104 responses so far ↓

• 1 Ali // Mar 17, 2009 at 3:28 pm

  I’ve had the top of my foot tattooed.
  I can take a lot of pain–I have a branding that I sat entirely still for–but the top of my foot was excruciating. I didn’t wiggle or anything, but there were a lot of foul words said. It was hell. I don’t recommend the top of the foot unless you’ve got pudgy feet.

• 2 Alex // Mar 29, 2009 at 3:06 pm

  For me, my middle back hurt so much i almost passed out, especially toward the edge. I barely felt the one on my hip, but the one below that on my outer thigh burned the closer to got to the front of my thigh and groin area. The top of my foot did not hurt nearly as much as I thought, but the ankle was quite painful. As was my shin.
  Basically, if the skin is sensitive, it’s gonna hurt.

• 3 missymay // Apr 2, 2009 at 3:26 pm

  i just got my first tatts on my chest two outlined stars they probably tooke an hour not very big but my bf makes fun of me for making facesbecause it was a lil painful wait tell he gets his first tat tho hes never had one and hes wanting a superman symbol to cover his whole chest.we will see whos the cry baby.bet its him;)

• 4 sinnisfun // Apr 26, 2009 at 10:55 pm

  i got my first tattoo on my lower back… despite hearing horror stories about that area… and aside from being dehydrated (they made me drink a lot of water while i was getting done), i didn’t feel anything.
  and my friends decided to get a tat on their shoulders, one said hurt like hell (scared of needles, so idk y they got it in the first place), the other said he winced and bared it…

• 5 Carrie // Jul 7, 2009 at 11:04 pm

  My wrists, collarbone, and sternum were the worst (so far). May I use this chart on my site if I credit/link you?

• 6 sarah // Jul 8, 2009 at 5:24 pm

  i have 5 tattoos the one on my shin was hellish but it was my first the other 2 are on my back they were easy peasy and the other two are on my wrists, no pain at all im booked in for one this friday for a skull on my finger, i know people say its gonna hurt but i dont agree, if you want it youll stand the pain. i heard the finger is needing to get retouched but i dont agree with that either. its like seeing a film i never listen to anyone else i go see it myself if its crap then fair enough but what some hate i like, same with tattoos what they find hurts i might find ok.

• 7 Elijah // Jul 24, 2009 at 1:27 am

  I was thinking of a tattoo on the upper part of my back that stretched shoulder to shoulder

  How will the pain feel

  P.S. I have been in many experiences with pain like broken bones and split heads, will a tatto be a breeze?

• 8 linz // Jul 24, 2009 at 2:08 pm

  i have two tattoos and am about to sit for a rib cage mural. i have words on my left rib cage and a big circle on my hip. both took about the same amount of time but the rib cage was almost relaxing. my hip was near impossible to sit still for. i didn’t want to be a whiny bitch but it felt like my skin was ripping off of my body. we’ll see if my opinion changes after my 10″ x 7″ rib mural.

• 9 elizabeth // Aug 2, 2009 at 5:10 pm

  ELBOW…. you feel it in you BRAIN. the worst yet by far.

• 10 Dirty-D // Sep 15, 2009 at 2:43 am

  i have my neck ribs forarm and inner fingers and my knuckles my ribs hurt pretty bad but part of it tickled my forarm wasnt shit neither was my knuckles and the neck piece wasnt that bad and my innner finger F*%$in Sh!t

• 11 sarah // Sep 17, 2009 at 11:32 am

  I have tattoos on both arms, upper and lower legs 5 on my back, on both feet, wrist, both hands, wedding finger and breast and they ahve all been very different. i also found that if you are not hundred percent yourself then they tend to hurt more but the ones on the calf muscles hurt but not as bad as the recovery, i could hardly walk, the best place was my shoulders, the way i look at it is i have had 2 kids and nothing hurts like that.

• 12 brad // Oct 15, 2009 at 10:23 am

  ive got some extensive tattoo work. mainly to my ribs and shins/knee cap.

  id say the knee cap and ribs have been the worst by far. ive only got the outline done on my kneecap but i must say ive prolly got another 4 hours of coloring to do to it. now im re-designing the tattoo to be complete in 2 hours. haha it was that bad. as for my ribs it hurt like hell. no if ands or buts about it. if you try and think about how ticklish you are in an area can kinda gauge the pain level you are going to experiance.

• 13 eric // Oct 30, 2009 at 4:18 pm

  if u have to ask how bad it’ll hurt, u dont want it bad enough. every persons gonna have different pain tolerances. it also depends on the artist and his machine set up. ive got about 40 hrs worth of tats, most being the kneecap and across the shin because of the bone underneath

• 14 Robert // Dec 11, 2009 at 8:42 pm

  I will put it like this. I have logged about 150 hours of chair time and BY FAR the worst was the top of my foot.. eight hours of pure agony. I applaud all the ladies that I see with foot tattoos. I have full sleeves on both arms, a few on my legs, one inside my lip, a few ribs, my chest, back and two on my penis (yes two). No tattoo is really friendly, but they are bearable if you really want it.

• 15 Miranda // Dec 14, 2009 at 2:51 pm

  I have a measly 10 tatoos, all on my arms but I have to say the inside of my arm -the top- hurt the most!
  But like someone said before, everyone has a different pain threshold.
  I can’t handle a headache but I can quite happily sit there to get a tattoo, knowing the end result is worth it :]
  For anyone getting a first tattoo I’d say the top of your arm is least painful, but like they say
  -No pain, no gain ;]

• 16 desi // Dec 18, 2009 at 11:20 am

  ya my dad is givven me a tattoo after christmas he has his own shop and im only 15 but ill be 16 may 7th Im thinking of my lowerback or my shoulderblade I have been in alot of fights so im sure i can take the pain

• 17 lo // Dec 25, 2009 at 1:58 pm

  my first tattoo was on my wrist. fairly large in size (horizontally covers the entire patch of skin) and actually totally bearable. it felt like someone was slitting my wrist repeatedly, but if you’re used to dealing with paper cuts, shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

  i’ve also gotten lower to mid back, inner forearm, bicep, elbows, and upper back, which were all bearable. the upper back (right between my shoulder blades) hurt the most and actually stil hasn’t completely healed to this day. it’s still raised. the lower to mid back made me squirm and tear up. forearm and bicep were a piece of pie. the elbows weren’t too bad. i remember an unusual amount of bleeding, they blurred, and it took them a long time to heal.

