Thigh tattoo questions

[lildropofsunshine]

Later this summer (hopefully by the end of July), I'm going to be getting a thigh tattoo. I already have 2, one on my foot/ankle and one on my shoulder, and I'm wondering, in comparison how painful the thigh is. Not because I'm not going to get it if people say it's a 10/10, just out of curiosity because I believe that if the amount of pain turns you off you shouldn't be getting that body mod at all.

It's also going to be my first color tattoo, and I've heard color hurts more than black and grey. Is there any truth to this?

Size wise, I think it might be my biggest one. I'm not exactly sure how big it'll be, but it'll probably be at least 5x6". Also, I want it low enough on my thigh that you can easily see it while I'm wearing shorts and dresses without me having to hike them up. And positioning wise, I'm thinking about on the front, towards the side.

Any comments or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[bongsau]

hey there welcome!

the thigh is pretty manageable pain-wise for a tattoo. certain spots like closer to the knee, towards the butt and inside will be a bit tender. But a 5x6" tattoo is a pretty easy one-shot sit. have you considered going bigger? the thigh is a great spot for big full tattoo.

also, colour does NOT hurt more than black and grey, a common misconception. its not the ink that makes it hurt, it's the needles penetrating the skin. lines will feel much sharper than shading which uses a a larger, spread out needle cluster. I do suppose it takes a few more passes to really pack in colour ink into the skin vs soft passes of certain grey shading. 

it all hurts like a son of a bitch, anyone who says otherwise is lying!

 

[lildropofsunshine]

I don't want a huge thigh piece. As in, absolutely no desire whatsoever to get one. I would also never get a half/full sleeve or a back piece. I like my tattoos on the small side. Depending on the design and how it would sit I might go up to 8x8 but I can't imagine going any bigger than that...plus, that would be most of my thigh anyway since I'm not all that big! And like I said, it will be at least 5x6" all depending on the design and how it sits.

I wouldn't say people are lying if they say it didn't hurt. Neither of my tattoos hurt that bad -- in fact, my should tattoo was nearly painless and I almost fell asleep whilst getting. My foot/ankle tattoo hurt in certain spots, but for the most part was just uncomfortable and I'd rate the pain maybe around a 6/10 and my shoulder at maybe a 3/10, maybe.. I do have a high pain tolerance though and a lot of piercings, so that could be why I don't think tattoos hurt that much.

Edited June 7, 2016 by lildropofsunshine

[Synesthesia]

1 hour ago, lildropofsunshine said:

I wouldn't say people are lying if they say it didn't hurt. Neither of my tattoos hurt that bad -- in fact, my should tattoo was nearly painless and I almost fell asleep whilst getting. My foot/ankle tattoo hurt in certain spots, but for the most part was just uncomfortable and I'd rate the pain maybe around a 6/10 and my shoulder at maybe a 3/10, maybe.. I do have a high pain tolerance though and a lot of piercings, so that could be why I don't think tattoos hurt that much.

Come back and talk to us after getting your butt crease, side of the knee, or inner thigh tattooed. The shoulder/upper arm is a notoriously easy spot and feet tattoos can go one way or the other. Some people find bony spots hurt more, some people find sensitive spots (inner arm, inner thigh, etc) hurt more. I just recently had pretty much my whole front/side/back of the thigh drilled from hip to knee and parts of it really sucked.  You probably will survive a hand sized tattoo though.

The only aspect of coloring that hurts more is right at the end when they add white highlights after doing the lines, black shading, and coloring. Otherwise, color and black and gray are about the same.

Not sure why you're asking about pain but also trying to sound like pain doesn't bother you. No need to try to sound cool here, all tattoos hurt.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Synesthesia

[lildropofsunshine]

Just now, Synesthesia said:

Come back and talk to us after getting your butt crease, side of the knee, or inner thigh tattooed. The shoulder/upper arm is a notoriously easy spot and feet tattoos can go one way or the other. Some people find bony spots hurt more, some people find sensitive spots (inner arm, inner thigh, ety) hurt more. I just recently had pretty much my whole front/side/back of the thigh drilled from hip to ankle and parts of it really sucked.  You probably will survive a hand sized tattoo though.

The only aspect of coloring that hurts more is right at the end when they add white highlights after doing the lines, black shading, and coloring. Otherwise, color and black and gray are about the same.

Not sure why you're asking about pain but also trying to sound like pain doesn't bother you. No need to try to sound cool here, all tattoos hurt.

I disagree that all tattoos hurt. Like I said, I almost fell asleep getting my shoulder done...you don't fall asleep if you're in pain. If I had let myself fall asleep I would have, but I didn't want to take a nap at like 6pm.

I'm just curious about the pain. I like to hear other peoples experiences. I'm the same way with piercings.

It's also going to be bigger than my hand. That would be tiny! And I'm also not trying to sound cool. I'm being honest, and isn't that what we want?

