What a tattoo session actually feels like

If you have not been tattooed before, the unknown is usually worse than the thing itself. Here is roughly how a session runs.

Before the needle. The stencil goes on, you look at it in the mirror, and you say yes or you say move it. Say move it if you want it moved. Nobody is annoyed. The stencil is the last easy moment to change your mind and Emily would far rather adjust it than tattoo something you are unsure about.

The first ten minutes. Most people describe it as a hot scratch rather than a stab. Your body floods with adrenaline at the start, which takes the edge off. That wears away after twenty minutes or so, and what is left is duller and more tiring than sharp.

The middle. This is where people are surprised, because it gets boring. You can talk, listen to something, or sit quietly. Emily works one client at a time in a private room, so you are not performing for a waiting room.

Breaks. Take them. Ask for one whenever. Fidgeting through discomfort to seem tough makes the line work harder, not better.

Placement changes it more than size does. Ribs, sternum, spine and hands are thin skin over bone and sit at the top of any tattoo pain chart. Outer thigh, forearm and calf have more padding and sit near the bottom.

Afterwards. You will feel like you have been mildly sunburnt in one specific place, and you will probably be hungrier and more tired than you expected. Eat properly beforehand and bring something sugary.

Two hours is a comfortable first session for most people. Longer is absolutely doable, and it is easier than people fear once they have sat through the first one.