• 18 Kaitlin // Jan 2, 2010 at 11:23 pm

  I got my First Tat On my Lower Back, (3 large Hibiscus flowers) and I have to say it hurt like hell! I have good pain threshold but the 2 hours it took to complete were not very fun. I am 100 lbs with NO fat on my body, so every time that needle hit my back it felt like it was going straight through my spin. But I do love my Tattoo and it was 100% worth the pain :)

• 19 wes mccorkle // Jan 5, 2010 at 11:09 pm

  Got my first one today! It goes almost all the way aroud my ringer finger! Im not gonna lie, it hurt pretty bad! I was worth it tho!!

• 20 well // Jan 8, 2010 at 10:15 pm

  I have had behind my ear, back of my neck, inside of my lower lip, bicep part of my arm, inside wrist, ass, 1 on each calf, and 1 on each foot. By far the worst pain was with my lip but that didn’t last very long and the healing time was great. The top of each of my feet hurt second to my lip. The longest I have sat for was 6 hours but that was when the tattoo was finished. But I have to agree with some others on this one, if you want it, really want it, than it is worth any amount of pain. Oh and P.S. I am a girl!!!

• 21 debbie // Jan 22, 2010 at 1:58 am

  i got a large tattoo on my back and whilst it hurt i was not prepared for the excruating pain round my upper kidney areas, i felt like fainting it was so bad, im not finished yet and am a little apprehensive about going back, but i will cause its very addictive.

• 22 Joey // Feb 13, 2010 at 4:57 pm

  I have had about 17 tattoos in completing my full sleeve. The wrist (especially when getting retouched) was the only one that made me squirm.

• 23 dustin // Mar 26, 2010 at 10:52 am

  tats dont hurt

• 24 becky // Apr 20, 2010 at 9:16 pm

  I have six tattoos, my upper right shoulder blade, lip, right wrist, back of my neck, and my side (my breast down to my hip bone). I would have to say, the ribs and my hip had to hurt the most, and it didn’t help that I’m ticklish. I could not lay still for the two hours it took. My lip and wrist hurt the least, followed by my upper right back and then the back of my neck. I’m also 5’1, 115 pounds with barely any fat.

• 25 eunice // May 13, 2010 at 2:50 pm

  i have like 8 tattooz, a chest piece, wrist, shoulder, neck, behind ear, thigh & lower stomach piece & im getting my side done right now… i have to say, OUCH

• 26 Smurf // Jun 1, 2010 at 4:54 pm

  I have 20 tattoos and as a tattooist i get asked almost everyday which part of the body hurts the most, in my experience the elbow is easy, ribs are niggly, arms and legs are generally the safest bets but my worst place was my knee cap, which was made worse because i was the one who inked it.

• 27 kayla // Mar 16, 2011 at 5:17 pm

  well I have 4 tattoos right now in the process of getting my inner ankle and my chest area done I have to say my inner ankle hurts like a bitch and my chest towards my armpits hurt like a bitch too but the inner chest between my breast is easy going so was my neck and shoulder ubtill the shoulder piece got to the spine area then damn I was in tears but it was worth I’m glad my man doe tattooing cause I wouldn’t want anyone else to see me in tears over a few million pricks of the skin

• 28 Isabel // Apr 12, 2011 at 6:22 am

  I have 3 tattoos. Before I got my calf tattoo, people were going on about how painful it was- it was actually nothing at all. Perfectly fine. Although the touch up 6 weeks later is a different story…

  Booked in for a another tattoo, and considering my shin. Want to gradually merge the two pieces (calf+shin) together so it will be like one tattoo. But I can sense that, because the bone is so close to the skin that it’s going to hurt like hell…er, bring it on? #slightlyworried

• 29 Jj // Apr 25, 2011 at 11:42 pm

  I am 19 n have 3 tats now on mu neck back and foot. Neck was a walk n the park back not to bad but i have a rosery all around my foot and ankle that was very hard to sit through. But im goin n 2 days to get a rib tat pretty decent size im 5-7 125 pounds. I hear it hurts but im just wondering is it better or worse than foot tat

• 30 Mark // Apr 26, 2011 at 2:42 pm

  Interesting Answers, Im booked in for my first in a week, having an upper arm Tat down towards the elbow in Black n Grey 3 sittings 2hrs each, a little apprehensive but greatfull 4 the comments posted. I have been told to take a couple of Ibuprofen and paracetamol before the work starts……Worth a try i suppose ;-)

• 31 Jack A // May 2, 2011 at 7:25 am

  I got my first tattoo about 3 months ago and it was absoloute hell. it’s a big tribal peice on the top half of my back, shoulder to shoulder. it took 5 hours altogether, definatley the most painful experience i’ve ever had. it might be a while before i pluck up the courage to go back and get another!

• 32 Chrizten // May 4, 2011 at 10:12 am

  Just got my first tattoo last night – Two actually! I got pairing hip tattoos on the front of my lower pelvic area. About 4″ x 2″ each.

  Overall, it barely hurt at all. Felt similar to when you feel a hang-nail drag across your skin – not painful, just feels like a scratch. But there were definitely a few spots that made me grit my teeth. Maybe because there were more nerve endings in one spot vs another? Not sure.

  But like I said, overall, it barely hurt.

  I was pretty nervous when I first got to the studio. I read horror stories and was prepared for the worst. But as soon as I felt that needle for the first time, I was like “oh… that’s it? That’s not bad at all.”

