Thread: Goddess help me! T-minus 1 week til 1st tattoo!

Well, the dumb male amongst you is at it again! He'll just never learn that even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it kept its mouth shut...

Next week I'm getting my long anticipated, 1st tattoo for my 50th birthday (later this year). 3 black roses on my lower back. "Beautiful enough for Cabaret, edgy enough for Tribal" is what I told the tattoo artist - who is an ex-Belly Dancer herself, and has done many in my local community. I'm *very* excited - and I'm "somewhat" scared at the same time!

I've heard everything from "You'll barely feel it" to "Mine was the worst pain I've ever experienced, even worse than childbirth".

It will, no doubt, be an "experience". I'll see how it works out for me!

WOO HOO!!!! i'm soooo excited for you. i have two tattoos & love both of them. though i want to add to the one on my shoulder. as far as pain goes a lot has to do with the location on your body & your own personal pain tolerance. the one around my ankle was very painful. the one on the back of my right shoulder was only painful at certain points. you will so love your tatt. make sure to follow the after care suggested & take care of it properly so that it doesn't scab. we'll want to see what it looks like make sure to post pics of the final outcome

I hope you love it, when you get it!

Perhaps take a pain killer about an hour before?
I wouldn't take aspirin, since it thins the blood.
Sounds like it's going to be pretty!
Are you going to post pics?
:-)

Exciting! I just got my fourth a few weeks ago and will be getting more for sure. Watch out - it can be addictive!

Originally Posted by MakedaMaysa

Exciting! I just got my fourth a few weeks ago and will be getting more for sure. Watch out - it can be addictive!

yup very addictive ..l;, planning my 3rd as well. just not totally sure what it will be yet...lol.

How exciting for you!! The lower back part of my tattoo was the least painful. Slightly annoying but very manageable. The part up on my ribs and down on my stomach, that was a bit more challenging.

The pain comes and goes as your endorphins go with it. Breathing nice and evenly with focus on something else other than the pain helped me a lot.

Can't wait to see how yours turns out! I'm starting to save up for my next one, want something on my left shoulder/arm.

Oh how exciting!!! I'm getting myself a new tattoo as well in 2 weeks. It'll be my 2nd, and basically an expansion of the one I already have. From my experience, it didn't really hurt. It was a crossing between someone tickling me and somebody writing on me with a pen... Only after 3 hours, when the artist was coloring, it started to irritate somewhat cuz they whipe your skin all the time... But it was so much fun getting it done. I'm hoping the next one doesn't hurt as well :D (and locationwise, it's in my groin, so I dunno if that hurts more than any other place, but it's right on the boney part ;))

And as far as painkillers go, they advice against it...

Oh how exciting, enjoy it!!!

How fun..I was supposed to get one on my birthday...but my cute birthday shoes gave me horrific blisters and I need to wait to get my ankle decoration! Good luck!

Originally Posted by zorba

Well, the dumb male amongst you is at it again! He'll just never learn that even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it kept its mouth shut...

Next week I'm getting my long anticipated, 1st tattoo for my 50th birthday (later this year). 3 black roses on my lower back. "Beautiful enough for Cabaret, edgy enough for Tribal" is what I told the tattoo artist - who is an ex-Belly Dancer herself, and has done many in my local community. I'm *very* excited - and I'm "somewhat" scared at the same time!

I've heard everything from "You'll barely feel it" to "Mine was the worst pain I've ever experienced, even worse than childbirth".

It will, no doubt, be an "experience". I'll see how it works out for me!

Woohoo, welcome to the happy 50ers clubs! Mine (birthday) was last April 9th. Hum??? Also thinking and dreaming of getting one, but have not decided yet. (And have not told the hubby anything about it neither )

Originally Posted by TanyaLV

How fun..I was supposed to get one on my birthday...but my cute birthday shoes gave me horrific blisters and I need to wait to get my ankle decoration! Good luck!

Tanya, my dream tatoo would be a eye of Horus on my the inside of my left ankle. What are you getting?

Qamar

I'm still getting work done on my fourth. :)

I had my lower back done, and though it was no walk in the park, it was a lot easier than the one I'm having done now. My lower back took about 2 hrs and was done just in black. He a winged black tribal dragon holding the "Om" symbol, and I got it as a gift to myself when I graduated from my Yoga Teacher training.

My new one is a Chinese style dragon that covers my left stomach and wraps around my inner thigh and down my left leg. My tattoo artist even told me "You picked some challenging landscaping as far as pain, most people have one pain area - you have four." I have some Lidocaine from my doctor, it is used for burns - and ask at your tattoo studio if the artist is comfortable using it to lessen pain. It numbs the skin slightly.

Though when you are being worked on - the body creates endorphins that naturally help lessen the sting.

Good luck with your new tattoo! You will love it! Just remember, no names of guys on you unless the 'guy' is your Dad or your son. :P

Originally Posted by Qamar60

Tanya, my dream tatoo would be a eye of Horus on my the inside of my left ankle. What are you getting?

Qamar

Just got an ankh and eye of Horus on the back of my neck.ankh and eye.jpg

I will tell you my experience - my first tattoo was on my calf - hardly any pain. My second tattoo was on my lower back and very painful (childbirth was easier not joking). Even though I went to a very popular aritist I think he went deeper into my skin then he should have and well now my tattoo is more scarred : ( so I do think it depends on the artist/experience he/she has yadda yadda. Mine looks terrible now and I have to get it removed. : (

Yay! I am also getting my first tattoo in June! This is a very helpful thread for me to read as well. I am getting a fantasy sea horse in the upper middle of my back (between my shoulder blades, and right on my spine). How painful will this area be for a tattoo?

