How to Write Getting a Tattoo Without Getting the Details Wrong

Your character walks into a tattoo shop. They've been thinking about this for months, or maybe they just decided today. Either way, they're getting permanent ink on their skin, and you need to write the scene.

But you've never gotten a tattoo. You're not sure how much it actually hurts, what the shop is like, how long it takes, whether people talk or stay silent. You know tattoos are meaningful, symbolic, permanent. But you don't know what getting one feels like minute by minute.

Getting body modification scenes right matters because they're about more than the physical act. Tattoos and piercings are permanent choices, visible markers, ways of claiming your body and declaring identity. When you understand the real experience and what these modifications mean to people, you can write scenes that feel authentic and emotionally resonant instead of generic or sanitized.

Why Body Modification Scenes Work in Fiction

Tattoos and piercings are decisions made real in the body. You can't undo them easily. They're visible declarations (or hidden secrets). They hurt to get, which makes the choosing matter.

This makes them perfect story beats. Character getting a tattoo is character committing to something permanent. It's choosing pain for meaning. It's marking a moment on the body so you can never forget it.

The permanence creates stakes. You can't take this back. Whatever this mark means, you're carrying it forever. That weight makes the decision significant.

And tattoos/piercings are transformation you can see. The character walks in unmarked, walks out changed. It's visible proof of internal shift or decision or commitment.

Understanding Real Tattoo Experiences

Let's start with what getting a tattoo actually involves, so you can write it realistically.

The Shop Environment

Professional tattoo shops are clean, clinical in some ways. Autoclaves for sterilizing equipment. Gloves. Wrapped needles. Medical-grade setup because you're breaking skin and that needs to be sanitary.

But also: art on walls. Flash designs. Portfolio books. Music playing. The buzz of tattoo machines. Smell of antiseptic and sometimes incense or candles. Leather or vinyl chairs. Usually a front room with designs and a back area with stations.

Artist is professional. They've done this thousands of times. They're focused on the work. Often chatty or quiet depending on their personality. They explain what they're doing, check if you need breaks, adjust position for best access.

The Process

First: deciding on design and placement. Looking at flash or bringing custom design. Artist might sketch modifications or redraw entirely. Negotiating size, details, placement.

Placement matters for pain, visibility, how it ages. Artist will tell you if your idea won't work (tattoo too small for detail, placement will stretch weird, etc).

Once design is set: artist preps the area. Shaves if needed (yes, even women have peach fuzz that needs removing). Cleans with antiseptic. Places stencil of design on skin. You check it in mirror. Adjust if needed. Approve.

Then: the actual tattooing. Artist stretches skin taut. Tattoo machine buzzes (sounds like aggressive electric toothbrush or dentist drill). Needle dips in ink, presses into skin repeatedly. You feel scratching, burning, vibration.

Artist works in sections. Wipes away excess ink and blood (yes, there's some bleeding, it's small). Takes breaks to reink. Might outline first, then fill, then shade. Depends on design.

Duration: small simple tattoo might be 30 minutes to an hour. Medium piece 2-4 hours. Large pieces 6+ hours or multiple sessions. You can't do infinity hours in one sitting because skin gets too tender and swollen.

What Pain Feels Like

Not torture. Not childbirth. Not stabbing. It's specific and manageable but real.

Best description: repetitive scratching and burning. Like bad sunburn being scratched. Or cat scratching the same spot over and over. Vibrating sensation under skin. Hot, sharp, annoying more than agonizing.

First few minutes are worst because skin is hypersensitive. Then you adjust and it becomes background pain. Toward the end, skin is tender and swollen and it hurts more again.

Location matters hugely:

**Less painful**: outer arm, thigh, shoulder, calf. Meaty areas with more fat and muscle padding.

**Moderate**: inner arm, behind ear, top of foot, wrist. Thinner skin or more nerve endings.

**More painful**: ribs, spine, sternum, inside of elbow, ankle bone, anywhere directly over bone with thin skin. Also: armpits, inner thigh, anything near genitals.