  Even though there were definitely some painful parts, it only lasted for a brief moment. Would I get a tattoo again – HELL YA!!! :-)

  Hope my experience helps you decide on a hip tattoo or not. Don’t let anyone scare ya… it’s truly not that bad.

• 33 rach // May 5, 2011 at 2:23 pm

  I have a lower back tattoo that also goes up the full length of my spine. I have shoulder blade tattoo, wrist, whole calf, stomach, half sleeve on one arm and large tattoo on the underneath of the other arm going from armpit to elbow, foot tattoo from big toe to above ankle, a full chest piece and the whole of the back of my neck too :). so far the most painful would be my foot, it took two and a half hours and was pure agony!!! I am now looking at having both knees done and finishing my arm into a full sleeve. I am however a little worried about the pain of the knee tattoos :S.

• 34 krys // May 25, 2011 at 3:03 pm

  most of my tats are on my arms/shoulders and both calves (back), the worst was the front of my leg, particularly the top of the piece which was very close to the knee. i could feel my bone vibrating. only tattoo ive ever shouted obscenities at the artist (in this case my gf–whoops!). eventually i bit down on my shirt so i would shutup. she did a great job though and it was worth the pain. the back of the leg/calf is nothing compared to the front where the bone is! and girls be careful about when you get inked.. around the time of the month seems to hurt quite a bit more for some.

• 35 gothrae // Jun 16, 2011 at 2:22 pm

  ive got two tattoos both on my back.
  my first one was my lower back (aka the tramp stamp) yes it hurt like hell, when he hit the spine, but when he hit the outside, “fattier area” it actually tickled,and didnt hurt one bit. the outline, hurt a little, but the color was easy..
  my second one was my upper back, which has just been completed.. it took 4 applications to finally get it done, it stretches from the middle of both shoulders down to the middle part of my upper back.. the outline, it hurt alot, yes i was crying, especially when he hit my spine… yes that hurts like a MOTHER! the coloring, was not bad at all… i can describe the feeling as like a cat kneading.. “kitty claws” its not too bad, it burnsa little but nothing too intense.. the healing. isnt the most confortable, especially consideing the location, but its not unbearable.. all in all it was a great experience.. im already warming up for my next few tattoos.

• 36 Emma // Jun 24, 2011 at 6:58 am

  I am going to have my 1st tattoo tomorrow of my baby’s name on the side of my hand. Does any body know what it feels like n does it hurt.

• 37 Shannon // Jul 4, 2011 at 3:11 pm

  I have 11 tattoos. The worst, of which, was my rib piece. A 13″ tree going up my side. The pain was so excruciating, that I ended up seizing in the chair. As much as I would love to finish the piece, I’m too chicken shit to go back.
  I’m getting my inner Bicep done tomorrow, a 7″x5″ piece, and I’ve heard all different responses about the pain, but, I don’t think it will be even half as bad as the ribs.

• 38 Alexis // Jul 28, 2011 at 3:24 am

  For me, the worst place was definitely the ribs. I have 6 tattoos (getting a 7th today on my inner forearm). Back of the neck was definitely the least painful – it felt like I was being tickled. Hardly felt a thing. Wrist wasn’t at all painful either – bit of a prickling but nothing even close to burning. Upper back was mostly a pain-free experience except where contact was made with shoulderblade or spine. My back tattoo wraps around and down, and so goes over the ribs and that was the part that was almost unbearable on outlining (filling-in was fine). Both hips tattooed – left didn’t hurt, but right (in exactly the same place) hurt like hell. Also a tattoo on upper chest between breast and collarbone which, until I had my rib done, took the crown for most painful.

• 39 amy // Jul 30, 2011 at 8:13 pm

  most of my upper arm and inside, not bad. forearm, not bad. my whole calf, not bad at all. shins, kinda painful but still not bad. side of leg, not bad. Tops of both feet and around to under the ankles, hurt real bad, couldnt even focus on photos in a magazine…. i think the best way to describe a tattoo is haveing a sumburn scratched with a pencil….

• 40 laceygrace // Aug 5, 2011 at 6:35 pm

  I have six tattoos that I’ve gotten over the past two months. My first was on my thigh, and that stung, but wasn’t too bad. The second one I got was behind my ear, and I thought that was gonna hurt a lot but it barely hurt at all…although the needle sounded a thousand times louder! I stupidly got my third and fourth tattoos on the same day…one was on my inner pointer finger and the other on my foot. Definatly the most painful tattoos I’ve ever had!! The finger hurt really bad, but was over with in ten minutes. My foot however…it felt like it took hours. I have a high pain tolerance, but I was crying like a little bitch during it and my leg wouldn’t stop twitching and I made my boyfriends hand bleed from gripping him so tight, lol. What sucks is I have to get my foot touched up and I am sooo not looking foreward to it! I got my fifth and sixth tattoos done on the same day too in one sitting, I got a piece done on both my sides. For the most part they tickeled, but by the time we reached the three hour mark, I was getting really sore and it was starting to hurt more. But they didn’t hurt as much as I thought they would…even on my ribs and down to the tender area around my hipbones, it wasn’t that bad. The foot is definatly the worst place to get tattooed!

• 41 MMP // Aug 16, 2011 at 12:08 am

  I now have two tats. One on my left calf, and I can’t remember much about it except that for the most part it was alright. Only painful near the bone to the front.

  Just got home from a 3 hour session on my right foot and OMG. It goes from near the big toe, across the foot and along the ankle. I consider myself pretty tough. Needles don’t scare me.
  But holding still through that tattoo was the hardest thing ever. I swear I nearly kicked the artist a time or two! Overall, no tears or screaming, but I did break into a sweat for the first hour and spent most of the time focusing on breathing! Btw, I’m a heavyset girl. Despite that you definitely feel when it hits the bone. (which is most of what the foot is). It felt like he was DIGGING into the bone at times with a sharp knife, and that was the worst. I’ll never get another foot tat, but I do love it! Well worth it!

