Hey Duders, I'm getting my first tattoo Saturday.

Im 28, and waited this long on purpose so I would KNOW I wanted it. I'm just curious what I should expect. Whats it feel like? I've heard everything from a burning to a needle scraping over and over. In your experiences, what is the closest thing you can conpare it to? :) Thanks guys!

EDIT: So, I re-evaluated my tattoo artist and came to the conclusion his talent was lacking a bit. I am not driving 2 hours to a guy twice as expensive, but 5 times as good. I am so glad I made this jump.

Also, I didn't proof read my post, lol. I'm trying to get ready for work. Haha.

It's fun, the pain starts to feel good after a while, that being said by the time you get out of there (depending on the size of your piece) you'll be glad it's over. This feeling will be replaced by a deep desire to get another tattoo within a few hours of leaving the shop. The amount of pain all depends on what part of your body's getting stabbed but you'll be fine, fingernails on a sunburn hurt more than what you're about to go through.

I wouldn't worry about the pain, just worry about how it'll turn out. I hope you've researched your tattoo artist, having a permanent bad drawing on you is the last thing you want.

BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT

i have 18 so far and as Gunslinger said, really depends where you get. Also depending on colours and design pain you should expect differs. bold simple design black and white less pain complicated and therefore more time and needle pricks the more pain there will be. Gunslingers desricption overall is pretty spot on, For me though the feeling was more uncomftable than painfull. except my wedding ring tattoo which hurt like a mofo

It depends, where are you getting it? like people told me the collar bone area for me would be painful as all hell, but it really wasn't. It was more the vibration that I could feel in my face that was unnerving. Same thing with over by the armpit and the nipple. Didn't really hurt that much (it's a chest piece by the way). Just imagine getting a vaccination a bunch in some spots and something a little worse in others. It just depends.

@psylah said:

BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT

He didn't even say what kind he was getting, don't judge

It's not painful, depends on where you take it of course. One of mine took 6-7 hours to complete and that got a bit painful towards the end. My other 5 tattoos, no problem at all =)

What are you getting? I too have kind of thought of getting a tattoo but I want to be COMPLETELY sure just like you. Something that a fellow artist said to me was to get some body markers and draw what you're thinking of getting on yourself, given you're not getting some crazy big, elaborate piece. If you have the desire to keep that drawn on, then you're committed to the idea of actually getting it for reals.

Depends on the position and your own pain perception...

For me it's most of the time just some slight needle scraping which I hardly feel or ignore. When it comes to places like the inner forearm (especially the part right above the hand ) or the inner upper arm it turns to some burning pain, which is tolerable but unpleasant (gets really, really unpleasant after a few hours).

Elbows were also slightly unpleasant for the fact that sometimes it felt like a nerve was hit and my leg twitched, just like in a reflex test...

Shinbone was strange but not really for the pain but it felt like the bone was vibrating constantly.

Also pauses are evil (at least in my opinion... experiences might differ), at first you think "Oh, pause... Awesome" but then, a few minutes later, when the process starts again, it really burns when the needle hits the already irritated skin again...

I'm curious why you want a tattoo in the first place? More specifically what you plan to get and why that speaks to you to the extent you want to put forever on yourself.

The level of discomfort you'll experience depends on the location of the tattoo. From my experience arms aren't bad, neither are legs except around the Achilles' tendon, chest and back are okay, but the absolute worst place is the ribs. I have a portrait that goes from just below my armpit to my waist and it was pretty bad. Pick a smart place that isn't exposed or you may regret it. Most importantly, research the artist and don't base your artist decision on price. There are too many bad tattoo artists out there and I've seen many horrible hack jobs where the person didn't research the artist or went for a cheap price.

Man, look at all the people who think tattoos are a stupid idea. Man, get over yourselves.

@vegetashonor: Maybe others who actually got them can say otherwise, but I was always told the further down the arm the more painful it is. Ether way best of luck. Hope it's something you really want.

@vegetashonor: I found the wrists to be ok. Little tender when its directly over a vein. Also depends how skinny you are. As a former fat guy now skinny ass guy having them fat is less painful. Used to weigh 18 stone at 6ft tall, now I am 10 stone and I can tell you tats now hurt more. :)

@TheHBK said:

Man, look at all the people who think tattoos are a stupid idea. Man, get over yourselves.

I think it's pretty much imperically proven that getting a tattoo is a bad idea. There's a ton of things that can go bad, and what sort of benefit does it give you ?

Having that said I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it. Living life is all about making bad desicions just for the hell of it =)

@vegetashonor said:

@ImmortalSaiyan its based on my son. He is my world. It incorperates just a bunch of my personality and his.

Oh, cool. I like the idea of an art piece that is symbolic of you two.

A needle quickly stabbing you and dragging against your skin and that's pretty much what it is.

: )

Have one on my upper left arm.

Some people think it's super painful but I don't remember it being that bad, also depends on where it is.

At the same time my buddy was getting a giant dragon on his back and he passed out twice.

@psylah said:

BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT BAD IDEA ALERT

Just for the record, tattoos don't always have to have a deep, significant meaning, in-fact some of my favourite pieces are really shitty, handmade ones that friends have done on each other. They can be funny (yes people get them as jokes sometimes) but more importantly they can act as records, what might be a shitty tattoo to you might be a funny reminder of a great time in the wearers life and that kind of thing never gets old. 
You can't take life too seriously, a bad tattoo that you can laugh at and that you associate with great memories is far better than some boring old blank skin in my opinion. Live a little.

@Gunslinger0130 said:

Just for the record, tattoos don't always have to have a deep, significant meaning, in-fact some of my favourite pieces are really shitty, handmade ones that friends have done on each other. They can be funny (yes people get them as jokes sometimes) but more importantly they can act as records, what might be a shitty tattoo to you might be a funny reminder of a great time in the wearers life and that kind of thing never gets old. You can't take life too seriously, a bad tattoo that you can laugh at and that you associate with great memories is far better than some boring old blank skin in my opinion. Live a little.

can't you just write in a journal or take pictures and write on the back?

Dont get A tattoo, you'll have to go all out and get more after that