Everyone's tolerance differs. Some people zone out and meditate. Some chat through it. Some go quiet and focus on breathing. Some need breaks every 20 minutes. Some power through 4-hour sessions.

Immediate Aftermath

Fresh tattoo looks vibrant. Skin is red and slightly swollen around it. Might bleed a tiny bit still. Artist wipes it clean, applies ointment, covers with bandage or plastic wrap.

Gives you aftercare instructions: keep covered for a few hours, wash gently with unscented soap, apply thin layer of ointment, don't pick the scabs, no sun or swimming for 2-3 weeks while it heals.

Character sees the finished tattoo in mirror. This is emotional beat: seeing the permanent mark for the first time. Pride, relief, excitement, maybe sudden "oh god this is forever" moment, or deep satisfaction.

Skin feels hot and tender. Tight. Slightly burning. Takes a few hours for swelling to go down. Over next week, tattoo scabs and peels (looks terrible during this phase), then settles into the skin with final colors showing.

Piercing Scene Details

Piercings are different: much quicker but still significant.

The Process

Professional piercing is done with hollow needle, not piercing gun (guns are bad, damage tissue, can't be sterilized properly). Usually in the same shops as tattoos or dedicated piercing studios.

Piercer marks the spot with pen. You check in mirror. They have you lie down or sit depending on piercing location. Clean and sterilize area. Clamp if needed (especially for cartilage).

Tell you to take a deep breath, breathe out. On the exhale, they push needle through. Fast, decisive, no hesitation.

Duration: seconds. The actual piercing is over so fast. Much faster than tattoos.

What Pain Feels Like

Sharp pinch going in. Then pressure. Then immediate throbbing ache after.

**Earlobe**: least painful. Quick pinch, then nothing much. Heals fast.

**Cartilage (helix, conch)**: more painful. Crunching sensation as needle goes through. Aches for hours after. Takes months to heal fully.

**Nose/nostril**: sharp sting, eyes water involuntarily (not from crying, just reflex). Throbs after.

**Septum**: if done correctly through the sweet spot, moderate pain. If done through cartilage, very painful. Eyes water like crazy.

**Tongue**: surprisingly not as bad as expected. Swells a lot after though, affects speech for days.

**Nipple**: intense but brief. Deep ache after. Takes long time to heal.

**Navel**: moderate pain, long healing time.

Any genital piercing: varies wildly, usually more pain than most but people who get them report it as worth it.

Immediate Aftermath

Jewelry is in. Piercing might bleed a tiny bit, then stops. Throbs and aches. Swelling starts immediately (especially tongue, which swells massively).

Aftercare: clean with saline solution twice daily, don't touch with dirty hands, don't twist it (old myth), leave it alone as much as possible. Takes weeks to months to heal depending on location.

Character sees piercing in mirror: new look, new edge to appearance, satisfaction or second thoughts.

What Tattoos and Piercings Mean

The physical act is just part of the scene. What matters is what the modification means to your character.

Marking Transformation

Getting a tattoo after major life change: surviving cancer, getting divorced, graduating, recovering from addiction, leaving abusive situation. The tattoo marks the before and after.

Character can touch the tattoo and remember they survived. Permanent proof of making it through.

Memorial and Grief

Tattoo for someone who died: their name, dates, symbol that represents them, their handwriting, coordinates of important place. Carrying them permanently on your body.

This is heavy emotional territory. The pain of the tattoo sometimes helps with grief, makes the loss real, gives physical focus to emotional pain.

Reclaiming Body Autonomy

After assault, illness, or losing control of body, choosing modification is taking back ownership. "This is my body. I choose what happens to it. I decide what marks go on it."

Can be empowering. The chosen pain versus inflicted pain. Making the body yours again through permanent choice.

Belonging and Identity

Tattoos that mark group membership: military, bikers, gang affiliation, cultural traditions, matching tattoos with friends/partners.