• 42 Corey // Aug 16, 2011 at 8:47 pm

  ive got 38 tattoos the worst one of all was my calf ive got a complete chest piece armpit and inner arm and the back of my leg burned the entire time i almost gave up half way through i mean if it tells you anything i went from a 14g earring to a 2g in 15 minutes i can take pain and that was unbearable but i love tattoos other than that they are a very good stress reliever and a very good way to express yourself never let anyone tell u there wrong cuz there not!!! GET TATTED!!!

• 43 Ashlea // Aug 26, 2011 at 8:48 am

  I added to a prior tattoo yesterday. It starts at the bottom of my scapula and runs around the top of my rib cage / under arm to the side of my breast. The point where my traps and delts attach to the scapula has nerve endings that set my shoulder socket on fire. The armpit area was hellacious! I thought the ribs hurt until I hit the scapula and armpit. I was praying for more rib area by the end of it. My feet were sweating. I was cursing. And I found a lot of new yoga poses through involuntary body contortions. All in all – it was a good time and I’ll probably go back for more color in a year or so…

• 44 Neilscot // Aug 26, 2011 at 8:35 pm

  I have two tattoo’s one on my upper arm, tribal.. not sore at all.
  Got another one on my chest just below the collar bone and slightly left of center. two days ago, Supernatural tv series protection one Pentegram with sun around it.. Feck that burned like hell, took over an hour to do.. Healing nicely and was well worth the pain though, am so happy with it.

• 45 Nadeane // Aug 31, 2011 at 11:48 am

  I just got my first tattoo ever, that goes from my hip to my ribs! worst pain ever was the ribs! the ribs sucked, and I got some color so it feltlike a needle was being drug around a sunburn…fack

• 46 Jenn // Sep 2, 2011 at 7:42 pm

  I got my first tattoo about 3 months ago on the top of my foot. I don’t have anything to compare it to but it definitely hurt a lot. Since it was my first one the shock of it hurt more than anything, it’s a pain you can’t compare to anything else. The pain while getting it is so worth the end result.

• 47 Stacey // Sep 7, 2011 at 5:47 pm

  Just got my first tattoo on my foot and OMG it hurt. It hurt bad. Large tattoo covering most of the foot, from ankle to toes.

  Looks amazing, but it was an excruciating 3 1/2 hours. Could only just stomach it and shook all over for the last half hour. Nearly kicked the tattooist too.

  Worth it though! Would do it again… but maybe not the foot! :)

• 48 gml // Sep 12, 2011 at 2:22 pm

  TattoocaineZ topical numbing cream is indicated as a local analgesia for use on tattooing, body piercing and laser tattoo removal. TattoocaineZ is safe to use and is proven to last 3-4 hours prior to correct application. TattoocaineZ doesn’t complicate the healing process of a tattoo and has proven to be the best dermal analgesia in the local market.

• 49 heh // Sep 13, 2011 at 1:52 am

  i’ve had 6 root canals, reconstructive surgery k9 to k9, 12 abcessed teeth and kidney stones. you are all a bunch of pussies as far as im concerned ;)

• 50 Brenda Neely // Sep 13, 2011 at 8:35 am

  i ended up getting a tattoo on my side and part of my waist.. it hurt so bad.. im looking to get more done to it.. also wanting to get it done on the other side too..

• 51 Brenda Neely // Sep 13, 2011 at 8:37 am

  once he started doing my tattoo I wanted to cry.. which i did end up crying.. it took 2 and a half hours to do my tattoo cuz i had to stop like every 15 mins cuz i was in so much pain..

• 52 K // Sep 15, 2011 at 12:45 pm

  2 tats. First was on my lower back and it was only a little painful but the closer they got to my tailbone, the more it hurt. However, I did faint because I was dehydrated. Oops! Second is on my wrist and was more painful than my back. It’s such a sensitive spot and I’m a tiny girl with tiny wrists. That being said, it took all of 7 minutes to do. You can easily make it through 7 minutes of pain. Next will be on my ribs and I am both terrified and excited! :D

• 53 Victoria // Sep 29, 2011 at 11:35 am

  I got one on my ass o.0 it felt great…. Nice pain but it’s totally bearable.

• 54 Amanda // Sep 30, 2011 at 2:13 pm

  I have a tattoo on my inner left forearm, that didn’t hurt at all. I have a tattoo on my outer right thigh, and it didn’t hurt hardly at all. I have the entire top half of my back covered from shoulder to shoulder. I cried, because it hurt like nothing I had ever felt before, and I also have a small tattoo on my neck that tickled. :3

• 55 Jessica // Oct 8, 2011 at 8:25 am

  So Far Ive Had 2 Tattos Done Which Were Both Done By A Home Made Gun Which Only Had One Needle, 1 On The Side of My Left Leg By The Calf Which Hurt A Lil But My Leg Would Jump By Itself ImThinking It Was Close To A Nerve But Everytimr It Jumped The Needle Went Deeper Which Caused Me To Curse Plenty Of Times I Waz Worse Than A Sailor Until I Drank Some koluha and Milk Then It Was All Good, The 2nd Was On My Right Wrist On The Lil Bone That Stick Out It Didnt Hurt Until The Gun Moved Toward The Inside On My WristAnd Down Toward The Top OfMyHand Besides That It Didnt Really Hurt At All. I Do Plan On Getting About 8 nn More Tattoos, I want to get The Top Of My Feet, 1 more on the right side of my leg above the tattoo I Have, 2 on my left leg, 1Over my heart, and 1 on my right shoulder, and 1 on the right side of my neck I love tattoos but Hate Needles AndPain But If you want the beauty you gotta endure the pain, Itz all About mind control!!!!

• 56 daniel // Nov 2, 2011 at 10:27 am

  Ive had both knee caps done, wasnt as bad as you’d expect still hurt alot though. Collar bone was by far the worst compared to my shins, knees, arms and chest

• 57 Lisa // Nov 3, 2011 at 12:38 pm

  I have 4 tattoos , 3 on my lower back and 1 on my upper thigh. I went to sleep for all of my lower back tattoos and read a book while the guy did my thigh. the pain during the tattoo process was more like a burning sensation for all of them but I next morning I was really sore. It felt like I had went to the gym and over worked my muscles.

