WHAT COVID SAFE PRACTICES WILL BE IN PLACE FOR MY APPOINTMENT?
- I am fully vaccinated, and it is my preference that you are as well for our appointment date (including any in-person consultations).
- I usually work in a mask. You are welcome to wear one too, according to what is most comfortable for you. Others in the space are likely to be unmasked, if this is likely to be uncomfortable for you, mention it during your booking request and we can make arrangements. If I am unmasked when you arrive and you would prefer that I used one, please don't hesitate to prompt me - this will not be an issue.
- If you have cold/flu symptoms, or you or someone in your household has Covid, please get in touch as soon as possible to reschedule your appointment.
- If I have any cold/flu symptoms, or myself or someone in my household has Covid, I will contact you to reschedule your appointment.
HOW MUCH DOES A TATTOO COST?
My hourly rate at FLT is $200 per hour. (Bear in mind guest spot rates will be advertised separately.)
The duration of your tattoo will depend a great deal on the placement, the size, the amount of detail, and how many breaks we take.
For tattoos less than 3 hours, I will charge more on a piece by piece basis. As a general guide, very small tattoos start at $200. Palm to hand sized tattoos might range from $250-700, bearing in mind that sometimes a smaller design can cost more than a larger one due to complexity of design and/or placement. If you are booked in for a whole day then the maximum price, would be $1200-1350.
Some placements that can cost a little more might include ribs, lower back, neck, belly, groin, to name a few. This can be either that the placement is more technically demanding or even that the skin is that much more stretchy in that area that the design expands considerably beyond what it looks like on paper.
If you have concerns about sticking to a particular budget, please feel free to be upfront with that from the beginning of the booking process. We can often work to your budget and stay within the limit you have set. On the other hand, if it turns out to be unrealistic for what you are envisioning, then we can have a discussion about what might be a more appropriate budget and park the booking for a future time.
I will have a certain number of discounted appointments available each month for pensioners. Please mention in your booking request if you would like to take advantage of this.
WILL I SEE THE DESIGN BEFORE THE DAY?
For most appointments, your design will be ready on the day for you to see. Designs are not sent out via email. Sometimes, especially for botanical and animal designs, we will approach the tattoo with a freehand process - meaning we will either collaborate on the design in person and/or I will draw the design on your body with markers. If you aren’t comfortable with this possibility please let me know with at least 72 hours notice.
If you prefer to see your design before the day of tattooing, please arrange a pre-appointment consultation with me when you initially make your booking. Your consultation will ideally be a 3-7 days before your booking, and there will be no charge for this unless a significant redraw is desired.
WHAT IF I THE DESIGN ISN'T QUITE RIGHT WHEN I SEE IT?
To improve the effectiveness of this process please give me as many details as possible about your design well before the date. There will be an allowance in the appointment time to make minor changes you may desire in order to be happy with the design, however any significant alterations will require your appointment to be rebooked and a new deposit taken.
This doesn’t happen often, but I offer it as a totally acceptable option to try and make sure that time-pressure doesn't impact your ability to genuinely consent. Additionally, the deposit policy covers my time in redrawing the design so that you don’t feel pressured to get anything that you’re not stoked with out of consideration for me.
WHAT IS THE DEPOSIT POLICY?
Your booking will be confirmed once a deposit has been paid. Up until that point I am unable to guarantee a particular time will be available for you.
The deposit is $200 and comes off the value of the final session of your tattoo.
(Please bear in mind that for larger or more complex custom work a $300 deposit may be required, as a general guide this will apply to: tattoos larger than approximately 20cm, or requiring more than 4 hours to complete, as well as coverups larger than approximately 15cm. I will let you know if this applies to your booking.)
- The deposit is non refundable and non-transferrable.
- A minimum of 72 hours notice (however more notice is greatly appreciated) is required to reschedule an appointment. Please make the subject of your email "CANCELLATION" to ensure it is seen in time.
- A minimum of 72 hours notice is required to make any changes to the design without the payment of a new deposit, though this is only possible if drawing has not already been done for the booking, and please bear in mind that your new idea may not be feasible to do on the original appointment date.