Claiming identity: pride tattoos, cultural symbols, religious imagery. Declaring who you are visibly or keeping it hidden and private.

Rebellion and Breaking Rules

Getting tattoo parents forbade. Piercing something "inappropriate." Using body modification to reject conventional beauty standards or family expectations.

For teenagers (in settings where they can legally), this is coming-of-age marker. I'm old enough to make permanent choices about my body.

Aesthetic Choice and Self-Expression

Sometimes it's just "I think this looks cool and I want it." Not everything needs deep meaning. Body as canvas. Collecting art. Liking how piercings look.

This is valid too. Not every tattoo is heavy with symbolism.

Challenge and Conquest

Facing fear of needles or pain. Proving to yourself you can do hard things. The tattoo/piercing as evidence of courage or pushing limits.

Writing the Scene: Beats That Matter

Here's how to structure a tattoo or piercing scene for maximum impact.

The Decision

What pushes character to do this today? Have they been planning for months? Is this impulsive?

Walking into shop or calling for appointment. Choosing design (or bringing prepared design). The moment of commitment when they set the time.

Waiting

Sitting in the front room. Looking at flash designs on walls. Maybe second-guessing. Maybe eager. Nervous energy. Friend with them or alone?

Artist calls them back. Following to the station. Sitting in the chair. Suddenly very real.

Preparation

Artist prepping skin. Stencil placement. Looking at it in mirror. Last chance to change your mind or adjust. Then: "Ready?"

Character's internal state: determined, scared, excited, numb. This is happening.

First Contact

Needle touches skin for first time. That first line of tattoo or push of piercing needle. Sharp intake of breath. Oh, that's what it feels like.

Pain is real but manageable or worse than expected or not as bad as feared. Character's reaction reveals their pain tolerance and mental state.

During the Process

How does character handle it? Talking to distract themselves? Going quiet and internal? Chatting with artist? Focusing on breathing? Squeezing friend's hand? Crying (it's okay to cry, it hurts)?

Time passing. For tattoos, this can be hours. Show the endurance. Skin getting more tender. Wanting it to be done but also wanting it perfect.

What character thinks about while getting tattooed: why they're doing this, what it means, memories tied to the design, determination to get through it.

The Reveal

"Want to see it?" Artist holds up mirror or removes covering. Character sees the finished modification.

Emotional response: this is the payoff. Pride, satisfaction, tears, relief, excitement, sudden weight of permanence, or pure joy. This matters.

Looking at it from different angles. Touching near it. It's real. It's there forever.

Aftermath

Bandaging, aftercare instructions. Paying. Thanking artist. Walking out different than they walked in.

Skin throbs. Tender. Hot. Aware of the new mark constantly. Wanting to show others or keep it secret. Living with the permanent choice.

Experience Levels and Tattoo Culture

How your character approaches getting tattooed reveals their relationship to body modification culture.

First-Timers

First tattoo is significant. Character doesn't know what to expect beyond what they've heard. Anticipation might be worse than reality. They're hyperaware of every sensation, watching the artist closely, maybe talking nervously or going completely silent.

Don't know their pain tolerance yet. Might be pleasantly surprised ("that wasn't as bad as I thought") or shocked by how much it hurts. First reveal is powerful because they're seeing permanent mark on their body for the first time ever.

First tattoo often has extra meaning because it represents crossing a threshold. You're choosing to permanently mark your body. That decision weight is heavier the first time.

Experienced/Heavily Tattooed Characters

Someone with multiple tattoos approaches the experience differently. They know what to expect. Know their pain tolerance. Know how to sit through long sessions. Often more relaxed, chatting with artist, maybe scrolling phone during less sensitive areas.

"This was her fifth tattoo. She knew the drill. The anticipation was worse than the actual pain. Once needle touched skin, she settled in, breathing steady."

Experienced people have preferences: favorite artists, specific aftercare routines, knowledge about how their skin takes ink and heals. They might advise first-timers or laugh at their own early tattoos.

