Ok, the first question I'm asked when someone sees my tattoos is "Did it hurt????" Of course it hurt!!!!
The description of pain is not easy though...everyone has a different tolerance of pain....and it also depends on where the tattoo is located.
I have heard that areas on your body with more muscle/fat will hurt less, and the areas where it is just basically skin and bone will hurt the most.
I have gotten 7 tattoos so far, so I can describe how it felt in each area....
The first tattoo I got was on the back of my neck....this didn't hurt much at all...to be honest, it just felt like a cat scratch..I felt pain, but it was not in the least bit intolerable. Afterwards, it felt as if I had a bit of a sun burn in the area for a couple of days. Again, nothing too intense.
The second tattoo I got was on my left breast....now, I'm being honest here....IT HURT! They say that your body releases certain hormones which numb out pain when you are getting the tattoo...well, they were on vacation when I got this one!! I felt pain up to my jaw, though the tattoo did not even reach up to arm pit level....my artist told me it would be painful, and told me to tell him if I needed him to stop for a little bit. He was nice about it and asked me not to knee him in the crotch when he hit a certain nerve area....I knew just what he meant because my feet suddenly buckled under the chair when he hit it...I didn't want to hurt the poor man!! LOL Again, after all was done, it felt like a sunburn for about 4 days.
The one on my chest WAS PAINFUL, but I LOVE THE TATTOO SO MUCH...I would honestly do it again =0)
My third tattoo is located on my right upper arm...it's of a little kitty cat peeking out of a martini glass...this one was not painful really...just a tiny Tiny TINY bit of pain...like a small burn. This was the easiest one so far :)
My fourth tattoo is on my lower back...it is a Fortnight Lily with the words "Dietes Vegeta" at the top and bottom of the flower. This one was just as painful as the chest one! I felt myself forgetting to breathe, that's how much this one hurt! It is rather big, so I would imagine a smaller design with less detail won't hurt as much. Again, this tattoo has personal meaning to me, so I would gladly do it again, pain and all :)
Next was Lucretia DeCoy (from the Mighty Ducks), in a rather...um..."playful" pose =P on the back of my left shoulder. She didn't really hurt at all. Similar to a bad sunburn. She did, however, need quite a few touchups, as my skin just would not take the ink in! After 3 touchups, she looks pretty good. Strange, however.
Next was a heart above my "think" tattoo (on the back of my neck). No pain whatsoever. And it is so small that it did not take any longer than 5 minutes to do =)
My seventh tattoo is my most recent one...a little alien on my right ankle. This one actually hurt pretty badly. I'd rank this one up there with the tattoo on my chest. There is minimal body fat there, and it hurt like a mother! This is not to discourage one from receiving a tattoo there, but just to raise caution as to the amount of pain one might feel.
It depends on one's tolerance of pain really. If you are uneasy about it, ask your artist about the pain level. They will be honest with you. If they are not honest with you, then they are not a good artist!
