Most painful spot to get tattooed

[2bacanvas]

I just had a big chest piece done. For me easily the most painful spot so far. After 4 hours I had to tap out.

[pidjones]

Week ago Friday my third cameo on the left arm. Burned like a soldering iron in my "waddles" below what should be my bicep. Only 2.5 hours and seemed like just fifteen minutes. That arm is still slated for some small bangers and vines to tie it into a half/three quarter sleeve. Overall the most painful so far, but mercifully quick!

[akalei30]

My back and ankle were the least painful. Some parts of my back I barely felt at all. My wrist was excruciating which is weird cause most everyone I know with a wrist tattoo says it was fine. So I don't get what was up with mine that day. And that was my first tattoo.

[bongsau]

What do you guys think about tattooing the elbow? Worth the pain even though the artist can't get detailed on it as it is so sensitive due to it being mainly bone? OR Is it a necessary evil to tie a larger piece together?

I'm not a tattoo application specialist...but I think about all the abuse the elbows and knees take, so cramming too much detail on the elbow is not going to hold. My tattooers designed my sleeves to have less ink around the elbow because of that reasoning, the skin is tougher so it doesn't hold fine detail as well. There's still lots of ink in and around my elbow. So I know what an elbow tattoo feels like (and the ditch is faaaar worse). And the design has held up despite almost a decade of elbow batterings. On the flip side I've seen lots of nice elbow roses and other solid ink designs on the elbow. We were having a discussion in the tattoo shop about stressing about tattooing a simple nautical star on an elbow...it's difficult to make it not look crooked, just the way the arm bends. I think it really depends on the skill and experience of the tattooer, not just in applying the tattoo but in the design and placement.

- - - Updated - - -

I watched a dude get a full head tattoo last week - 4 palm sized traditional tattoos. Looked like a tattoo swim cap. All lines, one sitting.

And I've been tattooed by this tattooer quite a bit, so I know how hot he runs his machine with loose big needles for traditional stylized outlines. He's fast as fuck but brutal. Ouch.

I left after 5 minutes. It was gnarly. Buddy froze his skull, but by the grimace on his face, watching the tempo of his breathing and the amount of blood on the first couple lines on the temple...it did NOT look like the freezing was working.

It changed my tattoo desires and I won't be worrying about my wife divorcing me anymore if I showed up at home with a tatt-dome...I think I'm good, no dome tattoos for me...well maybe I'll squinch a couple small ones on the back of my neck/skull still...it was insane, but feel fortunate for the rare opportunity to watch a head tattoo go down. gross.

[Seth240]

Hey guys I'm new to thread and forums. I recently got a tattoo cover up under my arm by armpit. I've had it for 2 days and it is inflamed, and very bruised. Is it a possible infection?

[Pigmentos]

Hey guys I'm new to thread and forums. I recently got a tattoo cover up under my arm by armpit. I've had it for 2 days and it is inflamed, and very bruised. Is it a possible infection?

.

I've had both my armpits blasted, 6hrs one side, 9.5 for the other. Swelling like that is par for the course with that sensitive area. I was swollen for about week afterwards, very uncomfortable and probably the worst spot I've experienced yet.

[byzantine]

I'm yet to have my knee, back or front tattooed - all which I imagine would be intense. My elbow was a bitch- a full hour of grimace pain! Not attractive. Luckily I was facing a wall haha. Inner thigh was on a par and bruised like hell. Think that's one of the worst for ladies?

[marley mission]

I'm yet to have my knee, back or front tattooed - all which I imagine would be intense. My elbow was a bitch- a full hour of grimace pain! Not attractive. Luckily I was facing a wall haha. Inner thigh was on a par and bruised like hell. Think that's one of the worst for ladies?

planning to get both knees done at some point - i'm guessing they are tough spots - and probably even tougher to heal

[The Tig]

planning to get both knees done at some point - i'm guessing they are tough spots - and probably even tougher to heal

My plan is for a hannya on the knee of my Japanese themed leg, and a sugar skull on the other knee. Well, you know what they say about "plans"!

