Each artist will typically charge hourly, between $150 and $200/hr + HST. For very small tattoos, we have a shop minimum of $100 + HST.

Occasionally, an artist will quote you a specific price for your piece. Additionally, sometimes an artist will charge a set day rate for tattooing as well. This could be in the case of forseeing the application of a very complicated stencil taking a long time, or in the case of all or part of a tattoo being drawn on by hand. Your artist will let you know specifically what and how they charge during the consultation process.

Each artist will have a different wait time. Depending on the artist you chose, it could be two weeks up to two years to start a new project. However we always like to get you paired up with the artist whose style fits best with what you are looking for. We can generally accommodate smaller tattoos a bit quicker, but ALWAYS suggest getting tattooed by whoever will help you reach your tattoo goals the best.

You will be wearing your piece for the rest of your life, so if a wait means you’ll get what you want, it will be worth the wait!!

We do! However we don’t always have time for walk-in appointments, so it’s always safer to book with on of our artists.

Each artist does their own booking. Most often, the artists work by appointment, however we occasionally have time for walk-ins as well.

Click here for the artists page where you can book directly with an artist.

Unless specified by your artist, you will see your artwork the day of your appointment. After a thorough consultation to go over your ideas and aesthetic, your artist will design your tattoo based on your requests very specifically, carefully considering factors like the placement and flow on the body, how the tattoo will likely age based on placement, level of detail, colours used, your skin tone, and typical sun exposure. Your artist will either present you with a couple options for artwork, or the best version of the drawing they did during their design process. If you request changes or a full redraw, artists will do so at their hourly rate. Keep in mind, this also could affect how long you will be at the shop, or the amount of estimated time/sessions your tattoo could take. That being said, we want to make sure you are absolutely pumped on your new piece, so don’t hesitate to let your artist know if you would like to request a change.

No. However we usually suggest going to Cottage 13 on James St. here in Hamilton.

Contact them directly via the guest artists page here.

Our shop policy is 18 and over.

We will not tattoo you while pregnant as your risk of miscarrying, especially early during a pregnancy, can go up with excessive stress on the body. We suggest not getting tattooed while breastfeeding as well due to an increased chance of infection with any procedure where your skin is broken, but it is up to you whether you choose to or not.

Absolutely! Any pigment can be tattooed into any skin tone, however there are a few caveats to be aware of.

Different peoples’ skin contains different amounts of melanin, which determines how light or dark your skin looks. Additionally, freckles are seen when the melanin in the skin is broken up with gaps in between. In a healed tattoo, the outermost layer of skin containing the melanin heals over the tattoo pigment and acts as a “tint”, shifting the colour of the tattoo pigments present in the skin below. For this reason, tattoo pigments will always look slightly different healed in the skin than in the bottle. The darker the skin, the more different the pigments will look healed in the skin.

For a rudimentary idea of how melanin and different tones in the skin can tint the tattoo pigment underneath, refer to the last image in this Instagram post.

The idea of light tattoo pigment in dark skin is awesome in theory, but in practice, because the outer layer of the skin will always heal over the coloured tattoo pigment, the reality is that the colours under the skin will always look different under the outermost skin layer containing melanin. Typically, light, chalky, or milky tattoo pigments with lighter values will also heal inconsistently on darker skin, so we don’t often suggest using values lighter in value than the persons skin tone we would be tattooing.

From a design standpoint, on darker skin it can be beneficial to utilize un-tattooed skin in or around the tattoo design to provide the lighter tones of the image. It can also be beneficial for the design a bit more bold and heavy on contrast as this can aid in overall readability. A busier design with more elements will generally be harder to make out from a distance than something more bold and simply defined.

If you are concerned at all or just curious about how colours might look on your skin, don’t hesitate to ask before or during your consultation, and your artist can help you work out what can help you get to your tattoo goal and go over what might be realistic to expect.

Your artist will suggest a specific way for you to heal your tattoo after your session, depending on a number of different factors. Visit our aftercare page for detailed instructions based on what your artist has suggested.