any razor burn or ingrown hairs.
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THE CRUCIAL 48-Hour WINDOW:
The two days leading up to your session are the most critical for your skin. To ensure your session goes smoothly, please strictly follow these rules 48 hours before your appointment:
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Say No to Depilatory Creams: Absolutely do not use Nair, Veet, or any other chemical hair removal products on or near the tattoo area. These products rely on harsh chemicals to break down hair bonds. They frequently leave behind micro-chemical burns, irritation, and extreme skin sensitivity that make it completely impossible and unsafe to tattoo over that will lead to an appointment being rescheduled until the skin is in a condition to be tattooed.
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Avoid Harsh Body Products: Stop using chemical exfoliants (like AHAs, BHAs, or retinol), heavy artificial fragrances, and self-tanners. Stick strictly to a basic, gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer.
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Zero Sun Exposure: Keep the area completely out of the sun. Even a mild, unnoticeable sun irritation changes the skin texture and causes excessive bleeding, which pushes the ink right back out. You will be turned away if you are having a sunburn in the area in which you're asking to be tattooed.
Things to avoid:
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Stop Shaving: Do not use a razor on the area. Shaving can cause micro-cuts, razor burn, or ingrown hairs that introduce bacteria. Let us handle the sterilization and shave with a fresh, sterile single use disposable razor right before we apply your stencil.
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Avoid Blood Thinners: Do not take over-the-counter pain relievers like Aspirin or Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) for 24–48 hours before your appointment. They act as mild anticoagulants. If you take prescription blood thinners, please consult your physician before changing your routine—never stop your medication without medical clearing. If you need pain management, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a safe alternative that won't thin your blood.​
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Skip Alcohol and Limit Caffeine: Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours prior to your session, and cut back on caffeine the morning of your appointment. Both substances thin the blood and increase your heart rate. Excessive bleeding pushes the ink right back out of your skin, diluting the pigment, ruining the stencil visibility, and leading to patchy healing.
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Avoid New or Heavily Fragranced Skincare: Do not introduce any new lotions, body washes, or oils in the week leading up to your appointment. Stick to products your skin already knows to prevent sudden contact dermatitis or allergic rashes.
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Steer Clear of Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs: Avoid prolonged soaking in chlorinated water or public hot tubs for 48 hours before your session. Chlorine severely dries out the skin and can leave a chemical residue that irritates the area during the tattoo process.
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​Skip Cosmetic Treatments: Avoid fake tanning, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, or waxing on the area for at least 2 to 4 weeks prior to your session.
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Talk to Your Artist About Numbing Cream: Do not apply numbing cream without checking with your artist first. While it can help with pain, certain brands change the texture of your skin, making it rubbery, swollen, or harder to saturate with ink. It can also cause the tattoo to heal poorly. If your artist clears it, they will tell you exactly which brand to use and when to apply it.
Long-Term Skin Prep (14 Days Before)
A great tattoo requires a healthy canvas. Building a simple hydration and moisturizing routine two weeks out ensures your skin is supple, holds ink beautifully, and heals efficiently.
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Hydrate from the Inside Out: Drink plenty of water every single day. Deeply hydrated skin is more elastic, making it easier for the needle to deposit ink smoothly and significantly lowering your discomfort during long sessions.
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Moisturize Daily: Apply a plain, fragrance-free lotion (like Cetaphil, CeraVe, or Aveeno) to the future tattoo site every morning and night. This eliminates dry, flaky skin patches that can catch the needle and disrupt clean line work.
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Gently Exfoliate: Use a mild body scrub or a soft washcloth 1–2 times a week during this period. This clears away layers of dead skin cells, giving your artist a perfectly smooth surface to work on.
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Protect the Canvas: Avoid sunburns, tanning beds, and heavy scrapes. We cannot tattoo over damaged, peeling, or sunburnt skin.
7 days before your appointment, even if your skin isn't typically sensitive, the trauma of a tattoo needle can trigger intense localized reactions if your skin barrier is compromised.
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Stop Active Skin Ingredients: Pause the use of Retinol, Vitamin C, Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid, or AHAs/BHAs on the target area. These thin the skin barrier and cause excessive redness and swelling under the needle.
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No New Products: Avoid trying new soaps, perfumes, or laundry detergents to eliminate the risk of a sudden allergic rash or contact dermatitis.
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Check the Surface: We cannot tattoo over active eczema, psoriasis, severe acne blemishes, or open wounds. If your skin flares up, contact us immediately to discuss a reschedule.