- The deposit is valid for 6 months from either the original payment date or most recent session.
- The deposit is still not refundable in the situation of me being prevented, by illness or injury, from working on the day of the booking, but in such cases will be rolled over until a later appointment date.
- You can reschedule your booking once before a new deposit will need to be paid.
* For Newcastle deposit payments:
You will be sent a link once dates have been offered.
* For GUEST SPOT (outside of Newcastle) deposit payments:
https://www.paypal.me/brodycalypso/205
IS IT CASH ONLY?
The studio is cash preferred, however we do have the option of EFTPOS payments. Please bear in mind, the customer is liable for the EFTPOS surcharge of 1.8% if you choose to use this option. The cost of the tattoo is determined by the artist and must be paid in full at the end of the appointment. The new Broadmeadow address is not in close proximity to ATMs.
If you would like to bring the correct cash on the day feel free to request a ballpark quote, bearing in mind that emails can take a while to get a response, and pricing can change on the day if we end up going beyond the original scope (either in size, placement or some other way), or if the booking takes longer than expected.
I'm always happy to work to a budget, and if you are able to give me plenty of notice then I can design appropriately and keep to the agreed amount.
WHAT CAN I DO TO PREPARE FOR THE TATTOO?
Try to make sure you get a decent night's sleep the night before and ensure that you’ve eaten and hydrated properly in the hours leading up to the booking.
If you have a menstrual cycle, please be aware that many people are more sensitive to the pain of tattooing in the few days before they start to bleed (three to five days leading up to the period as well as the first day or two of bleeding seem to be the worst) so feel free to schedule your appointment around your cycle if that suits you better.
If you do require a support person, this is absolutely fine, but please limit it to one person, and we kindly ask that your support person be mindful of their noise levels as well as maintaining through-fare access in our shared space. There may also be parts of the tattoo process that it is not appropriate for them to participate in, such as decision-making aspects best left to the person getting the tattoo.
DO YOU TATTOO DARKER SKIN TONES?
Absolutely. I am very comfortable tattooing a range of skin tones in both colour and black/grey. If you are unsure about how colour might heal in your skin due to a lack of representation for your tone, I am happy to do a free colour consult including an optional pigment test where you can get a small sample tattoo of colours you are interested in to see how each heals, before committing to a larger piece. This can either be done in a discreet area, or in a creative small way. Feel free to request examples of past tests that I have done if you are curious.
CAN I USE NUMBING CREAM?
I am passionate about finding ways to make tattooing more accessible for people, and I understand that pain can be a huge barrier.
While I am absolutely supportive of clients making their own informed choices about the best way through this process for them, I have observed over the years a strangely counterintuitive outcome of numbing creams - which is that they can actually make the experience more intense. A combination of the sudden shock your body experiences when the cream wears off, along with the increased skin resistance to ink uptake (especially with colour work) meaning that the skin must be worked more than it otherwise would. This can make the cream a bit of a false saviour at times, as the pain hits unexpectedly and all at once, rather than building gradually in a way that one can get used to with full advantage of the body's natural pain management systems.
There has also been increased concern about the saturation of the market with high concentration products. This can then create a dangerous amount of lidocaine in the body, especially when used in large areas, which even lead to overdose. We have also seen a range of allergic reactions which can impact the long term outcome of the tattoo.
So, I would encourage clients to experiment with a range of pain management techniques. My practice aims to be as trauma informed as possible, with a range of pain management approaches such as:
*operating in a client consent focused practice, as well as
*providing sensory items,
*soothing sprays,
*regular short breaks, and
*attention to hydration and blood-sugar.
I am always happy to book a number of shorter sessions, if this might help. I also am a big advocate of listening to the body's signals when it has reached its limit of tolerance, and calling it a day at that point. If you want to try the numbing cream, consider also trying sessions without it. I have had clients who were surprised how much better they did on their own.
Please let me know if you intend to use it, and always buy from a reputable seller, and make sure the concentration is listed on the packet.
Feel free to email me at [email protected] or the shop at [email protected] if you have any questions about your booking or the studio.
Thank you for your support,
Brody