Durability-wise? Pain-wise? Covering or showing-wise? Where did you inked your first one?
Probably a tattoo parlour
I second this, don’t get in your friends basement OR garage after a night of drinking.
A lot of things can go wrong with unhygene tattoo practice. Most notably nasty infection.
Never skimp on tattoo!
🤯
Best tattoos are done in prisons. Those are the tattoos with depth and meaning. Much more organic than store bought tattoos. The tattoo artist has a bond to their tools, as they’ve crafted the tools themselves and they mix the ink right in your cell. And besides, anyone can get a tattoo, but you will have a tattoo with a story and real price. Imagine instead of going oh that? I got that tat because I was bored and had spending cash, you can say I got that tat when I was locked up for robbing Wendy’s with an alligator, the infection almost cost me my arm, but it was worth it
Obviously that was all /s but somehow I think I need to point it out.
Somewhere uncomfortable, like the back of a Volkswagen.
I asked about getting one to cover up my open heart surgery scar.
“You know that’s really going to hurt, right?”
“More or less than open heart surgery?”
“. . . Good point.”
Turned out, the top 1/2 of the scar is too bumpy to take ink well, the bottom 1/2 too squishy. So still just a scar. :( or is that :) ?
I have a surgery scar that runs from my sternum to my groin. I considered getting a zipper tattoo on it. A good tattoo has a lot to do with the background shading so it could be done by tattooing the skin right up to the scar rather than on it.
I’ll be real, I miss my heart surgery scar, and I wouldn’t ever want to cover it up. I had an operation done when I was an infant, and had a huge scar that ran from my sternum, around my ribcage, and back up and around toward my shoulder blade. It ended up mostly fading at some point in my 20s and is very faint these days.
I’ve always liked scars. They’re stories. They’re lessons. They’re proof. Scars are dope, show them off! Unless it makes you uncomfortable, which is also understandable.
It’s 10" down the front of my chest and while I’m fine, it does freak other people out. 🤷♂️
Now to be fair you were knocked out during the surgery.
This is true, the recovery was tough though. They took a blood vessel out of my chest wall to patch the heart and for like 2 years I could feel this burning line of fire where they took it.
“Weird, you shouldn’t be able to feel that…”
“You are correct! I should NOT be able to feel that!”
Upper arm. Most times it is covered, but one can easily show it if desired. Pain is lower in the outside than say, the part underneath your pit.
Cornhole. Trust me, you’ll never forget it.
I got my first tattoo on my chest as a pretty skinny dude (upper peck / under the shoulder). Pain wasn’t terrible for the most part, and like other good spots it’s covered most of the time but visible when wearing a tank-top.
Mine was one my back. It’s my only one and I often forget about it because I never see it. I’ll catch it in a mirror and stop and take a look.
Anywhere easy to hide, definitely.
And no names unless it’s your kids.
Some place where they proofread
If you want a tattoo, or several, it’ll sort of decide for you. Like go into a shop, meet some artists, look through their portfolios. Something will jump out at you and the pain will work itself out. Really, meet the artists. You want someone you vibe with. You’re going to be in an intimate relationship with them. And you don’t want some nut-jobs mojo getting in your skin.
Everyone feels tattoos different. My worst were my elbows, center of my sternum, and by far the worst, my inner wrist. My buddy had real problems getting his palm done but mine just felt weird. I’ve heard ribs are torture but mine were OK. The top of my foot was brutal, my friend (different dude) said he almost didn’t feel his. Keeping clean, follow whatever after-care that particular artist says to do until you learn your body and have experience on how you personally heal. And after it’s healed, sunscreen.
Also, try to remember, tattoos aren’t a static piece, they’re dynamic. They change over time and you wear them in. They’re like a good pair of jeans, they reflect wear and tear. They can fade a bit, they can get a little muted. This is part of the beauty. They aren’t stickers.
My first was across my spine between my shoulder blades and the next two were small on the insides of my wrists. I don’t think either was overly painful. The only one that really hurt was the part of my side piece that crossed on to my stomach. Fuck that noise. Tbh, I don’t worry about whether I can cover them. No one has cared in years.
When it went over your spine did it make the rest of your body tingle? Did for me, just curious. Also, the further from the spine the more it hurt.
Random, but I got my first tattoo on the inside of my forearm and my wife loves it because she can see it while I drive. I got it before I even met her, but it worked out in my favor lol.
Definitely pick a spot based on the tattoo you want. Mine fit best horizontally because it’s clipped from a Calvin & Hobbes panel. Like others have mentioned, if you’re shy about having one, consider something easily covered vs somewhere less painful.
I’m a total wimp and I went upper outer thigh. Got it at a reputable place, but spur of the moment with a friend. Very little pain, almost always hidden, but as a bonus, gives me an excuse to hike up my shorts/skirt when it comes up in conversation.
Above the bum
A stamp of sorts, that tramples your skin
Eyes.
Go fuckin’ big.
I still regret not doing it before I met my spouse; the idea gives them panic attacks because it squicks them out so much, but it’s one thing I’ve wanted to be able to do for 30+ years, a solid 10 years before it was even first done. Finally had my chance when I got divorced from my ex-, but met my current (hopefully final) spouse too soon to do more than email the one artist globally that I actually to do it. (FWIW, that artist is Luna Cobra).
JFC don’t do this. It’s so very dangerous.
There’s a reason why I only trust one person globally to do this. As far as I know, he’s had a very low complication rate. But I’m also willing to take that kind of risk with my own body.
Shoulder was easy, but I never get to see it. Top of foot was hard, but I get to see it all the time. Both are easy to cover.
