Body tattoos have been in fashion for over the last two thousand years and yes, they have certainly evolved a lot since then. While initially, most communities used body tattoos as a form of religious symbolism and hierarchy with cultural overtones, today they are mostly used for iconographic reasons, sans any cultural or religious overtones. This does not mean that there aren’t any communities that still use body tattoos as a form of religious symbolism, but they happen to be few in number. Either way, getting through your first inking session would be a nerve-wracking experience, but that’s only natural. And yes, most intrinsic body tattoos tend to be permanent, so you may need to do detailed research on tattoo designs and tattoo parlours and then go and get inked. If this is your first inking session, then you definitely need to read this.
Do not get tattooed earlier: There are quite a few tattoo aficionados, who had gotten their body inked quite early on, only to regret it now. One of the key reasons that you may want to wait a while to get your body inked permanently has to do with the fact that your body is currently developing physically. And naturally, as your body grows in size and shape, it is bound to contour the tattoo, which is all the more reason that you would want to wait until you have hit 21 or higher, before heading to the tattoo parlour.
Cheap does not mean quality: When it comes to tattoo designs, the first thing that you need to do is do some good research on the same. You should be able to locate a few tattoo parlours in and around your locality but you must also know that good quality body tattoo designs do not come cheap. So you may have to shop around, for a parlour that provides the design you are interested in, at attractive rates. Just remember that if the body tattoo parlour offers cheap rates, then their overall work may not be that great or that they are brand new to the niche.
Half now, half later: This is a rookie mistake that most beginners make; given the prices that most parlours often charge for inking your body with a premium design, some of them opt for getting half done at the moment and the other half later. Granted that it might sound like a great idea to get half done now and half done later, but it really is not a good idea, not by any stretch of the imagination.
Do not get tattooed from a random parlour: When it comes to tattoos and body inks, you need to remember that it is easy to get infected, which in turn, can develop into a serious health issue, from getting a tattoo at a parlour that does not disinfect its implements. You need to make sure that the tattoo parlour you had chosen maintains high levels of standards, where cleanliness is concerned and that all the instruments used are cleaned and sanitized accordingly.
Do not tattoo personal names on the body: This goes without saying; there are many who ink their partner’s name across their body and the common impression is that it mostly comes off as a mark of ownership. Furthermore, you would be carrying that name, permanently marked on your body for the rest of your life. That is why marking personal names on your body is not a good idea.
Research: When it comes to picking out a design, most established parlours have online websites with a portfolio of some of their popular designs. You can also shop around and look at other tattoo parlours and see what they have to offer online as well. Does remember to check the background of the tattoo parlour and find out what their other customers had to say about their design work and the work itself. This should generally clue you in as to how good the tattoo parlour is and what you can expect from them.
Communicate clearly: It is important that you are extremely clear and specific with what you want to be inked on your body, with the tattoo artist. You need to tell them what particular design you want and even be specific enough to the colours to be used so that they get it right. Just remember that there is no ‘redo’ for most tattoo designs which is why it is important that the tattoo artist gets it right the first time around.
Avoid when sick: It goes without saying that you need to avoid tattooing your body when sick. If you have a prior appointment but happen to be sick with a cold or flu or some other health condition, then you need to ensure that you call them and let them know about how you are sick at the moment and therefore, you need to postpone your appointment. Most parlours would agree with you and from a medical point of view, further stressing your body, both physically and mentally, when you are sick is not a good idea at all.
Test: It is important that you test out a small area of your body; one of the reasons that you may want to do so is to ensure that you are not susceptible to any allergy attacks as a result of the tattoo. The fact is that some online users are susceptible to breaking out in rash, hives and a few others, even developing a high fever after a tattoo session. By testing out a small area of your body, you are essentially ensuring that you can get the body tattoo design you prefer, without a hitch.
These are some of the tips that you would want to go through in detail. And as always, check online reviews to see how specific tattoo parlours have been reviewed since that can help you sort through the various parlours.
