FAQs

FAQ's

Here we can answer your every query or at least we hope so!

Piercing Questions

Does it hurt?
How long will it take to heal?

Prices: With BCR (Ring): 30, barbell/post/plain navel bar: 35. Additional gem: add 5. Nose: 30. Ear lobe: one for 20, two for thirty.

Tattoo Questions

Does it hurt?
Do you do ones that disappear after three years?

Prices: Dependant on size and detail. We base all pricing on the time taken to complete the work, our smaller pieces are pre-priced and large custom work is charged at Ł60 per hour.

Why is this small tattoo so (seemingly) expensive?

From the studio's perspective: although it may seem unreasonable to you, no matter how small a tat is you still get;

the studio/tattooist for about half an hour (preparation time included)
new needles,
new inks,
new ink caps,
new gloves,
new spatulae,
new wipes,
new razor, etc....

Tattooed in a licensed premises (the license fee is usually hundreds of pounds)

that pays rent (shop premises cost between Ł10,000 to Ł30,000 per year or even more depending on area)

that pays rates/council fees (mine are several thousand pounds per year)

uses professional sterilisation equipment/practices (my new autoclave cost Ł2,500)

Has proper health and safety practices (e.g. proper furniture that can be wiped down; a tattoo couch alone can cost from 200 to 1000, I just bought a new one that cost Ł460)

These are just some of the outgoings, I could go on about, stencilling and workstations and electric and blah blah blah but basically, it isn't free to do a tattoo!!
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Piercing Apprenticeships

Please please please think long and hard before you pay any money to unscrupulous individuals/organisations that are offering a 4 day/5 day/one week piercing course for the best part of a grand or more! No way will you learn everything you need to know. You'd be hard pressed to retain basic skills in such a short space of time. As with most things, time on the job LEARNING about all aspects of a profession is what is required. Health and safety, sterilisation, jewellery types and gauges, measuring, marking, customer care, first aid, aftercare advice, all the different piercings and techniques required etc cannot be learnt and, most importantly, RETAINED, in a week. A more realistic time frame would be at least 4-6 months!

Tattoo Apprenticeships

FIRST! DO NOT contact this studio if you have just finished your art course and 'fancy a go' at tattooing!! We only need to hear from serious tattoo fans that have a portfolio of ideas and understand that dedication and hard work are just the start. Bear in mind that the studio will use you as unpaid labour; if we are going to teach anyone a skill set that can earn them a living for life, don't expect it to be handed on a plate! Some studios will want you to pay to apprentice! You'll need to be able to do at least a year or 2. Our last 3 apprentices all gave up as they couldn't support themselves/didn't have enough drive to do it!! Please don't waste our time on a whim!

Contacting the studio

If you have not even bothered to look at the website/myspace page in order to familiarise yourself with the studio and ourselves then please don't ask about an apprenticeship. If you can't be bothered to do the most basic research then don't be surprised if we can't be bothered talking to you!

Alternatively, ask us a question on our notice board and we will try to answer it or you can e-mail us. Check this place too before you post as it gets very boring answering the same questions over and over again
BME faq page