by Dissposition

Created on: March 19, 2008

Of course it hurts! Isn't anything in life that is worth having going to hurt a bit in one way or another? Pain is just a small fraction of the equation though. The best way I have heard it explained it like something scratching a mild sunburn. I know this doesn't sound very pleasant but believe me when I say that stubbing your toe hurts a heck of allot more!

I like to tell my clients that if they really want the tattoo, have thought it out clearly and are prepared for their experience, that it can only hurt so much. A general rule of thumb is that if you want something just because your friend has one, it'll probably catch you by surprise and more than likely be quite uncomfortable. If your tattoo has a deeper meaning, and you really, really want it, well it probably won't be to bad at all as far as pain levels can go.
Another factor to consider is the experience level and expertise of your chosen artist. I can safely tell you that in my first few years of tattooing, a significant "chunk" of my clients pain were caused by my "heavy hand" and lack of finesse and experience. 16 years later what I hear more often than not it that the tattoo process was way less painful than the client had prepared themselves for.
Below is a list of body parts and my best "guesstimate" of the pain level on a scale from 1-10.

Upper Outer Arm 5
Inner Upper Arm 7
Outer Lower Arm 5
Inner Lower Arm 5.5
Elbow 7.5
Inside elbow 8.5
Bend of Arm 9
Back of Shoulder 7
Back of Neck 5.5
Side of Neck 6.5
Upper Back 7
Lower Back 7.5-8
Collar Bones 8
Chest (male) 7.5-8
Chest (female) 6.5
Ribs 9-9.5
Sternum 9
Stomach 8-8.5
Bikini Line 7.5
Upper Outer Thigh 6-7
Inner Upper Thigh 8-9
Front of Knee 8-9
Back of Knee 8.5-9
Shin 7
Outer Calve 5-6
Inner Calve 5.5-6.5
Outer Ankle 7-7.5
Inner Ankle 8-8.5
Top of foot 7-8
Outer Foot 7-7.5
Instep 8

Remember though, pain is a "relative" experience for each individual, so this is just a rough guideline! If you want it....GET IT! It's not really that bad. It is far more addictive than it is painful! The biggest worry you really have is how many more you are going to get and where you're going to put them all!

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