Studio terms
The terms,
in plain language.
Deposits, cancellation, age, fitness, conduct, aftercare and photography. Nothing buried in fine print.
Policy 01
Booking & Deposits
Every appointment is held by a $50 deposit. It is non-refundable, and it comes off your session total on the day.
- 01.1A booking is not held until the $50 deposit is taken. Until then the slot stays open to anyone else who books it.
- 01.2The deposit is non-refundable. It pays for design time and for the chair we stopped selling to anyone else.
- 01.3The deposit is applied directly to your session total — it is not an extra charge on top of the rate.
- 01.4Rates are $100 per hour and $300 for the 4-hour session. Multi-session projects are quoted from those same two numbers, never per piece.
- 01.5The balance settles at the shop at the end of the session.
Policy 02
Cancellation & Rescheduling
Move a booking with 48 hours' notice and the deposit moves with it. Less than that, and the deposit stays with the slot it was holding.
- 02.1Give at least 48 hours' notice and your deposit transfers once to a new date at no extra cost.
- 02.2Under 48 hours, or a no-show, and the deposit is forfeit. Rebooking then means a new deposit.
- 02.3A second reschedule on the same deposit is not automatic — call and we will talk about it rather than pretend a form can decide.
- 02.4If the studio has to move your appointment, your deposit moves with it in full, and you keep the option to take it back instead.
- 02.5Arriving more than 30 minutes late may mean the session is shortened to fit the remaining time, or moved outright.
Policy 03
Age & Identification
18 and over, no exceptions, with government-issued photo ID at the door. This one is law, not house style.
- 03.1New York State prohibits tattooing anyone under the age of 18. There is no parental-consent exception in this state, and we will not create one.
- 03.2Bring an unexpired government-issued photo ID to every session — driver's licence, state ID, passport or military ID.
- 03.3No ID means no session, and the deposit is treated as a same-day cancellation.
- 03.4If your legal name differs from the name on the booking, tell us in advance so the paperwork matches the ID.
Policy 04
Walk-Ins & Consultations
Custom work is scheduled, not queued. Consultations are how a rough idea becomes a session plan.
- 04.1Custom work is booked ahead so we can confirm real availability and collect the concept, placement and size before you arrive.
- 04.2Smaller pieces sometimes fit the same week. Call the shop and ask rather than turning up and hoping.
- 04.3A consultation covers concept, placement, size, style and references, and ends with an honest session-count estimate.
- 04.4You get the session estimate and the reasoning behind it before any money moves.
- 04.5References are welcome and encouraged. Bring photos of what you like, and photos of the skin it is going on.
Policy 05
Fitness to Be Tattooed
Turn up fed, sober and honest about your health. Four hours in the chair is a physical event, and we treat it as one.
- 05.1Eat a real meal before your session and bring water. Low blood sugar ends more sessions early than pain does.
- 05.2No alcohol and no recreational drugs in the 24 hours before your appointment. We will not tattoo anyone who is intoxicated, and the deposit is forfeit if we have to make that call.
- 05.3Tell us in advance about blood thinners, diabetes, heart conditions, pregnancy, skin conditions, allergies to latex or nickel, or anything else that affects how skin heals.
- 05.4Do not tattoo over sunburnt, broken, infected or freshly moisturised skin. If the area is not ready on the day, the session moves.
- 05.5You can ask for a break at any point during the session. Say so — nobody here is impressed by silence.
Policy 06
Studio Conduct
The shop is a working room with needles in it. The rules exist so the work stays clean and everyone in the chair is safe.
- 06.1Come alone or bring one person. A room full of spectators makes the work worse.
- 06.2No children in the tattooing area, and no pets other than service animals.
- 06.3Harassment of clients or artists ends the session immediately, with the deposit forfeit and the booking closed.
- 06.4Do not touch equipment, stencils or work surfaces. If you need something, ask.
- 06.5The artist can stop a session at any point for hygiene, safety or conduct reasons. That call is not up for negotiation.
Policy 07
Aftercare & Touch-Ups
Healing is half the tattoo. Follow the written aftercare, and the touch-up conversation stays simple.
- 07.1Written aftercare is issued at the end of every session, and the full schedule lives on the aftercare page.
- 07.2A healed check-in is part of the job, not a favour. Send a photo when it has settled.
- 07.3Touch-ups on work that was cared for are handled as part of the project. Touch-ups on work that was not are quoted at the standard rate.
- 07.4Sun damage, picked scabs, swimming during healing and unapproved products are not touch-up territory — they are a new session.
- 07.5If you see signs of infection, contact us and a medical professional. Do not wait for the check-in.
Policy 08
Photography & Consent
We photograph the work. You decide whether your skin is in the portfolio, and you can change that decision.
- 08.1Every session is documented for the studio's own records. That part is not optional — it is how we track healing and quality.
- 08.2Publishing a photo to the portfolio or to social channels requires your written consent, taken on the consent form.
- 08.3You can withdraw consent later. Tell us and the image comes down from the surfaces we control.
- 08.4Faces are never published without a separate, explicit yes.
- 08.5The consent form also records your health disclosures and your acknowledgement of the aftercare instructions.
Anything unusual