• 58 Ally // Nov 10, 2011 at 10:54 pm

  I want a tattoo on the front of my shoulder, so just below the collar bone on the left side…does it hurt?

• 59 Dave // Nov 22, 2011 at 3:29 pm

  I have a tattoo on each of my forearms. And they finish close to the bend in the crease of my elbow. The closer ya get to that, the more it burned. But it was in no way unbearable. I am about to now get the inside of my biceps done. I do not want any tattoos on the outside of my arms. I know the inside arm hurts more, but oh well. Its a short period of time. Grin and bear it!

• 60 Zac // Nov 30, 2011 at 5:11 am

  I am 18 and haven’t been able to get a lot of tattoo’s because of money but I have my big toe’s tattooed and that wasn’t anything fun. I plan on getting my armpits done soon we will see how bad it is.

• 61 Lora // Dec 1, 2011 at 10:42 pm

  i got my first tattoo on my thigh, it was a dream catcher on a garder belt and went all the way around. It didn’t start hurting until they reached the inside and went over it with color or when they went close to my knee, but it healed well and didn’t pose any problems at all

• 62 Kaelyn // Dec 12, 2011 at 6:57 pm

  I got my first tattoo on my left wrist. Nothing big just a phrase in latin that consists of three words. It stung but it really wasn’t that bad. My second tattoo I got on my right inner forearm. Two flowers that are pretty fair in size. Nothing small, nothing big. Again it stung, some parts worse than others. But nothing I couldn’t tolerate. For my third tattoo I got a old time revolver with a rose blooming from the barrel on my chest. The handle of the gun starts on my shoulder then goes down across my collar bone and onto my chest. The worst part was probably when they got to the rose which sits a bit under my collar bone. I felt my whole chest cavity vibrating when they got to that part. So yes collar bone/chest is pretty painful! But pain is worth it if it’s something you really want.

• 63 Mark // Dec 18, 2011 at 4:31 am

  I’ve had wrist done was easy, forearms easy and currently am having a full leg piece, knee pit was bad, shin was ok, calf was terrible and the top of my outta thigh was easy. I have a high pain threshold too. Not looking forward to knee caps.

• 64 Amanda Emilie // Jan 3, 2012 at 3:19 pm

  I have one tattoo on my upper back (between my wings, and just under my shulders, in the middle of my back). it didn’t hurt much and took about 15-20 minutes. Only a bit prickly and a few chills afterwards. It was not that bad as I expected. I’m getting my second one in March and I plan on getting it on my left outer arm. I hope it’s as you said that it hurts very little. It will be about 8(maybe more) cm. long and about 4 cm. wide. I’m so excited!

• 65 Angel // Jan 16, 2012 at 11:59 am

  i have my hip to rib done on both sides and the fleshy bits non hurt what so eva i fell asleep

• 66 carolyn // Jan 27, 2012 at 5:40 am

  I have tats on the outer part of both legs, anklets on both ankles, inner forearm, hip, center of back, shoulder blades, upper outer arm, the only one that really hurt was the hip, rest of them were a breeze. Pain tolerance is different with everyone. Going for sleeves, more on back and thigh. Worth the pain if you really want it.

• 67 Courtney // Jan 29, 2012 at 10:21 pm

  I’m 16 and I’m going to get my first tattoo friday! All of these comments really helped and there is no way I’m backing down from my ribcage tat. Wish me luck

• 68 Steve // Jan 30, 2012 at 8:03 pm

  my first tattoo was a shaded flur de lis covering almost my entire left peck it hurt but every tat does but was quite easy to sit still and no swearing it took 45 min, second was my last name 7 letters 2.5 inches tall in engravers script spine wasn’t bad kind of numbing each side of spine burned bad and last outter 2 on shoulder blade as well took 3 hours, 3rd was a statue of a kneeling woman praying on my entire side sat still was hard not to flex especially on the love handle area ….. all i got to say about the ribs is I hope you ate your weeties for a month it was voluntary torture and took 3.5 hours to complete

• 69 Ozzie Dave // Jan 31, 2012 at 7:15 am

  Nipple…

  Tell me that doesn’t hurt. It’s like he’s cutting you on with a scalpel

  I’ve got a few here and there, but the nipple is real nasty.

  Had a burn scar on my leg tattooed over and that was pretty uncomfortable

• 70 Jenn // Feb 3, 2012 at 5:32 pm

  I havent gotten a tattoo ever. But im getting one in less then 4 months and im scared to death. But i have plenty of time to research and deside on things (:

• 71 Lexi // Feb 4, 2012 at 12:14 am

  This is really helpful. i’m planning on getting my first tattoo soon, and i dont know how painful one on the inside of my wrist would be, and it would be a really small and simple one, too. i was just wondering because the chart says not a lot. i’m able to bear pain, i just dont enjoy it all the much, obviously. Also, how would a tattoo on the back (small also) between the shoulder blades, and centered in the middle towards the spine feel? it doesn’t seem to mention it on the chart. Thanks :)

• 72 Tricia // Feb 6, 2012 at 2:52 am

  I am getting my first tat today. I am getting “Forgiveness” on my right wrist. I dont think it will be too bad. I am excited. I am planning on getting “Faith” with a cross on my left wrist next month. I will let yall know how it goes.

• 73 Tattoolover // Feb 22, 2012 at 10:37 am

  I have loads of tattoos after so many you get used to the pain I m addicted to tattoos

• 74 andulairah // Feb 23, 2012 at 4:23 pm

  As of tonight, I have clocked 60 hours of 3/4 sleeve finest detail tattoo work. By far the worst pain is on the finger. I have had full finger work done on 4 fingers so far, and I was crying by the end of it- almost past out. I have a high tolerance for pain, can sit thru a 7 hour stint no problem on my arms anywhere (even on elbow no problem) but the finger and full right to the tip was a pain out of this world. Not to mention they are swollen bigger than a horses ass right now. I thought I could do 10 fingers tonight, but hell only managed four. I aim to do another 2-3 tomorrow, and the rest the next day. Hellish to say the least.

