So you want to get a tattoo? While there are going to be hundreds of shops out there that are looking to take your money, there are a few simple steps that can follow that will lessen the chances of having a bad tattoo experience.

First of all, you should be listening to word of mouth. Most tattoo shops have artists that are very good on paper, so try to look past any flashy advertising they may be throwing out there. Work will speak for itself, so listen to what people have to say about a certain shop. If you see someone that has a tattoo that you like, ask them where they got it, and ask about the experience they had. If the work looks awesome but they felt uncomfortable in the shop, or if the artist was rude, be wary of that shop. The people that are about to work on your skin should be professional about it.

Once you find a shop to visit, you want to make sure that they are professional and clean. Even if you followed the rule above and are about to visit the shop that everyone in town loves, you want to remember that the general public doesn't know too much about the mechanics of tattooing. When you walk in you should be greeted in a friendly manner, the shop should appear clean and in order, and it should have an overall pleasant atmosphere. Your gut will usually tell you in a few moments whether you want to get work there or not, and you should listen to it.

As soon as you find a person to ask questions of, ask away! Even if you don't know the answer to the question, the people that work there should be able to supply you with any information that you need. Things you might want to ask are:

-May I see the shop and artist licenses (if applicable in your state)?

-May I see the work area?

-May I see your clean room or sterilization area?

-May I see your autoclave logs?

-May I see your spore test results?

-May I see way your needles are packaged?

-May I see your portfolios?

Now if you are paying attention (and you should be), you will notice that there is no mention of price above. Right now you're just feeling the shop out, checking to see if it's a winner or not. Don't worry about your design, we'll get to that.

So let's assume that this shop is feeling pretty good to you, you like the people, everything seems to be in order and they do great work. The next step is to walk out! Unless this is the last shop in town you can check out, you're going to want to shop around for quality. This shop may seem to do good work, but the

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