Step 3: The Day Of

For starters, try to be only a little nervous. A little bit of nervousness keeps you on your toes but doesn't allow you to freak out and panic. Nobody wants you to panic but I'm sure it does happen. In Jeff Johnson's book, Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink, he writes about a couple of instances where clients panicked and in the worst cases, passed out and fell on him out of the chair. It's a very interesting read.

What to Eat
Be sure to eat something, anything. Especially if it's your first tattoo, you don't know how your body will react and if you eat, it just gives the body one less thing to worry about. I get really low blood sugar so if I don't eat I not only get really irritable I can also get really sick. Don't eat foods that are going to make you gassy or generally uncomfortable. I don't advise going to eat 100 of the hottest chicken wings with jalapeno's on top before going to get a tattoo.

What to Wear
This is obviously subjective to where you're getting your tattoo and what time of year you're getting it. I don't recommend any tight clothing. Stretchy or slightly breezy clothing always seems to be the easiest to deal with while getting tattooed. It doesn't get in the way and cooperates when you want to expose the designated skin area. For example:

This is a tattoo by Ron Wells on a friend of mine who would like to stay unnamed.  It may be hard to see but those are black spandex shorts rolled up so he could work on her thigh. She wore a flowy skirt over that and not only looked super cute, but didn't flash anything and the clothing didn't get in the way at all. This was all in one six-hour sitting and her first tattoo, very impressive. Another good option for hip/upper thigh tattoos on ladies is swimsuit bottoms.







Just remember that you will be exposing the skin and to wear something appropriate and simple. Avoid wearing anything with stiff fabric that doesn't want to cooperate. Also avoid too many layers. I know in the winter time the best way to stay warm is to layer, but try to limit it when getting tattooed. Do you really want to be in the shop about to get tattooed and then it takes you ten minutes to de-layer? In the winter I feel like it even takes too long to take off one thick jacket and a sweater. However, this is also due to the fact that I get overly excited when about to be tattooed.

Money
You may need to go to the ATM to take out some cash, or you just need to make sure you have plenty on your card. If it's plastic or paper, you need to make sure you have the money. During the consultation, you should've asked a price range of about how much it would be. Bring however much that maximum was with a little extra for tipping. It seems like common knowledge, but you should really have the money when you make the appointment and set it aside. If you don't have the money when you make the appointment, chances are you aren't going to have it the day of.

Now, you're wearing the right clothes, you've eaten something, you've got money in your pocket, time to go get tattooed.