When it comes to getting a tattoo, most people spend months deciding on a design, while others pick one in the 'heat of the moment'. But one tattoo artist has revealed the most painful places to get an inking - and what people should consider before stepping foot through the shop doors.
TikTok user @inkedera has shared the best tattoo spots for first timers who want to avoid the worst pain - ranking each of them out of 10. In his video, he ranks the spine a 3/10, side of the neck a 3/10, front bicep a 5/10 and the shin a 5/10. Moving on to the more painful parts of the body, he says above the knee is a 6/10, lower back is a 7/10, wrist is a 8/10 and the inside of the bicep is a 8/10.
Finally, he ranks the calf a 9/10, the inside of the wrist a 9 or 10/10, knee a 10/10, sternum a 10/10 and fingers a whopping 15/10.
Commenting on his video, one user said: "My first was inside wrist - pain level was like 1/10. Getting my ears pierced had more pain."
Another user added: "My spine tattoo hurt 10 times worse than my wrists and any other area on my body."
A third user said: "I think it really depends on your pain tolerance. I have eight tattoos in different places. It didn't hurt at all except for the one on my ankle."
It comes after tattoo artist Sofia Tam has revealed the designs she'd never do for clients - regardless of how much they beg or plead.
Speaking to the Metro, Sofia said she always turns down requests to tattoo the name of someone's partner - and will only do monikers in special instances.
According to her, it should be 'family names or nothing at all' but she's happy to discuss other inkings that remind you of your partner, but feel more abstract.
One more user added: "I literally felt absolutely nothing when doing the one behind my ear and on the low part of my back, for the wrist I just felt some light discomfort."
There are a few body parts that are strictly off the table for the Helsinki-based expert too, and she'd never agree to an obvious rip-off of another artist's design.
Sofia understandably refuses to tattoo racist symbols or otherwise intolerant imagery, and won't do any ink that reference or allude to death or suicide.
The tattoo artist runs and owns KVART Studios in Helsinki, Finland, and recalls awkward moments when clients return to the shop to desperately plea for a cover-up.
One of these unfortunate instances involved a client who wanted the letter 'S' permanently inked, as it was his girlfriend's initial.
The eager tattoo fan was more than happy to take the risk, and explained to Sofia that he would simply change it to the word 'sex' if anything went sour between the couple.
Sofia confirmed that "in a year and a half, he contacted me, and we made it 'sex'", an eye-opening example of how name tattoos can easily become a regret.
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