• 75 Jamie // Feb 25, 2012 at 8:33 am

  Im 19. I have two tattoo’s a small-medium butterfly on my left breast and i have a 9 lined paragraph that i just had done a day ago on my side..
  The butterfly didnt hurt a bit i thought it was a breeze.
  But my side that was another story as i had to kneel on my knees on a chair for 2 hours and the tattoo was bigger then expected it starts just under where my bra sits to two finger widths onto my hipbone..
  I dont know what most people complain about though.. Tattoos are nothing compared to
  1) Child Birth (been there done that)
  2) Broken Bones or Fractors etc..
  At least the pain dealt with in the end is something well worth it..

• 76 Danica // Mar 6, 2012 at 3:59 am

  I’m 18 years old and I already have two tattoos. I have one that takes up my entire left rib cage, which took a little over 3 hours to complete. I’m not going to lie, it hurt really bad. The outlining is what hurt the most, but the shading felt like heaven. When I got more added to it though, my artist used only the shading needle, that.. was hell. the entire 2 hours. The other tattoo I have is two small symbols on the back of my neck, it only took 10 minutes and I barely felt it at all. It was a breeze. I have an appointment for my next tattoo later today, I am getting it on the inside of my right bicep… I’m still nervous!

• 77 Candace Emery // Mar 7, 2012 at 3:30 pm

  I just got my first tattoo and i was in alot of pain but i am proud of myself cause i didnt cry ! I just gritted my teeth and I was fine , and it was on my foot which was very painful ! But i want alot more all over my body !

• 78 Gee // Mar 9, 2012 at 3:50 pm

  I have 5 tattoos, one on the side on wrist, my upper left back, top of my shoulder, my ribs and my hip. my worst by far was my hip (by my love handles) the outline wasnt so bad but the shading in was crazy i mean it is a big peace but the closer the needle got to the side of my stomach the more it hurt, it hurt less towards my back. ribs def hurt as long but bearable. top of shoulder most def the least painful didnt feel a thing, same goes for my wrist and upperback!

• 79 Kari // Mar 21, 2012 at 3:14 am

  I have antique hinges tattooed on the backs of both of my knees. I was expecting this to be the most excruciating tattoo I’ve ever gotten (hinges make #20 & I had both of my sides tattooed before the knee tattoo) and I was beyond surprised that it didn’t hurt any more than any of my other tattoos. I’m not saying that to try to be a bad ass, either. Pain levels are different for every person and every location so for me, the backs of the knees didn’t hurt and my artist even said he thought it was going to be awful and that my skin would swell, but none of that happened, much to our surprise.

• 80 Grace // Mar 25, 2012 at 1:41 pm

  I got the entire top of my foot done completely, and it HURT. But I didn’t cry, or pass out. I’m hoping this means that I can tolerate pain more. I also have one on my ankle, lower back, and right shoulder, but none of those hurt. I want one on my inner arm, and I’m actually scared about this one. D:

• 81 Will // Apr 3, 2012 at 5:31 pm

  i got a portrait on my upper arm and i can say that its not bad but towards the very end, when things are gone over for the last time it really hurts cause of how many times it’s been gone over. I didn’t move or make any faces but i did grind my teeth a little at the end is that normal?

• 82 Alesha // Apr 8, 2012 at 4:18 am

  I am wanting to get a small tattoo done (my first) on the inner part of my right foot on the heel if that makes sense – have heard and read alot of horror stories about pain, touch ups, bad healing etc for feet – does anyone else have one around this area? i know the skin is alot thinner there, i dont want to have to keep coming back to get it touched up, anyone have any good inner foot stories :)

• 83 Darren // Apr 18, 2012 at 2:12 pm

  I suffer from gout, now that is pain, having a tatt done compared to gout pain is like being tickled!

• 84 Miko // Apr 19, 2012 at 12:56 am

  It’s hard to guage how much a tattoo is going to hurt. Depends on the area you’re getting, and the day itself. If you’re feeling slightly run down, for women too… certain times of month can effect it.

  I’d love to know who the bugger is who says that chest tattoos hurt more for men than they do women — how do you know, really. Sure women have breasts, but the area above the breasts, surely is going to be the same? That’s like saying that having a baby would hurt a man more than a woman. Come on, nobody can experience both. lol

  I’ve had one on each wrist, one on each lower inner arm, my back done, the right side of ribs done, over my shoulder, my chest, back of my neck. I’d say the one that hurt the most is my ribs… well i say ribs, it was actually that tattoo but further down towards the back of my hip where it was more fleshy. I thought that was odd since the fleshier it is, is supposed to hurt less (they say.) That bit, i felt every stroke. But it was towards the end too, so my pain threshhold could’ve just decided to give out a little.

  Got a sleeve coming up. Cannot wait!

• 85 Jason Walker // Apr 19, 2012 at 9:10 pm

  I am only a 15year old boy, i got ‘Born A Blue, Live A Blue, Die A Blue!’ on my upper right arm & then ‘Nil Satis Nisi Optimum’ on my Upper left arm, it didnt really hurt at all, so if your thinking of getting it on upper arms, you can easily take the ‘pain’ if a 15year old boy can..

• 86 Shelby // Apr 21, 2012 at 12:21 am

  I’ve had my lower abdomen tattooed and I’m getting my armpit done soon. Which would you say is worse as far as the pain?

• 87 Mika // Apr 22, 2012 at 4:09 am

  I have two scorpions on my chest, and I have to say the touch up was pretty painful, and it hurt way more on the left side. I dont know what it is, but the left side is a lot more sensitive.
  Ive been thinking about getting my knees done but you guys scared me away lol

• 88 Josh // May 7, 2012 at 9:02 pm

  Im quite tattooed and the ones that hurt the most for me were across the chest and stomach

• 89 Caroline // May 9, 2012 at 2:49 pm

  I just got my foot tattooed last night. It starts from the outer part and continues onto the top. I’ve heard that a foot tattoo is really painful, but I honestly didn’t feel much more than a vibration. There was one spot that made my toe and my calf muscle twitch.. lol. but that was about it. I have a small build, so there isn’t much between my skin and bone, but it wasn’t bad at all. It kind of tickled actually. I am getting the other foot done tomorrow, and I can’t wait.

