TATTOO AFTERCARE: SECOND SKIN

Second Skin dressings stay in place for up to five days, and the vast majority of the healing happens underneath without you having to do anything. It is completely normal to see black goopy juice collecting beneath the dressing. This is simply what your body would usually turn into a scab. Do not worry - it is not the tattoo ink falling out.

Please avoid prolonged sun exposure, and submerging your tattoo in any baths, pools or other bodies of water for two weeks. Showering is totally fine.

After 3-5 days you can remove the Second Skin by gently peeling it off in the shower. Slowly stretch it parallel to your skin, rather than pulling it directly away from your body (similar to removing a 3M hook from a wall). You will see the adhesive let go of the skin as you stretch the dressing.

Your tattoo will most likely get itchy while it’s healing. Please avoid the temptation to pick or scratch at it, as you could risk scarring or pulling sections of ink out. You can apply a thin layer of aftercare balm to the area once or twice a day. Too much aftercare balm can cause an infection, so please remember that less is more. We sell professional quality aftercare products here at the studio.

Once the majority of scabs have fallen away naturally and your skin seals back over, your tattoo is healed enough to carry on life as normal, but if you have any questions at all do not hesitate to reach out via email or phone.

Please note: it’s common that Second Skin can come away prematurely at a small area of the sealed edge, letting air in and goopy tattoo healing juice out. This is particularly common during the hot and sweaty months. If this happens, there is no need to stress, but please remove the entire dressing ASAP and clean the tattoo with a gentle soap under running water, pat it dry with a clean piece of paper towel, then refer to the Cling Wrap instructions below.

TATTOO AFTERCARE: CLING WRAP

If we covered your tattoo with cling wrap, please leave this in place for at least a few hours before washing it with a mild soap under clean running water immediately. Pat the area dry with clean paper towel, and then apply a thin layer of aftercare balm. Small tattoos can be left alone to breathe at this point.

For larger tattoos (full torso, sleeve, half sleeve, full thigh etc) you can leave the cling wrap in place for the rest of the day and remove/wash it before bed. Pat dry with clean paper towel, let it breathe for about 15-20min then apply a thin layer of aftercare balm and rewrap it for overnight with new cling wrap. In the morning there will be goopy tattoo juice that has collected beneath the cling wrap. Remove the cling wrap in the shower and repeat the whole process of cleaning -> drying -> applying balm -> fresh wrapping again for the second day. Please don’t repeat this process for more than two days. The tattoo needs to breathe without cling wrap after this.

Keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight, and do not submerge it in baths, pools, or other bodies of water for two weeks. Keep it clean by soaping it up in the shower each day, allowing it to air dry for 15-20min, then applying a thin layer of aftercare balm no more than twice a day.

Your tattoo will get itchy - resist the urge to scratch it! Scratching and picking can cause scarring by prematurely removing scabbing that hasn’t yet healed.

Once all the scabs have fallen away naturally, you can stop using aftercare balm and go about your life as usual. Remember to use sunscreen whenever you’re outside to keep your skin and tattoos protected.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or phone.

Consultations

A consultation is a good idea if the client is unclear on exactly what they are after and would like to discuss details with the artist. A consultation is preferred for large scale or custom work where it is necessary to take a tracing of the area of the body before a design can be drawn up. We also offer in person consultations in the case that the client would like to visit and check out the studio as well as meet the artist before booking a tattoo appointment.

A booking fee of $80 is required to book a consultation. This will come off the cost of your tattoo appointment if booked within three months.

The fee must be paid up front via bank transfer for an appointment to be made.

Tattoo Appointments

A booking fee is required in order to book a tattoo appointment. The value of the booking fee may range between $200-$600 depending on the length of the appointment as well as the drawing time involved.

The artist does all of their drawing for tattoos in their own time, and does not charge the client for this time, therefore it is essential that all details of the design are communicated by the client and agreed upon by both client and artist before setting an appointment date. If changes are made to ideas/concepts after this point, fees may be incurred for extra time required to draw/communication admin.

An admin fee of $30 is included in the booking fee. The remainder of the fee will go towards the cost of your tattoo.

Rescheduling

Clients must provide a minimum of 72 hours notice to reschedule a tattoo appointment. In failing to do so, the booking fee will be forfeited as a payment for loss of time, travel and design costs and will not be transferred to another rescheduled date.

Clients are allowed no more than one reschedule for use of deposit.

Appointments must be rescheduled to another date within three months of original appointment date.

Cancellation Policy

All booking fees are non-refundable and non-negotiable. Booking fees will come off the cost of the final appointment for ongoing work. If the client decides not to complete their tattoo after one or more sessions, the booking fee will be forfeited.

Tattoo Cost

The artist has a minimum charge of $200 per appointment.

The artists charges an hourly rate of $220 including GST for large custom pieces.

The artist may offer a day rate of $1400 for sessions of 7+ hours. *This is inclusive of all time from the beginning of the appointment; last minute alterations to design, stencil process and any necessary breaks.

Touch Ups

Touch ups are offered at the discretion of the artist and must be scheduled at a time that does not interfere with the artist’s bookings.

We do not offer complementary touch ups for tattoos which have not been properly cared for, or for tattoos which have been done on hands, fingers or feet.

Admin and booking fees are to be paid via bank transfer to the artists nominated bank account.

The remainder of the payment for your tattoo on the day of the appointment is preferred in cash.

We also accept card payments or after pay. Please clarify with your artist before coming in, which option you’d prefer.

Card payment incurs a surcharge of 03%.

If you wish to pay with After Pay, you will be required to have the app downloaded on your device. This payment option will incur a surcharge of 08%.