[Synesthesia]

Just now, lildropofsunshine said:

I disagree that all tattoos hurt. Like I said, I almost fell asleep getting my shoulder done...you don't fall asleep if you're in pain. If I had let myself fall asleep I would have, but I didn't want to take a nap at like 6pm.

I'm just curious about the pain. I like to hear other peoples experiences. I'm the same way with piercings.

It's also going to be bigger than my hand. That would be tiny! And I'm also not trying to sound cool. I'm being honest, and isn't that what we want?

Yeah, okay, you almost fell asleep in the easiest spot you can get a tattoo and you've already said you get small ones. Go read the "least painful place to get a tattoo" thread and see how many people say shoulder or upper arm. You've had a whopping two tattoos, one of which in a universally easy spot, but want to talk about a high pain tolerance and say that not all tattoos hurt. Come back after you've had more experience and see how your opinion changes.

I thought mine hurt a lot in certain spots, but then again, I was sitting for 7 hour sessions and covered a huge amount of skin. You'll probably come back here and say your slightly-larger-than-hand-sized tattoo in a relatively easy spot of the thigh was no problem. Two people already said certain aspects of the process suck more than others but your tattoo probably won't even touch on those because of size and placement. Not sure what else to tell you. 

[oboogie]

I have half sleeves on both arms, and the bicep is excruciating. You don't know anything about pain if you haven't had large tattoos. Sorry. You just don't. @Synesthesia is 100% right.

Edited June 7, 2016 by oboogie

[bongsau]

@lildropofsunshine you still don't have me convinced - tattoos hurt !  

everyone's got their own tattoo-likes and tattoo-look they're going for. it's all good. good luck !

[marley mission]

so thigh tattoos heal like shit

but its a great spot to be tattooed imo

front row seat to the action

not too painful imo

and lots of size / placement options  

i have 3 thigh pieces

lava lamp (which my wife calls my teenage girl tattoo :)

fish in an espresso pot

and a smoking frog

have fun

 

[bongsau]

yeah good points @marley mission i've also have had rough heals on my thighs. i like your comment about front row action.

when I got my first couple of tattoos, I thought meh what's the big deal, it doesn't hurt! Then I got my ribs tattooed and I can still taste that salty single tear when he hit me with the shader (after lining). My tattooer's like c'mon buddy not even hitting ya that hard with the shader lol. Ah memories. I long for the younger glory days when tattoos "didn't hurt". I guess I got all the big stuff out of the way now. But I still have the tops of my feet and armpits, and damn I am terrified - especially of the feet. 

We say that all people are born with X number of tattoo credits. The more you get tattooed, the more tattoo credits you spend...and the more that shit fucking hurts !! 

[marley mission]

pain is a great tattoo topic i think - i enjoy discussions about such things - but its hard to find people in my daily that would be able to have discussions like that - anyway - ribs were just all out the toughest for me - 6 and 3 hour sits - oof - to me that first ten minutes of linework sting are the toughest though - then i mellow out for another hour or so - but ultimately - after 2-3 hours i'm good - most of my recent pieces tend to be in that time zone - which is cool - though recent some good size pieces were even quicker as i have been getting tattoed by some pretty quick tattooers lately

[lildropofsunshine]

I say I have a high pain tolerance because of the number of piercings I have, not because of the number of tattoos I have. Also just in general. It takes a hell of a lot of pain to get a reaction from me other than an "ow!"

I'm also saying tattoos can't hurt. I'm simply saying they don't always. Even you say that the shoulder is an easy spot, so why can't you accept that mine didn't hurt? The top of the foot does hurt a bit. Some bits of my tattoo lie there and there were some spots that hurt a lot, but I can point them out, it's not like the whole thing hurt a lot.

Why are thighs hard to heal?

[oboogie]

I have lots of piercings, too. Large, extensive tattoos and lengthy sessions still hurt. You have two small ones. You'll know pain when you actually get a large tattoo. And no, the one you're talking about getting on your thigh isn't large. I have no idea how you can possibly get all the detail required in a phoenix into a 5 by 6 tattoo, but I'm guessing your artist will discuss that with you. Will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

Have you posted any photos of your first two tattoos? Don't remember seeing them.

[21stNow]

I can't compare thighs to the places that you have been tattooed.  I have my shoulders tattooed, but don't remember how they felt specifically because they were part of a larger tattoo that included the sternum.  I have all four "sides" of both thighs tattooed at least partially.  The front of the thighs have been the easiest tattoos that I have gotten so far.  Mine are probably a bit higher up than you plan for yours to be.

Not that it didn't hurt, but the front of my thighs almost didn't rate on the tattoo pain scale for me.  Inner thighs were ridiculously painful for me, outer thighs just plain painful and for some reason, I don't remember the pain level for the back of my thighs at all.

I disagree about falling asleep during pain, though.  My back hurt the worst of anything that I have gotten and the artist said that he heard me snoring a couple of times while he was working.

