Question: How to Cope with a Painful Tattoo Session
Answer: Although painful tattoo sessions are rare, they do happen sometimes. If you were getting a tattoo and found yourself in a considerable amount of pain, it's very possible that your artist was going too deep. Are your lines nice and thin and even all the way around? Are there any "shadows" of ink outside the lines underneath your skin? Do you see any ink where it doesn't belong? Did you scar much? If you answered yes to any of those questions, it's more than likely that your tattoo artist is tattooing you too deeply and the first thing I'd do is find a new tattoo artist.
Now, if that's not the case and your skin is just more sensitive than some people's, here are a few options. One, make your sessions shorter. If you can only handle 30 minutes worth, then do so. If you're working on a large tattoo, you may feel pressured to sit through longer sessions than your body can handle. You hold the money and you make the rules. If you need a break, tell the artist you need to stop for 5 minutes. If you need to go home, then go home and tell him you'll get more done in a couple of weeks.
If you're not sure you got the right person for the job then don't be afraid to search for a new artist to complete the tattoo. This should be a bearable experience at least and an enjoyable one at best.
