Most painful spot to get tattooed

[pidjones]

Hi newbie here, I have never gotten a tattoo and am thinking of getting in the meatiest part of my chest. How is it going to be?

Do you mean like over the pectoral (avoiding the nipple)? If so, that was my first and it was a breeze! (And I am highly allergic to pain!)

Thru the ether from my LP2

[Johnny Chan Fan Hui]

Do you mean like over the pectoral (avoiding the nipple)? If so, that was my first and it was a breeze! (And I am highly allergic to pain!)

Thru the ether from my LP2

I was thinking of roughly 11 o'clock from my left nipple. Slightly 1 -2 inches up. Is it the same place we are talking about?

[SeeSea]

Newbie here, does the length of the tattoo session depends on the part of the body getting the tattoo?

The length of your session depends on several factors. Others around here can add more.

- The size of the tattoo. If it's small, couple hours, it's easy to sit through in one session. If you don't, you will be mocked and ridiculed. Maybe even to your face. If it's larger and your tattooer has the expectation you'll sit for the whole thing in one sitting, you do it or try your damnedest.

- Your tattoo artist's scheduling methods. Some only schedule in well defined time slices, for example, 3 hours. If the tattoo takes longer than that, you sit multiple sessions. If your tattoo artist schedules open-ended sessions, then you'll go until he finishes whatever goal he set for the session. This could be time or a particular part of the tattoo. Or, he'll keep going until you absolutely can't take another second and you have to tap out. No one likes to tap out. It's a sign of moral weakness, contributes to global warming, and will cast poorly upon your family and children. Even after many hours, it's so psychologically awesome to hear, "Ok, we've reached a good stopping point" instead of crying silently into your hand and whimpering that you're sorry you just can't take it any more. The silence that follows such an abject admission is enough to curdle milk and paralyze small dogs.

- The body part. Personally, I can't speak to many body parts because I'm only working on a back piece, but yes, location can play a role. (Although your back, in terms of pain, is it's own set of differing body parts.) My one and only tap out was after 5 hours on the top/middle of my back that included spine down to the bottom of my ribs and the bones of one shoulder blade. Apparently, many think the shoulder blade isn't bad. My next session is to do the second coat in that area. I'm queasy just thinking about it.

- Your own preparation. How you prepare for your session has a big effect - some may argue that good preparation plays as big a role as where on the body you plan to get tattooed. If you go in tired, hung over, or on an empty stomach, body part may matter very little.

[OnyxRose]

According to the Boyfriend, the bicep is the worst place. That may be owing to the circumstances in which he got it. He got hammered off base while out of country a decade ago, and let "a piss-drunk one-eyed British guy in a local bar" tattoo him. Now, this is a man who's been shot, stabbed, beaten, blown up, and injured in various other ways on the job, and who has a fairly high pain tolerance. He says he "screamed like a little bitch" getting the devil on his bicep, and I told him that was probably more because he let a piss-drunk one-eyed guy in a bar do it while he was drunk himself.

He has ideas to get that one touched up (it's pretty badly faded and some lines have disappeared altogether), plus something on the other bicep, and I intend to steer him in the direction of an actual tattooer this time. Not like we're lacking for those around here; there are probably 15 in this city, and at least a few whose work is good. I can vouch for two, anyway, having personal experience with one and knowing a handful of people who have gotten good tattoos from the other.

[Pugilist]

Hahahahahahaha

[pidjones]

I was thinking of roughly 11 o'clock from my left nipple. Slightly 1 -2 inches up. Is it the same place we are talking about?

Same direction, but about 3" further up is where mine is. None of it was bad at all. On my right shoulder for the 2nd tattoo, the artist warned when she started into the armpit area, but it was Ok. There was an area between two muscles toward the outside of my shoulder that felt like she was digging for bone, yet the overall pain level wasn't bad since she only spent a short time there.

[Mick Weder]

"a piss-drunk one-eyed British guy".

Sounds like a good bloke.

There's so much I'd like to quote & reply on in that original post, I just don't know where to begin.

"Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

[sophistre]

Or, he'll keep going until you absolutely can't take another second and you have to tap out. No one likes to tap out. It's a sign of moral weakness, contributes to global warming, and will cast poorly upon your family and children. Even after many hours, it's so psychologically awesome to hear, "Ok, we've reached a good stopping point" instead of crying silently into your hand and whimpering that you're sorry you just can't take it any more. The silence that follows such an abject admission is enough to curdle milk and paralyze small dogs.