[lildropofsunshine]

I said at least 5x6. I don't know the actual size.I'm also not good at estimating size, so I'm most likely underestimating. My artist hasn't even gotten the sketch done yet, so I can't even begin to imagine size. I do know it's not gonna be big though. I'm pretty sure I said I don't want a big tattoo...I like my smaller scale ones. I feel they fit my small body. I also just can't imagine myself with something like a half sleeve, even though I think they're awesome...that doesn't fit my personality.

No, I haven't posted my other tattoos, I just joined and am really only interested in my upcoming tattoo right now. Not that I don't love my other tattoos, but I don't even have a halfway decent picture of one of them.

And just because I don't know tattoo pain all that well doesn't mean I don't know pain. I do. I danced for 3 nights in a row with completely torn ligaments in my ankle and then in the summer had surgery to repair them and now have some sort of screw/pin keeping them where they should be. But until that, my ankle would partially dislocate quite often when I was even just walking. That's pain.

[sophistre]

I am by no stretch of the imagination even half as tattooed as most of the people here, but even my personal experience has taught me that all of these things are really individual and there just aren't any rules about it. Examples:

The tops of my thighs didn't hurt, really, but the outside, over the IT band, hurt like a sonofabitch. All of them healed REALLY well, though -- no scabbing, not really any pain, and they barely even peeled. Contrarily, most people's complaints about where they've been tattooed on their backs, the worst spots, were not the worst spot for me; mine was in a weird spot between my shoulderblades -- not even the bit in the crease of my butt/thigh could compare with it, and that was no picnic either! My back has also taken a shockingly long time to get to a 'settled' heal state, where the lines aren't super raised, too...it's all just depends on the person. Trying to predict what anybody else is gonna feel seems like a fool's game to me. Plus, some people just do not feel pain like other people do, and that is science fact.

Anyway, this thread is about thigh tattoos, so here are mine! I'm including a healed pic of the one that @cltattooing did on me, too, since I don't think I ever sent her one!

It's very difficult to take pictures of your own thigh tattoos without warping them.

 

 

 

[oboogie]

I didn't say you didn't know pain. I said you don't know what getting a large, multiple-session, hours-long tattoo feels like — therefore you can't say tattoos don't hurt. That's all.

I lived with shredded ligaments in my right ankle for about two years before doctors figured out what was going on. Had to have surgery, too. You're right — that shit does hurt.

Edited June 8, 2016 by oboogie

[lildropofsunshine]

@sophistre - Those are some nice pieces! I agree that pain is different for everyone which is why I'm purely asking for experiences. This is a piercing example...but lots of people say the conch hurts really bad, but for me it was maybe a 2/10. I was expecting a lot of pain, and it just wasn't there, and I had heard people giving it an 8 or 9/10.

@oboogie - I didn't say the blanket statement that tattoos don't hurt. I said they don't always hurt. And that's true. It's from my real life experience. And because I have tattoos, I can say it. It's not like I don't have any and I'm just like, oh, a tattoo doesn't hurt! And you;re absolutely right, I don't know what getting large, multiple-session long hours tattoos is like, and I most likely never will, but I can absolutely say what I know from my experience.

[oboogie]

You can absolutely say what you know from your experience getting two relatively small tattoos. It's over pretty quick, so yeah. They don't hurt nearly as much.

I'd like to see your tattoos. That's what we do here — share photos of tattoos. Don't be shy. :-)

[lildropofsunshine]

I can probably find a decent pic of my foot tattoo...but I only have 1 pic of my shoulder tattoo in my possession and it's not very good because it's an uploaded pic from a cellphone from right after it was finished...it's not easy to photograph your own shoulder, so I gave up trying! 

[oboogie]

I've tried taking a photo of the tattoo on the back of my neck, and it only took me 533 tries to get it right. I know it isn't easy! 

Edited June 8, 2016 by oboogie

[Graeme]

Talking about how much tattoos hurt is about as interesting as talking about how much tattoos cost.  It isn't.

 

I'm getting a thigh done this weekend.  It's going to be fun.  I'm excited.

[byzantine]

I only have one of mine done - with 2 pieces - but what I would say is aside from being quite painful (inner thigh was a proper grimace) , it's the most swelling I've ever had and quite a long heal.

But it also really depends on the artist - mine was really heavy handed. 

I usually find the healing process far more of a bitch than the actual tattooing anyhow. So I'd recommend taking a day or 2 off work after so you can elevate it while it's healing.

[lildropofsunshine]

@Graeme - That's just your opinion. I disagree.

@byzantine - I'll have to schedule my appointment strategically then because I pretty much work every other day, but the shop isn't open on Mondays and I have Mondays and Tuesdays off...

[lape]

the actual needles punches part of getting tattooed isn't too bad, but that motherfucking greensoap wipe is like going to hell and back.