This is an extremely common question, but so difficult to answer!
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The price of tattoos really depends on wherever you are in the world, the tattooist youâre seeing and the tattoo youâre getting.
Itâs hard to tell people how much tattoos cost in general. There are just too many variations of tattoos and pricing. You could pay thousands for a sleeve and hundreds for a palm-sized tattoo. Each country also has its own acceptable rate.
In Australia, particularly Western Australiaâitâs not uncommon for the hourly rate to be around $200. While in America itâs roughly $100-$150 an hour (plus tips).Â
Where I worked in WA, the hourly rate was $200 and the minimum charge (for anything under an hour) was $175. Often people would freak out at this price and look at me like a conscienceless extortionist.
The reason tattoos are so expensive is that itâs expensive to do tattoos. The equipment is isnât cheap, and itâs mostly disposable. Not to mention tattoo artists normally pay for this stuff out of their own pockets.
I think itâs easy for customers to picture the $200 an hour going straight into the tattooistâs pocket. In which case I understand the freak-out. The truth is, the money is split in many directions, like any other business. Roughly half (this varies) will go toward the shop for rent. This helps to pay for the premises itself, bills, public liability insurance, medical supplies, cleaning suppliesâthe list goes on. The other half will go toward the artist, with further deductions for equipment costs, tax and superannuation (retirement fund). The large hourly rate also acts as an allowance for the fact that while weâre at work, however many hours a day, weâre not paid for the exact number of hours we work. Weâre only paid for the productive commission-based hours with clients. This doesnât include the work we do outside of hours to prepare for our clients. All in all, the tattoo artist walks away with a pretty regular income at the end of the week depending on how hard they work.Â
A lot of successful artists do have a pretty generous income, but itâs because they work very hard. For the first few years I worked 6 days, for roughly 60 hours a week. Iâd spend about an hour each morning before work replying to clientâs emails and other social media queries. Most nights Iâd arrive home to draw designs and email clients until Iâd go to bed (though I didnât work nearly as hard as some of my peers in this regard). I know plenty of artists who put far more time and energy into the job than I did. Tattooists who earn a decent wage are the ones who really do work for it, with the exception of the actual extortionists. This brings me to another very important question;
How Do I Know If I'm Being Charged Fairly?
Itâs hard to know what your artist will be like (money-wise) before you work with them. A good way to tell is to work out if youâre being charged to the minute when youâre initially quoted for the tattoo. If youâve booked a four-hour session, and youâre told the session will cost you $800 at $200 an hourâyou should hopefully be tattooed that entire time. Some artists will disagree on the grounds that youâre paying for their time either way.Â
I think if youâre beginning the tattoo on the first minute, then running through those four hours with zero breaks, then fair enough. I know artists who prefer to work this way. Personally, Iâd spend a decent amount of time with the design, stencils, and breaks, so I would charge accordingly.
Every artist works differently, but as long as youâre paying for the time youâre actually being tattooed, I believe thatâs fair. Just calculate it in your mind and decide for yourself if youâre comfortable with the cost when booking in a session.Â
Iâd also like to point out; Iâve more than once come across the saying âGood tattoos arenât cheap, cheap tattoos arenât good.â I wouldnât use these words as gospel. Crappy tattoo artists are very capable of over-charging while great tattooists may work quickly and efficiently, charging less overall. In my opinion itâs best to just find a decent tattoo artist, then worry about cost. The quality is definitely worth waiting and paying for. Remember, you're paying to wear someone's art!
If youâd like to submit your questions to Tattoo FAQ; Email info@inkaddict.com with the subject line âTattoo FAQâ and your following question.
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I totally agree with this!! I have alot of ink from literally head to toe and have spent many hours in many different shops in British Columbia. The average charge for really good tattooist is around $150. My main tattooist has top of the line equipment and he works extremely hard, very detailed. Not to mention how quickly he works! I pay him $150+ 10% tip! Pay your tattooist people!! Honour them as they Honour your body!!