• 90 zena // May 10, 2012 at 7:29 am

  I have a back piece from shoulder to shoulder, spanning my back and besides a few teeth clenching moments, it was easy peasy, wrists didn’t hurt at all just a hot scratch, feet didn’t hurt at all, hip bone was also easy, down towards the pubic area made me twitch A LOT! And the indent above your hips up too your ribs was a KILLER! Never been so close to having to have a break whilst tattooing. Inner arm is supposed to hurt but honestly, that intent is easyily the worse, sit through a side tattoo and take on the world! Ha!

• 91 jaz // Jun 2, 2012 at 5:56 am

  I have 5 small tattoos . First was my wrist done by bambooing aka hand tapping . It felt ok kinda like elastic bands pinging , second was my foot a flower the stem runs down towards the sole also hand tapping ekkkk it hurt so so bad never again will I have one on my foot I didn’t cry but then I’m not one for crying at pain . Second wrist was honestly painless but I think my wrists are desensitized hence lack of sensation.
  I have a little feather on top of my shoulder bone meh! It wasn’t nice it hurt but not as bad as my foot .
  I have writing down my spine between shoulder blades , artist started at the bottom of the design and well I didn’t expect the discomfort haha! My back kept flinching but once he was higher up o swear I could have fallen asleep

  So come Monday I’m having an anchor on my top right outer thigh about a hands or two up from my knee so wish me luck as this will be my longest sitting only 2hours though so I should be fine !

• 92 Amberlynn // Jun 3, 2012 at 5:25 pm

  In my experience, The back of my neck (my first) wasn’t bad at all. Mostly just irritating. Same with my inner wrist. My leg and hand wasn’t bad either but my leg hit certain nerves that made my leg jerk and I could feel the gun vibrate through my WHOLE hand. But none were unbearable or even that bad. Now the one on the front of of my shoulder hurt like hell! I couldn’t believe it lol. I sucked it up but it def hurt. And it bled the most out of all my tattoos. I warned them ahead of time that I bleed a lot (100% sober) but even I was surprised how much blood. It hasn’t stopped me from wanting more though. Every body is different and every tattoo is different. The pain is only temporary.

• 93 Angela // Jun 6, 2012 at 3:58 pm

  I have 5 tattoos.. And honestly none of them can I say they really hurt.. I have my ribs, pelvic bone, underboob, foot and fingers. Everyone says ribs kill and i have my ribs done and only did it pinch in certain spots. I say there texting the whole time.. If I’m being honest, I’d say the fingers hurt the most, (being in uv he had to go over it a few times so it would stay) but even that was bearable.

• 94 jodie // Jun 26, 2012 at 7:57 am

  I have one tattoo right now. It goes from my hip bone all.the way up my side. It took about 6 hours. I heard this spot is one of the worst. It hurt like nothing ive ever felt bore but I would never take it back.

• 95 Chelsie // Jul 7, 2012 at 2:42 am

  I have one tattoo on my chest one behind my left ear one on my arm and one on my ass. Oh my god the tat on my ass hurt like HELL!! But even though it hurt like hell its totally sexy. I’m going to get one in my armpit and on my nee next week. And for those of you that want more tats just remember that the more pain the sexier the tattoo. :)

• 96 Rhiannon // Jul 7, 2012 at 10:34 pm

  So, I just turned 16 a couple of days ago (making me able to get tattooed with parental permission. And my first two tattoos were today in two of the more painful spots that I’ve heard about on here: The back of my neck, and the inside of my wrist.
  The first couple seconds are the worst part of the physical tattooing process, because you are nervous, and your natural endorphins are not yet kicked in to numb the pain somewhat. Once you are used to the feel of the tattoo gun, you can pretty much know what to expect each time the artist puts the gun back up to your skin. However, each spot feels different. And by this, I do not neccesarily mean more or less painful, but sometimes just a different sensation of pain.
  That being said, I’ll do my best to explain the different tattoos that I had done today.
  Inside of my wrist: Not that bad. It was sort of a burning type of feeling, but quite mild once you are comfortable with the situation, and understand the feel of it. The most painful part of that tattoo for me was when the artist would get closer to my hand rather than closer to the inside of my elbow.
  The Back of my Neck: Instead of being like a burning sensation, it felt more like lightly dragging a needle through your skin mixed with a lighter fiery sensation, and on occasion the artist may hit a stronger nerve, and you may get chills up and down your body. Also, at random points in time, the needle would feel as if it were digging farther and farther into my skin, which I assume is when the artist was working over top of my actual spine.

  Now I’ve done my best to explain my two tattoo areas, however everyone is different with pain.
  I got my hips pierced, and I did flinch away and mess up the piercer at one point, however I did end up getting them finished, and I dealt with the pain. That being said, if you are not fully willing to bear the pain of a tattoo, no matter how severe or mild, then do not get one. Once the tattoo artist opens up his or her equipment, you Must pay for the tattoo(s) regardless of whether you actually get them or not. Not to mention the fact that you could be stuck with a permenant half-tattoo for the rest of your life, due to the fact that laser removal hurts much worse than getting an actual tattoo. So before you make the choice to get a tattoo, please study up on it and make sure that you are making the right decision. Because, ladies and gentlemen, they Are permanent.

• 97 holly // Jul 19, 2012 at 12:57 pm

  I have 2 tattoos currently and am planning my third one, my first tattoo i got done in two sittings, i have star running up my ankle (they go right over the bone) on the outside of my ankle, he firs sitting i avoided the ankle then when i added to it the next year the bone is covered and that hurt, i am pierced and have a fairly high tolerance and it was far from unbearable, however it did hurt ESPECIALLY the touch ups.
  my 2nd tat is on my left wrist a tiny anchor 2 inches down from my wrist it was NOTHING the only time i even noticed it being done was when she was closer to my hand.
  for my 3rd tat i want to get something on my upper thigh on the outside, any comments on the pain and healing of that area?