[joakim urma]

@Pigmentos

Wow, well fought! Mine was around three hours and it was more then enough for me. Considering the size I'd stay armpit is the worst spot I ever gotten tattooed.

[marley mission]

not hard to imagine the armpit being ultra painful - wonder if i'll get to the pits one day

though right now that area is not on the list - still lots of space to fill :)

funny i'll have days where i'l look and say 'damn you got alot of tattoos'

the next day i'm all focused on the empty spaces - anyone else feel me on that?

[blujax01]

I had a knuckle tattooed last weekend just to see what it was like.

That's something you really, really gotta want to do. :eek:

[Synesthesia]

I experienced hell on earth the other day when I got my butt crease tattooed (where your butt and leg connects). We hit tons of bad spots that day: knee, back of the thigh, hip...bit none as awful as the butt crease. Literally felt like I had a white hot sewing needle being jabbed into my butt! And he just kept going back into it to add details...

[Rustyrider]

It must have felt so good to hear that, " okay, I think that's it for today" comment!!

[Synesthesia]

Oh I was soooo done. A bunch of people came and went next to me while I was there, one of them was a big burly guy getting his back worked on. He was there less than two hours and was whining and whimpering the whole time. Made me feel real good about how I was handling myself! :D

[Dan]

Oh I was soooo done. A bunch of people came and went next to me while I was there, one of them was a big burly guy getting his back worked on. He was there less than two hours and was whining and whimpering the whole time. Made me feel real good about how I was handling myself! :D

sounds like a good youtube video if you had videoed it LOL

[DeloresMelon]

Getting tattooed must be like having kids... You forget the pain, hence repeating it over and over. I just got an ankle tattoo about 2 months ago and it was nothing. Small tattoo. This after not having had any tattoo for 12 years. Yesterday I got a tattoo on my back and for the first hour and 50 minutes, I was completely fine. Even mentally patting myself on the back for my tolerance. Then the last 10 minutes. I was convinced he'd changed machines and was using a branding tool. The closer it went to my side/armpit, the worse it was. But I know in a few weeks I'll forget all that and be ready for more.

[GlaryMilberg]

It's official, the foot is the worst place that I've been tattooed. I've done my front, knee, and lined my back/butt... the foot was the most uncomfortable. I can't hang with the thin skin and bonezone.

[PinkUnicorn]

....

[Gingerninja]

God bless anyone that can sit for more than four hours on the ribs. I've had four hours on my right ribs which sucked but he was able to finish the tattoo. Then on this past Tuesday, I had my left ribs/back/front worked on for four hours. I tell you what, when he hit my lower back right around my kidney, I was so.not.amused. Crimey. The lower back sucked! Only four more hours to go to finish!!

[The Tig]

Oliver Peck doesn't like getting his palm tattooed. Not at all!

Hooper is rock solid and in his zone.

[joakim urma]

@The Tig

Hooper is just how I hope to be when I get mine done. I think I might be hoping for too much, fuck it's going to be nasty

[ascendabove]

The most painful spot for my on my full back piece was lumbar region right near my spine. Runner up would be ribs.

[lulejojo]

I would have to say the inside of my elbow..or right above that part, not sure what to call it. That was for sure the most painful! Second I would go my foot, then my ribs, I was told my elbow would hurt alot but i didn't find it did at all for me, also the inside of my arm (where your muscle pops up haha) thats was tender!

[sarahmohawk]

When I got the full left side of my calf done in a 3hr session 2 years ago I found I coped much better than a palm sized one that I recently got on the right side in the same place. I think my most recent tattoos are always the most painful because the more I get, the more blasé I am about it and forget that it's something that hurts me until we've actually started. Whereas back in the day I aimed to be mentally prepared.