Amazing. This sounds every bit as apocalyptic as I feared.

My tattooer asked me just before we started the first one if I was nervous, and I told him I was only nervous about doing a bad job sitting there, which was true.

Now I know I had good reason to be nervous. I will continue to try to sit there...if not for the sake of my dignity, then for small dogs everywhere.

[Mick Weder]

if not for the sake of my dignity, then for small dogs everywhere.

As they say, it's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.

"Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

[Graeme]

I was going to say that ass crack is pretty bad not just because it's really tender but because it feels like you're getting your anus tattooed, but now I know that bicep is far worse.

[Mick Weder]

but now I know that bicep is far worse.

If I hear you screamed like a little bitch @Graeme, I'm sorry, no cold beer for you.

"Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

[CaptainMidnight]

I thought the spot directly above the nipple, between 1100 and 0100 was the worst of my chest/pec. Avoided the nipple itself because I'm a wimp.

[SeeSea]

Amazing. This sounds every bit as apocalyptic as I feared.

Nah, sometimes I start writing and crazy shit comes out. I've seen dead deer on the side of the road driving home from sessions, but no hobbling dogs.

[polliwog]

I wish every tattoo felt like getting my bicep tattooed.

[Pugilist]

So I am one of those weirdos who did their back first, and Stephanie always said to me that the great thing about starting there is that most other things will seem like child's play in comparison. Starting in my arms has been a treat!!

[scubaron]

So I am one of those weirdos who did their back first, and Stephanie always said to me that the great thing about starting there is that most other things will seem like child's play in comparison. Starting in my arms has been a treat!!

I am considering a back piece. Not full back, but something than runs along my spine and extends out a little to the sides. I'm guessing it would take at least 3 sessions probably 4.

I like my octopus tattoo but the areas near my armpit, near the elbow ditch and my bicep, really sucked. Have to admit I am a little hesitant to do my back because it's a large tattoo in a painful spot.

[SnowyPlover]

Full back was undoubtedly the hardest for me. I am able to sit for 5 hours, but was really surprised the level of pain - at points it was very intense. It probably doesn't help that I don't like laying on my stomach. At the end of one particularly painful session, I had involuntary leg spasms in one leg. I was anxious about having my ribs done, but it was not challenging at all. Everyone is so different, you might have an idea what it will be like, but you won't really know until it starts.

[marley mission]

getting the upper chest done last night - only a 2 hour session - hurt pretty good - burning sensation - ah the pain

rib shot is next - pain be damned

i mean if it hurts it hurts

it is a tattoo afterall

[Marwin3000]

I only have my upper arm(inside and outside), lower arm, thigh and foot covered! And I must say thigh was most painfull! There were times I was unsure if I could even finish the session. Just shut up and play hard!

[beautifuldisaster]

Definatley my ass, and inner thighs, and fingers have been my most painful areas..

[jonnyw]

So I am one of those weirdos who did their back first, and Stephanie always said to me that the great thing about starting there is that most other things will seem like child's play in comparison. Starting in my arms has been a treat!!

me too...........

lower back above the belt line in the "love handles" area and sides near the stomach.......... intense burning for me = butt puckering and colon clenching

[SeeSea]

Just finished five hours on my back. We found an area on my trap to the left of my spine that was so painful it immediately put tears down my face and I started shaking uncontrollably. So bizarre, it was only about 2 inches by 2 inches but inside the "line" was like night and day. The right side wasn't a problem and it actually has a numb area that doesn't hurt. I think something is mixed up in my wiring in my neck right there. I was heaving and moaning and it was all uncontrollable.

He asked if I was okay, but I told/begged him to keep going because if we stopped I could never get started again. That was by far the worst 20 minutes of pain I have ever felt. It took another 10 minutes to stop shaking. When he went just outside that area, everything went back to just regular sucking. Unbelievable.

[Cork]

That's rough @SeeSea, way to tough it out!

[OutOfIdeas]

I agree, sounds like you handled it like a champ!

[SeeSea]

Thanks guys. If that had been part of my first session, I would forever have an unfinished back. I can't fully describe how it destroyed my ability to control my body.

I was in a private shop. I would never have been able to allow myself to descend so unselfconsciously like that in front of other tattooers and clients in order to finish the session.

Thank god we are done with the top of my back.