Yes. It’s a needle repeatedly going into your skin, of course it does something. But “does it hurt” isn’t as useful a question as “how much, and where,” so let’s actually answer that.

Pain generally comes down to three things: how close you are to bone, how thin the skin is, and how many nerve endings are packed into that spot. Fleshier, muscled areas hurt less. Bony, thin-skinned areas hurt more.

Lower pain areas (most people handle these easily):

Outer forearm

Outer bicep

Calf

Outer thigh

Shoulder

Moderate pain areas:

Inner arm

Upper back

Chest (varies a lot by person)

Stomach

Higher pain areas (still very doable, just be ready):

Ribs

Spine

Hands and fingers

Feet and ankles

Elbows and knees

Behind the ear or neck

A few honest notes. Pain tolerance is genuinely different person to person, and it’s also different day to day for the same person: hydration, sleep, and stress all affect it. Session length matters too. The first 20 minutes of any tattoo tend to be the worst as your body adjusts, then it gets more tolerable.

Things that actually help, and aren’t old wives’ tales: eating beforehand, staying hydrated, not showing up hungover, and breathing normally instead of tensing up the whole time. Numbing creams can work but often wear off mid-session and can affect how your skin takes ink, so talk to your artist before using one instead of just showing up having slathered it on.

If you’re nervous about a specific spot, just tell your artist. We’d genuinely rather talk you through it than have you white-knuckle a session you weren’t ready for.