I want to get a tattoo; what should I do?

For the most timely and effective method, please come by and talk to us in person at the studio: 1215 Hillsborough St. Raleigh NC.

It is much easier for us to help you in person. (For directions you can call us at 919-834-8055 during our regular business hours Tues-Sat 12:00noon -10:00pm, or get directions here).

It is hard for me to stop by or call during your business hours; what should I do?

We do have other ways that we can help you. It may be a slower response time, so please be patient. It is best to call us first, and we can help you more efficiently. If it is not convenient for you to reach us during our business hours then you can email us on our contact page.

Do I need an appointment, or can I just walk in?

We suggest you set an appointment, but we do take walk-ins. If you are planning to walk-in, it helps to call first and we can let you know what is available. We tend to book up quickly evenings and weekends.

How do I set an appointment; what do I need?

If you would like to set an appointment, it is best to come in and talk to the artist first, but we can also do it over the phone. In order to set an appointment you will need the following:

• First we encourage each of our customers to select an artist that they feel comfortable working with. The best way to do this is by looking at their portfolio and talking to the artist. You can see all of our artist personal work in their portfolios that we have available here at our studio, or you can check them out on our gallery page. They also have their work posted up on their personal myspace profiles (which can be found on our myspace profile). If you do not have a preference, we can set you up with the first available artist.
• Once you have selected an artist you will need a basic idea for a starting point. They can help you develop your ideas from there. The placement of the tattoo is an important factor, so let them know. Any references that you have are very helpful (ie. books, internet sites, T-shirts, etc.), so please have them available for the artist. Also, let the artist know if you are working with a budget so we can make your tattoo affordable for you.
• Once the details of the tattoo are worked out between you and the artist, you will need a deposit to set your appointment date. You can view our deposit policy here. The deposit is applied to the cost of your first tattoo session. We will hand you an appointment confirmation sheet. This will verify your appointment date and time. The appointment availability varies depending on the amount of time we need to set aside for your tattoo and the artist’s schedule.
• On the day of your appointment, you will need to bring with you a CURRENT state or government issued PHOTO I.D. that has your date of birth. The state of North Carolina prohibits us from tattooing anyone who does not have their I.D. present, or is under the age of 18 UNDER ANY CONDITION.

How do you determine how much to charge for tattoos? What kind of payments do you accept?

We accept; Cash, Debit, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. We do not take American Express or personal checks. We find it fair to the client as well as the artist if we charge by time, since there are so many factors involved affecting how long the tattoo may take. We have a shop minimum of $60 and our hourly rate is $120 an hour. We can give estimates on how long your tattoo may take, but it is more accurate once we’ve drawn the final design. You will have to talk to your artist for an estimate.

How do I care for my tattoo?

Once your tattoo is finished, the artist will give you specific verbal and written instruction along with a care package with everything you will need to care for your new tattoo. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, or if you are unclear about any of the instructions that we give you. It is more important that you care for your new tattoo properly sooner than later.

I have a general question that was not addressed in these instructions, what should I do?

We can help you faster and better in person or over the phone. If you are unable to come in or cannot reach us during our business hours, you can reach us at our contact page.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. We hope this helps, call us at 1-919-834-8055 or email us with any further concerns. We would not be where we are without our loyal customers. We hope to see you soon!