• 98 Loren // Aug 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm

  I have 2 tattoo’s on my upper left arm. One on my upper right arm. Both of these didn’t hurt much. I’d say the pain was on the level of someone slapping you on the upper arm.

  I have 3 tattoos on my back. One of them is the left shoulder. One on the right shoulder. I’d say both of them cover like 9 inches by 5 inches or so on each shoulder. I had one done between them a long time ago that I designed myself. I had it touched up when the 2 shoulder tattoos was completed. Only a few spots on the shoulders grabbed my attention. Pain was like someone slapping you full force on the shoulder.

  The one between them was a different matter. Most of it wasn’t bad but it definitely made me question my sanity a couple of times.

  I have another tattoo on the back of my right calf. Very unpleasant and to make matters worse, the tattooist kinda rushed it due to the fact he was getting off work in 1 hr. Which I didn’t know. Pain was like someone skinning off the skin slowly.

  My final tattoo is on the back of my left calf. Its a good 12 inches tall and like 9 inches wide. Big tattoo and I plan to make it a full calf tattoo. This one hurt pretty bad. Some areas I almost fell asleep while other areas I was saying just put me in a medical coma to finish it. I know the front section is going to suck big time. My calf is over 30 inches around so a lot of real estate for ink and pain. But the calf tattoo is gorgeous so far and 2 more sessions and the back shall be done.

• 99 Melissa // Aug 21, 2012 at 11:06 am

  I’m a bit of one of those crazy potter heads(aka hardcore harry potter fans) and i’m really wanting to get a few hp related tats. I’m wanting a small deathly hallows on the back of my neck/slightly on my back. I’m worried about pain, but i am the sort of person who can stand pain but not a massive amount of it.

  Also i’m wanting ‘the dark mark’ which is a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth, on my left forearm like all of the dark side characters in the series. I hear that the pain is a bit more bearable there since its more skin and not as close to the bone as say a tattoo on an ankle or finger bone. Any help with how bad that pain would be?

  Another one i’m wanting that hp related is ‘mischief managed’ either on my collar bone(which i hear is really bad pain) or it could be on the back of one of my shoulders. What about the shoulders with pain? I feel the shouldesr would be better for less pain, but i think that on the collar bone would be a bit cooler.

  And to go along with the one above, “I solemnly swear that i’m up to no good’ with tiny footprints around it either on my other shoulder(if i get the first on my shoulder) or it could be lower back or something like that if i get it on the collar bone.

  I really am lost about the way of pain with tattoos since i’m not old enough yet to get one by myself but am going to be there soon and hoping for one as soon as i can. Help! Please!

• 100 Katie // Aug 22, 2012 at 3:16 am

  I only have 2, but they are on my hip and my right rib. My hip hardly hurt at all and it didn’t give me much pain. However, my rib tattoo was terrible. It felt as though someone were burning the letters into my ribs and the burning went all the way up into my shoulder and elbow. I didn’t cry it pass out and I hadn’t eaten, so I considered myself a trooper. If I were deciding my first tattoo, I would not get it there. Although if you want it bad enough the pain won’t matter, which is why I went through with mine.

• 101 Gray // Aug 22, 2012 at 4:01 pm

  I have both calfs, the entire left side of my left leg, shoulder blades, lower left back, right wrist and forearm, back and side of the upper left arm, one under my left collar bone, one on the far side of the right collar bone closer to the shoulder, and one on the right side of my neck.
  Out of all of these my left calf was the worst. I had a sunburn when i got my shoulder blades done and that combined with my lower back didn’t hurt as bad as that f***er.
  My neck was the least painful. So much so that i probably could have gone to sleep.

  Despite any amount of pain i love each and everyone of my tattoos and plan to finish up some things and add on.

• 102 Ozzie Dave // Aug 23, 2012 at 4:52 pm

  I now have quite a few large tatts here and there; right calf, left foot, left arm/shoulder/chest around nipple/ribs and right upper arm extending mural over the upper half of my back.

  I want to complete this mural on my back and around my rib cage but have worked out that my pain threshold is 7 hours, 6 minutes and 42 seconds. Are any of the skin numbing creams all they are cut up to be?

• 103 Rob // Sep 10, 2012 at 6:10 pm

  I’m having my second (and probably final) one done a week on Saturday, a Japanese dragon style half sleeve. It took me about a year to find a design I really liked (a photo on the web, where a guy has it on his ribs), and I expected the tattoo artist to want to amend it but he says he really likes it too. Not looking forward to the inner arms after reading some of the comments on here!

  My first was a few years ago and is 3 x 2″ stars down my spine denoting my three little stars (my children), starting about 4 ” below the collar line.

  I have a good professional career and my tattoos are for me, not for anyone else, so I don’t really plan on having them on show.

• 104 Rob // Sep 22, 2012 at 4:07 pm

  OK, follow up to the above. The new tattoo was done today, and I’m very pleased with it.

  Photos:
  Front…..
  http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d61/hyperjump/2012-09-22170739_zps19bab841.png

  Back and shoulder…..
  http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d61/hyperjump/2012-09-22150449_zpsb0c2c5ad.jpg

  Pain wise, I won’t lie and say it was a pain free experience, but it was pretty much bearable. The worst bit was the top of the shoulder which hurt like hell and seemed to send tingling sensations right down to my fingertips. Focussing on “Margaret Thatcher’s 10 best speeches” seemed to take my mind off it (sent me to sleep actually, with an undercurrent of murderous hatred). 3 hours in the chair for that, and I’m quite happy with the finished piece. And done by a really nice lad too (Craig at Sacred Skin, Doncaster, UK), who put me at ease and kept chatting all the way through it. I can recommend a visit to them if you are in the area.

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