A first tattoo is exciting — and it's allowed to be. You're about to wear something permanent, made by someone you've probably only just met, with a technique you may only know from videos. The good news: preparing is surprisingly simple, and almost everything that feels nerve-wracking shrinks once you know what's going to happen. In this guide we walk through all of it: from the weeks before your appointment to the moment you step outside with fresh ink.
Start with the idea, not the needle
The best preparation starts weeks earlier, with your design. And here's something you can let go of right away: your idea doesn't need to be finished. A feeling, a word, a few reference images on your phone — that's enough to start the conversation. We work it out together: sketching, adjusting and shifting until it's right. What that process looks like with us, from first email to final sketch, is described in From sketch to skin and on our process page. What does help: start thinking about placement and size. Those two shape more of the end result than most people expect.
Still deciding between hand-poke and machine?
For a first tattoo, many people deliberately choose hand-poke: the session is quiet, the pace is calm and the sensation is milder than with a machine. But each technique has its strengths, and they depend on what you want to wear. Fine lines and dotwork? Hand-poke. Large fields of colour? Machine. We've laid the two out honestly side by side in Hand-poke vs. machine: what's the difference? — useful reading before you book.
The weeks before: your skin is the canvas
A tattoo is placed in your skin, so the condition of that skin matters. Moisturise the area thinly every day in the week before your appointment — supple skin takes ink more evenly than dry skin. At least as important: don't arrive sunburnt. Damaged, peeling skin can't be tattooed, and the appointment would have to be rescheduled. Booking in summer? Then also read our summer guide on fresh tattoos, sun and swimming — it also explains why a beach holiday right after your appointment is a bad idea.
The final days: a short checklist
- Sleep enough. A rested body handles the stimulation of a session better, and a rested mind stays calmer.
- No alcohol the night before. Alcohol thins your blood, which means more bleeding and ink settling less cleanly. The same goes for a heavy night two days out.
- On blood thinners or medication that affects your skin? Let us know beforehand — we'll figure out together (and with your GP if needed) whether and how it can work.
- Don't shave the area yourself. Tiny nicks and irritated skin get in the way; if shaving is needed, we do it at the studio with clean equipment.
- Drink plenty of water in the days before. Hydrated skin simply works better — for you and for the needle.
On the day: food, clothing and time
The most important rule of all: don't arrive on an empty stomach. Eat a proper meal one to two hours beforehand. Getting tattooed asks something of your body, and stable blood sugar is the difference between a relaxed session and going light-headed. Bring something sweet too — a banana, a snack bar, some juice — for longer sessions.
Choose clothing that gives easy access to the placement without you having to half undress: a loose sleeve for your forearm, a top for your shoulder, shorts for your ankle. Pick something that can get stained; ink splatters are part of it. And plan generously: a session takes as long as it takes, and a tight schedule is the only real mood-breaker in the studio. Arrive rested, leave unhurried.
How long does a session actually take?
The honest tattoo arithmetic: hand-poke is slower per square centimetre than machine work, but a session is more than just poking. For a small design — a symbol, a word, a fine twig — count on one and a half to two hours door to door: getting acquainted, going over the sketch, placing and fitting the stencil, tattooing, dressing and covering. Medium designs easily take half a day, and large compositions we prefer to spread over several sessions rather than putting you and your skin through three hours non-stop. Good to know: you don't have to sit like a statue. Shifting position, having a drink, stretching your legs — it's all part of it and costs no quality. The time it takes is the time it's worth; that may be the shortest summary of hand-poke there is.
What to bring
- Valid ID — in the Netherlands you can get tattooed from 16 with written parental consent, and from 18 without.
- Water and a snack, especially for sessions longer than an hour.
- Earbuds or headphones if you prefer your own world — though with hand-poke, the room is already quiet.
- One friend for support is always fine — a whole entourage less so; it takes the calm out of the room.
During the session: calm is the whole point
A hand-poke session doesn't start with a needle but with the final check of the sketch and placement: we print the design as a stencil, place it on your skin and adjust until you say yes in front of the mirror. Only then do we begin. The sensation? Most people find it much milder than expected — small pricks with space between them, no continuous buzzing. Nerves are normal, and asking for a break is always fine; just say so. Want to know exactly what you'll feel, per placement on the body? We've covered it in depth in Does a hand-poked tattoo hurt?
Afterwards: the first 48 hours
You leave the studio with a covered tattoo and clear instructions — on paper or in your inbox, so you don't have to memorise anything. The essence: remove the film when we tell you, wash with lukewarm water and mild soap, pat dry with a clean towel and apply a thin layer of cream. The first night some ink and wound fluid may end up on your bedding; old sheets are not a bad idea. Everything after that — day by day, for two weeks — is in our aftercare guide. Ideally, read it before your appointment so you know what's coming.
On money and expectations
A first tattoo also raises practical questions: what will it cost, how do I pay, what if I want the design changed after all? Prices depend on size, detail and placement — how that works is explained in How much does a hand-poked tattoo cost?. Design adjustments can be discussed right up until the session; better to shift the sketch one more time than to wear a tattoo you had doubts about. Answers to the most common questions are collected in our FAQ.
If you dread the pain
Let's name the elephant in the room, because for many people this is the reason a first tattoo gets postponed for years. Three things that help. First: the expectation is usually wrong — almost everyone estimates the pain higher beforehand than it turns out to be, especially with hand-poke, where each prick is mild and there is literally air between them. Second: placement matters more than technique. A forearm, calf or upper arm is far friendlier for a first time than ribs, the top of the foot or the inner biceps — and that choice is yours. Third: your body adapts. The first five minutes are the most tense; after that the alertness fades and for most people it becomes simply... sitting. Why hand-poke is experienced as milder than machine work is also covered in our comparison of the two techniques.
Five beginner mistakes you can avoid right now
- Booking on the lowest price. You'll wear a tattoo for fifty years; the difference between cheap and good vanishes next to that timespan.
- Wanting someone else's design copied one-to-one. A found image is a fine starting point, but a design made for your placement and your skin always sits better.
- Starting too small. Micro tattoos feel safe, but too small means details that close up within ten years. Listen to the minimum size your artist advises.
- Underestimating aftercare. The session is half the work; the two weeks after are the other half, and that half is yours.
- Not daring to say you're unsure. About the placement, the size, a detail in the sketch — everything is negotiable until the first dot is placed. After that it isn't; use that moment.
What you don't need
You don't need to be tough. You don't need to know everything about tattoos. You don't need to bring a fully finished design, and you don't need to be embarrassed about nerves — they come with anything permanent. What we do is make the rest as calm as possible: a studio without a queue and without machine noise, one client at a time, all the time in the world for your story. Ready for the first step? Send us your idea — and we'll start where every good tattoo starts: with a conversation.