For heavily tattooed characters, getting work done might be routine rather than momentous. Unless it's special piece or meaningful placement, it's just adding to the collection. Show that comfort and familiarity.

Tattoo Culture Knowledge

Character who's part of tattoo culture knows etiquette, appreciates artistic styles, follows specific artists. They understand flash versus custom work, know what makes quality tattoo, can discuss technique.

Versus character who walks into shop cold, doesn't know what they want, picks something from the wall. Different relationship to the practice.

Common Mistakes

Pain as Torture

Making tattoos unbearably painful. Most people sit through multi-hour sessions. It hurts but it's manageable pain. If your character is screaming and barely getting through 30 minutes, something's wrong (with your description or their pain tolerance is extremely low).

Instant Healing

Fresh tattoo immediately looks perfect and doesn't hurt. No. It's swollen, tender, red around edges. Takes weeks to heal. Scabs and peels. Character can't swim or sunbathe during healing.

Fresh piercing doesn't hurt. No. It throbs and aches, especially piercings through cartilage.

Spontaneous Regret

"Oh no, what did I do?" immediately after. While some people do regret tattoos, most planned ones are met with satisfaction. If character is going to regret it, plant that doubt beforehand or show the impulsiveness that leads to regret.

Sketchy = Automatic Infection

Character gets tattoo in non-professional setting and immediately gets horrible infection. Infections can happen but they're not automatic. Show actual risk factors (dirty equipment, not following aftercare) rather than "sketchy place = infection."

No Meaning

Character gets tattoo but we never learn why or what it means. Permanent body modification should matter to the character. Show us what it represents or why they wanted it.

Forgetting It Exists Later

Character gets tattoo in chapter 3, it's never mentioned again. Tattoos are permanent. Other characters should notice, character should touch it or see it when changing clothes, it should come up occasionally.

Cultural and Genre Considerations

Traditional and Cultural Tattoos

Some tattoos carry deep cultural significance: Polynesian, Maori, Japanese irezumi, indigenous practices, religious markings.

If your character is getting traditional cultural tattoos, research thoroughly. These often have specific meanings, placement rules, processes. Getting them might be ritual, done by specific practitioners, earned through achievement.

Don't have non-cultural characters casually get sacred symbols. That's appropriation and readers from that culture will notice and call it out.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Settings

Magical tattoos: might glow, move, hurt to get in specific magical ways. Still use real tattooing as baseline, then add magical elements.

Sci-fi body modification: might be more extreme (subdermal implants, extreme scarification, bioluminescent tattoos). Ground it in real body mod culture while extrapolating.

Consider: in your world, are tattoos common? Taboo? Mark of criminals or nobility? Magical significance?

Historical Settings

Tattoos existed historically but were often associated with sailors, criminals, circus performers, indigenous cultures, lower classes (in Western settings).

Getting one might be scandalous. Methods were cruder (hand-poked, less refined ink, higher infection risk).

Research what tattoos meant in your specific time period and setting.

Contemporary Realism

Tattoos are mainstream now. Many professionals have them (just keep them coverable for work). No longer automatically edgy or rebellious except in conservative settings.

But they're still permanent choices and personal. The meaning matters more than shock value.

Making It Feel Real

What makes tattoo and piercing scenes work is specificity and emotional honesty.

Get the physical details right: the buzz of the machine, antiseptic smell, the specific kind of pain for the location, how long it actually takes, the swelling and tenderness after.

Show what it means: why this design, why now, what the character is marking or claiming or remembering. The permanence should matter.

Let the pain be real but survivable: not torture, but not nothing. Show how character copes, what they think about, whether they regret starting halfway through or feel more determined.

Use the modification as character development: we learn who they are by watching how they handle pain, what designs they choose, what they're willing to mark on their body forever.

And remember: this mark doesn't wash off. It's there for the rest of the story. Let it continue to exist and mean something beyond this one scene.