Pricing Guide
Below is a guide to help get a rough pricing estimate for a tattoo. This is just a general reference, and the actual cost of a tattoo may vary depending on a variety of factors.
Please note that these estimates are based on standard arm/leg placement and will vary depending on the final placement. This guide applies to my domiciled city, which is currently Chicago. Pricing varies when guest-spotting.
Tiny Tattoo
$200-300 (shop minimum is $200)
Small, single-word tattoos
Simple, quarter-sized tattoos
Small Tattoo
$400-600
For tattoos that are palm-sized or smaller
Some examples include longer quotes, words with distortion, small florals, etc.
Medium Tattoo
$700-900
Hand-sized tattoo
Also includes:
Small-to-medium tattoos with a great amount of detailing
Small-to-medium tattoos with complex placement (e.g. ribs, neck, hands, fingers, etc.)
Large Tattoo
$1,000+
Larger than hand-sized
Sleeves and Back Pieces
It is hard to price large-scale projects without meeting for a consultation first, and even then it can be difficult to gauge how long a piece will take to complete
Pricing depends on many factors, including the design concept, how large/long your limbs are, etc.
Please expect these projects to start at around the $2,000 mark.
Factors I Consider
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Sometimes the final size will differ from the estimated sizing described in your booking form. This will change the final pricing of the tattoo.
Smaller does NOT necessarily mean less expensive! Sometimes going smaller makes tattooing a design significantly more difficult and intricate, so please keep this in mind!
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The more complex a design is, the more work goes into both drawing and tattooing the design. The more challenging a tattoo is to execute, the more expensive it will be.
One common misconception is when clients ask why script/typefont tattoos are expensive even though there’s “no artistry” going into the design.
Script and typefont tattoos are pure skill-based tattoos that require a high degree of technical precision to get correct. There is no shading to hide any imperfections of irregularities, so it must be perfect.
The majority of script tattoos done, especially at smaller sizes, are executed poorly (we’ve all seen those chunky, blowout, uneven, and illegible script tattoos). When it comes to tattoos, you really do get what you pay for.
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Certain areas are harder to tattoo due to the curvature, skin thickness/texture, accessibility and positioning, etc. and will be priced higher.
These spots include:
Torso (i.e. side of ribs, sternum, stomach, certain parts of the back)
Neck/back of the ear
Hands/feet
Wrapping placements (e.g. around the wrist, arm, leg)
One way to think about this is if you imagine drawing a circle on a piece of paper (which is already difficult for many!):
Now imagine doing that same circle on a rounded object—the tighter the curvature, the harder to get accurate, as there is no longer the same surface area to stabilize and support your drawing hand.
Imagine the rounded object is also moving—it’s breathing, talking, twitching, shaking (e.g. sternum, stomach, and ribs placement)
Imagine there are obstructions that are in the way of your pencil and the object (e.g. the base of the neck where angling around the head can be tricky).
Why Are Tattoos Expensive?
Tattooing is a specialized art, and not all tattooers are made equal.
Tattoo artists are NOT made equal. Therefore, the pricing and quality for the same tattoo will vary dramatically depending on the selected artist. This is a very specialized art form, so you should be seeking the appropriate professional for your desired tattoo. For example, if you are looking for a microrealism, fineline tattoo, it is recommended not to go to bold-style tattooers, as your tattoo will NOT be executed the same.
You are not just paying for a tattoo, you are paying for the artist as well!
By that I mean, you shouldn’t look at it like “I am paying for a small butterfly tattoo.”
Instead, you should think of it as “I am paying for a small, fineline butterfly tattoo done by X artist because I love the way that artist does the wing detailing, and their work has healed well.”
Source: r/AgedTattoos, titled “7 year old text tattoo becoming a black blob” (NOT MY WORK)
Source: r/BadTattoos, titled “Copycat ‘professional’ artist” (NOT MY WORK)
Nonessential services are expensive, even temporary ones!
All nonessential services are expensive to varying degrees, as they are entirely elective services to receive. I am an appointment-only tattoo artist specializing in fineline and am located in a major city.
To put pricing into perspective, here are some comparisons to similarly private yet temporary, nonessential services in Chicago:
Private hair salons charge anywhere from $150-350 for hair coloring, and touch-ups can cost up to $275, which is a service that is usually received every 2 months to maintain a hair color
Private nail salons charge anywhere from $200-250 for a custom nail set, which is a service that lasts for around 3-4 weeks
Eyelash technicians charge around $150-200 for a set of eyelashes, and around $75-100 for a lash fill, which happens every 2-3 weeks
I put these examples not to say any of these services are not worth it, but to illustrate the cost of nonessential services as a whole. The major difference with tattooing, however, is that it is a permanent body modification that does not have the same 3-4 week maintenance expense.
There is a lot of unseen labor and costs.
The costs associated with being a tattoo artist:
Taxes: 30% of our income is taken out in the form of federal and state taxes every year.
Supplies and Materials: Tattoo supplies are very costly, especially when you are using the highest quality materials and are a sterile and clean artist.
Booth Fee: Artists usually pay either a booth fee (which is a similar pricing to monthly rent on an apartment) or a percentage cut (standard is around 30-40%).
The time it takes to communicate and book an appointment.
A significant amount of time goes into communicating with clients about scheduling, tattoo design ideas, tattoo placement planning, etc.
While each individual interaction might not feel very extensive, my assistant and I are usually actively communicating with a few dozen people at any given time, which is extremely time-consuming.
The time it takes to research and design a tattoo, both custom and flash tattoos.
For custom tattoos, artists will often spend time researching the desired subject matter and pulling reference photos.
For example, if you are asking for a tattoo that is “Greek-inspired,” I have to do separate research to understand what this would entail, as I have no background on this subject matter or topic.
This is the case even if you send reference photos to your artist, as the photos might not have certain details or angles needed to execute your requested design.
Tattoo artists typically have several rough drafts before finalizing a design, so there is a lot of care that goes into custom tattoos. And even if you are receiving a flash tattoo, your artist spent a great deal of time planning and creating their designs with the preferences of their client demographic in mind.
The time and effort expended during your in-person session.
Although there is no explicit charge for non-tattooing labor when pricing, please understand that every time you request to change a design, alter the size, and try on multiple stencils, this is all labor going into bringing your tattoo vision to life.
I am more than happy to do this extra work for people to feel 100% confident in their tattoo, but please understand that this is additional effort being expended!
Above all else, it is important to remember that this is YOUR money and YOUR investment.
If one artist’s pricing does not work for you, that is OKAY!
Tattooing is an open market, so you do not HAVE to go to any particular artist. There are many tattoo artists out there who all have their different styles, skill levels, and pricing, so you just need to find the right balance of all those factors for you.