What Is the Least (& Most) Painful Place to Get a Tattoo?

Least Painful Tattoo Locations

The more cushion a part of the body has, the less it will hurt. So, the parts of your body with the most fat, the least amount of nerve endings, and the most distance from internal organs and bones are going to be on the lower side of the pain scale. Everyone is different, but people generally find the least painful tattoo locations to include: Outer forearm Upper arm (outer side) Shoulders Outer thigh Upper back Middle of the calf The buttocks

Most Painful Tattoo Locations

The less fat and the more nerve endings, the more a tattoo location is going to hurt. A section of skin is also more likely to hurt if it’s especially close to internal organs or bone. Just keep in mind, as González points out, that “every person has a very different pain threshold and a different sensitivity in each part of their body, so the pain varies greatly from one person to another.” Still, the most painful areas typically include: Digits (fingers & toes) Ribs Groin area Neck/Head Inside of wrist Stomach Sternum Elbow Knee Shin

Factors Impacting Tattoo Pain

Your age There is some mild evidence that the older you are, the less likely you are to experience extreme pain while you’re being tattooed. This is probably because people become more desensitized to pain over time as they experience more of it.

Your gender Some studies on tattooing and pain indicate that men may be slightly less sensitive to the pain caused by a tattoo. However, this could be a byproduct of the fact that women tend to be more stressed out before a tattoo which can make pain worse. Men also tend to repress pain, and they’re more likely to not tell the truth about how much pain they experience, so the data here could simply be a byproduct of men not telling researchers the truth.

The artist’s technique How fast the artist works, how deep they go with the needle, and how much effort they need to put into completing the design are going to contribute to your experience of the pain. If your artist is newer, they may also accidentally overwork your skin, which is extremely painful compared to normal tattoo work. This is why choosing a good artist matters! Fernández says, “Do a bit of research about the artist or the studio where they are going to get the tattoo […] you really need to have a good feeling that the artist you’re working with is a pro.”

The style of the tattoo A hyper-realistic tattoo that involves a lot of shading and blackwork is going to naturally require more time and effort to complete than a small and simple line drawing. If you’re new to tattoos, consider starting with something small to see how you can handle it before you ask for that photorealistic full sleeve. What about stick-and-poke tattoos? Stick-and-poke (aka hand-poked) tattoos involve much less abrasion than anything you’d receive with a tattoo gun, so most people find that they hurt a lot less.

The length of the session The longer a tattoo takes, the more pain you’re going to experience. It’s extremely normal for large tattoos to require multiple sessions, so don’t worry about asking your tattoo artist if you can split a bigger piece up into more than one sitting!

Your mood and overall feeling We’ll let Myles explain: “I would say the most important thing before you go in and get a tattoo is to get a good night's rest and to have something to eat before you go in. Because you want to be in as good a shape as you can be when you get tattooed. So you don't want to go in like all hungover from the night before and tired. If you feel good, your tattoo will be easier to handle.”

Tattooing over scar tissue or stretch marks Damaged skin tends to much more sensitive than undamaged skin, so if you’re going to get a tattoo on top of any damaged epidermis, you can expect a little more pain than you normally otherwise would. The same goes for cover-ups. Tattooing over skin that has already been tattooed often hurts a little more than normal.

Expert Advice on Pain Management & Tattoo Placement

Find your happy place while getting inked. Myles says, “The secret to dealing with the pain is to relax as much as you can. Because the more tense you are, the more it hurts. And so if you can just really relax and concentrate on your breathing and keeping everything calm, then that actually makes it hurt less and it's kind of the opposite of what you want to do, because you feel like you want to tense up and brace against it, but that definitely makes it worse.”

Most people overestimate how bad the pain will be. Myles argues that you shouldn’t change the location of a tattoo based on the expectation of pain. “I would say get your tattoo where you really want it. Don't want to make the decision based on how much it is going to hurt because the difference from one place to another isn’t really that big—especially when it comes to smaller tattoos.”

Take snacks, drinks, and a blanket with you. You’ll experience more pain if you’re hungry or thirsty and tattoo parlors tend to get very cold. Fernández says, “If you are going to have a long appointment, I recommend taking something to drink and eat. Also, it’s very common that when you are getting a tattoo, your body temperature feels lower so you begin to feel cold. If you want help staying calm and relaxed, bring a blanket.”