FAQ Friday: Bringing a guest
Can I bring a friend? How many friends can I bring? My friend wants to come with, can they also get a tattoo? These are a few of the many questions asked by clients shortly before their tattoo appointment. We entirely sympathize with knowing that getting a tattoo is a meaningful experience but also extremely nerve-racking for some of our clients. Having a familiar person with you as you go through this process can definitely settle those elevated emotions. Although your artist is there to ease your anxiety and make you feel safe, it is not the same as having a friend or family member with you. This is why we absolutely welcome your person to be with you because your comfort and security is extremely important to us!
With that being said, there is unfortunately a limit to how many guests you can bring with you. It mainly comes down to space, and not having enough of it to host multiple people. While our shop as a whole is large, each of our artist’s personal workspace is not. Including you, your artist, and their equipment there is usually only enough room for one maybe two extra people.
Each of our artists have their workspace set up uniquely, so it is greatly appreciated if you are able to ask your artist ahead of time about bringing someone with you. We wouldn’t want to have to turn away your guests due to lack of space especially if they were super excited and/or travelled a distance to share this experience with you. Not only will asking ahead of time protect
your guests’ feelings but it will also help your artist prepare for your appointment.
For your artist, mentally preparing for a tattoo appointment is just as important as setting up equipment and having a design ready. Just like you may mentally prepare yourself for the pain you are about to go through to receive incredible artwork, your artist is doing the same to put
that artwork on you permanently. Having an unexpected person thrown into the mix can mess with their concentration. We wouldn’t want that when dealing with something as permanent as a tattoo! This leads us into another question that is often asked. When your guest does come with you, are they able to get a tattoo too? As much as we would love to say yes to everyone, sometimes there is not enough time. Even if the design is super small and simple, there are a few necessary steps to walk through before needle even hits skin. Your artist will need to break down and sanitize everything used on you, draw the design for your guest, print and stencil it, apply it to the area, set up their machine and ink all before they can begin to tattoo. On top of all those steps previously mentioned, your artist would have to mentally prepare once again which can take a toll especially if they have been tattooing you most of the day.
As much as we would love to accommodate everyone that walks through our shop doors, at the end of the day your artist is just one person. There is only so much they can do to make their clients happy which is all we ever want to do! Just know that we will always try our hardest to make your tattoo appointment the best experience possible! Next week’s topic is a surprise so make sure to check back then to see what we will be discussing!
-Sam