So pumped!

Good luck Zorba!

Happy 50ers Club indeed! I don't have any tattoos, but when I turned 50 I got my navel pierced to celebrate.

I've thought so many times about getting a tattoo, but I could never decide on an image that I was sure I wanted to have on myself forever. Maybe I'm just too indecisive for tattooing.

Anyway, congratulations on your body art! We want pictures when it's done!

Originally Posted by Reinaa

My second tattoo was on my lower back and very painful (childbirth was easier not joking).

The artist I'm going to has done a LOT of work on the local Belly Dancers and everyone reports that "she's da Bomb" and that the pain was bearable. She did tell me it was OK to take some Motrin beforehand. Her work is beautiful:

Artists || Staircase Tattoo & Body Piercing - Santa Cruz, California

Click on "Teresa", the third picture in her gallery - the winged scarab - is one of my instructor's tatts.

Originally Posted by JeanneLF

Happy 50ers Club indeed! I don't have any tattoos, but when I turned 50 I got my navel pierced to celebrate.

That was my original plan as well - I got my ears pierced for my 40th, and had planned on a navel piercing for my 50th - but after seeing one of my instructors go NINE months without ANY noticeable healing after getting hers done, it scared me off of it. So now I'm getting a tattoo - something's wrong with my logic here...

Congratulations, Zorba!-
I got a pretty extensive one on my lower back, my first - it's a beautiful Celtic knotwork crescent moon design by Pat Fish. I decided to approach it as an act of devotion (lunar Goddess-head that I am) so had meditation music in the ear buds and meditated, practicing a lot of deep breathing throughout. It really wasn't bad! The line parts went pretty easily, and my guy worked in short, tolerable bursts, some parts were tougher than others. The hardest part was the filling in of the color areas, because he had to use a wider "brush". I LOVE my tattoo, and would do it all again!!! (Probably will!)
Attachment 17193
Hey tell us how it goes for you and we want pictures!

Her work is beautiful!

Originally Posted by zorba

That was my original plan as well - I got my ears pierced for my 40th, and had planned on a navel piercing for my 50th - but after seeing one of my instructors go NINE months without ANY noticeable healing after getting hers done, it scared me off of it. So now I'm getting a tattoo - something's wrong with my logic here...

I got my navel pierced twice... first time rejection (after 5 mos, pushed the piercing right out), second time infection. *sigh*

I absolutely LOVED the way it looked. Third time might be the charm. ..l;,

Originally Posted by zorba

The artist I'm going to has done a LOT of work on the local Belly Dancers and everyone reports that "she's da Bomb" and that the pain was bearable. She did tell me it was OK to take some Motrin beforehand. Her work is beautiful:

Artists || Staircase Tattoo & Body Piercing - Santa Cruz, California

Click on "Teresa", the third picture in her gallery - the winged scarab - is one of my instructor's tatts.

Lovely! Is that what you're getting?

Originally Posted by Sahirah_Badr

I got my navel pierced twice... first time rejection (after 5 mos, pushed the piercing right out), second time infection. *sigh*

I absolutely LOVED the way it looked. Third time might be the charm. ..l;,

LOL Mine took forever to heal too! Love it now though. Wonder why that seems to happen a lot?

Originally Posted by isildriel

I decided to approach it as an act of devotion (lunar Goddess-head that I am)...

Yea, that's kinda been my thinking as well. Great Athena, preserve me!

Originally Posted by isildriel

Lovely! Is that what you're getting?

Nope. 3 black roses.

Originally Posted by zorba

Nope. 3 black roses.

I just checked out your artist - she's awesome!!! I really dug the twin Medusa girls she has posted - just wow the detail! Your roses are going to be stunning! Now you gotta post pics when you get 'er done!

Originally Posted by isildriel

LOL Mine took forever to heal too! Love it now though. Wonder why that seems to happen a lot?

My piercer says to give it a year to heal as it is flesh versus cartilage. I have my nose pierced too - and LOVE it, I had no rejection issues with it and it healed fast and nicely.

I'm hoping next time I get my navel pierced that the scar tissue will hold it in and it won't reject. That's my wish. *cross fingers*

Oh - and both times pierced in the navel? No pain at all - that surprised the heck out of me.

Welcome to the club, Zorba! I have 4 tattoos, and am planning on getting a 5th when I turn 40 in February. I've decided to get one on the back of my neck, and that this one will definitely be BD related (I got all the others before I started dancing).

Good luck! I have an appointment this month for my second... I'll keep you posted.. make sure you post a picture. :)

I love tats! I've got a pink and white lotus flower between my shoulder blades, getting a BIG one as a present to myself when I lose 20lbs, and getting a couples tattoo with my long time partner in another month or so.

Take some ibuprofen before you go. That will help. It doesn't hurt too much... feels like someone is lightly pinching you over and over again. The outline hurts just a little more than color. Pain also depends on where you get it. The only time mine hurt hurt was when they went over boney parts of my spine and shoulder blades... the rest was pretty tolerable without any pain meds. Drink plenty of water before and after too and make sure you follow their cleanliness instructions so you don't get infections or scar tissue. Other than that, it's a breeze. Looks like you've got a good artist, so you should be fine! So excited for you!

Good luck on your new tattoo, Zorba. Have a friend go with you to help pass the time if it is going to be a long tattoo. My last tattoo took 3 hours, and I was so thankful a buddy came along to keep me entertained. It also helps to have a friend make sure the stencil is in the right place if it is on your back!

The outline bugged me a little on both of mine – a little bit more on my back one. But when the artist switched to the multiple-needle-tip for filling in the big areas, it didn't hurt at all.