What really does a tattoo cost? Does it hurt to get one? I think the question should be, how much does it hurt to get a tattoo? Everyone's threshold for pain is different, and pain itself is relevant. But having needles, dipped in an alcohol based ink, going in and out of your skin like a sewing machine, would make anyone begin to understand that YES, getting a tattoo does in fact hurt, but more importantly, how much does it hurt YOU?

The actual process feels like a bee sting after the poison sets in or maybe more like a sunburn, or even a cut. Everyone interprets it differently but in the end most say it did have some measure of pain. I like to think it's worth it in the end. You suffer a little to gain a lot, impressive permanent art work, and a forever companion with their own story to tell.

I have used many different topical tattoo numbing creams and I tell you, some work, most don't. I noticed one that worked almost every time. It lasted for 3-4 hours and it lessened the pain considerably. I wasn't getting as much passing out, or screaming or squirming. It was so much more a pleasant experience for me and my clients. Don't be afraid, hundreds of thousands before you, and to come had and will have the same apprehension, but once you get in there and that machine is buzzing away, you learn really quickly that you CAN handle it. I say to all of you out there, if you can't hack getting a tattoo on-the-natch (without any help), then go out get some tattoo numbing cream, you won't feel a thing!! Or will you?

For those of you thinking, ahhhh, I am just going to get drunk beforehand and I won't feel anything. Well I have a little story to tell you. I remember my first tattoo experience. I was 18 years old, and a stunning looker. I loved wearing all black, from my hair down to my toe nails. So I thought I should represent my clique of hard-core alternative punk mods, and get really drunk before I went into the tattoo shop. I thought that oughta take away all of the pain and I will be feeling great the whole time. Well the artist set up his station, and he poured the black ink into the wells, and he started the outline of my lighthouse. I am very into nautical themes you see. About 5 minutes into the session, I start to bleed profusely from my tattoo lines. I mean BLEED, and he kept wiping and wiping, until he finally wiped off my entire transfer. I was like NO WAY. Then my skin started to puff up like I was beaten with a leather belt with steel rings in it. In the end, I had to come back when I wasn't drinking, and he had to start all over again. I had to wait 4 weeks before that initial outline healed, which was a total bummer. So moral of the story is, NO DRINKING. So you ask what did that tattoo cost me? In the instance of drinking, A LOT! Do it sober folks. No Pain, No Gain.

Folks you ask, what does a tattoo cost? Does it hurt? It costs a lot of ingenuity on the artists part, and a little money and nerve, and a lot of perseverance on yours. Good luck Kiddies!