Frequently Asked Questions and Aftercare

You can get the process started by emailing the artist of your choice to set an appointment. Visit each artists page to find out more about their work, and Contact Us to set up a consultation!

You can email each individual artist at the addresses listed on the their page, or Contact Us to start scheduling a consultation.

You should not submerse your new tattoo in water for up to 6 weeks. Also, do not pick scabs or scratch at itchy skin. Some itchiness is to be expected. Your tattoo artist will give you specific instructions to follow in caring for your new tattoo.

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just received a new tattoo, or at the very least, are taking the appropriate steps towards learning how to care for and maintain a healing tattoo. Most clients expect the tattoo to be the hardest part of the procedure. This is not the case, the healing afterwards requires consistent use and a good understanding of aftercare techniques. These techniques will differ depending on the location of the tattoo, and your own personal lifestyle. Here, we will outline the two main aftercare techniques recommended by our artists.

THE TEGADERM METHOD

• Keep tegaderm bandage on for approximately 3-4 days, 4 being ideal.
• Slowly remove tegaderm while in the shower, letting warm water run over the tattoo during the process.
• Wash the tattoo thoroughly to ensure the adhesive has been fully removed.
• Rinse the tattoo, then pat dry and air it out for 10-15 minutes.
• Apply lotion, and rub in thoroughly, apply again every 4 hours.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• Tegaderm can often fill with fluid, which is totally normal. It is actually healing your tattoo.
• DO NOT REMOVE THE FLUID
• If it starts to seep out from the edges of the tegaderm apply another piece to the edges.
• If your bandage leaks during the night while sleeping, remove it.
• Use moisturizing lotions with no scents or smells.
• If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your tattoo artist.

DR. BRONNERS SOAP AND HUSTLE BUTTER METHOD

• Remember to wash your hands thoroughly anytime you intend on touching or cleaning your fresh tattoo.
• We recommend washing your tattoo with a baby formula based Dr. Bronners soap 3-4 times daily. You should wash as needed, depending on lifestyle and potentials to being in contact with dirt and bacteria.
• After you wash your tattoo you should pat dry with a clean towel. Make sure to pat dry, not wipe, once you have lightly patted dry you want to allow the tattoo to air dry for 5-10 minutes.
• Once the tattoo has air dried, apply a thing coat of Hustle Butter onto the tattoo. You want to rub hustle butter in to where there’s only a thin layer over the top on the tattoo. You can always dab it clean with a paper towel to get any excess off the tattoo.

IMPORTANT INFO AND HELPFUL TIPS

• Never pick at your tattoo or any scabs that might now up.
• Change your bedding to clean and freshly washed bedding every other day.
• DO NOT SUBMERGE YOUR NEW TATTOO INTO ANY LARGE BODY OF WATER. (Baths, hot tubs, pools, lakes, oceans ,etc.)
• Try to refrain from sleeping with animals.
• Wear a looser layer of clothing over the top of the fresh tattoo.
• Keep your fresh tattoo out of direct sunlight.

Thank you!

The Ink Therapy Team

Piercing fees starts out at $35, plus the cost of the jewelry that you get to pick out! If you are wanting multiple piercings after the first one the next one goes down to $30.00 and any additional piercing piercing after the first two will be $20. For exact pricing, please come in to the studio for a free consultation with our piercer.

Our piercer has over 15 years of experience. He offers piercing services from more simple piercing to the more advanced. As long as a piercing can be safely done with your/their anatomy then we are happy to assist.

No. Ink Therapy does not perform fresh piercings with jewelry purchased from outside our studio. We do this to ensure that we can offer you the safest cleanest piercing, while maintaining guidelines for membership with the Association of Professional Piercers. However we will install jewelry from elsewhere into a fully healed piercing. But it has to be able to fit comfortably, be made of a safe material, and be able to be autoclave without damaging the jewelry.

Sometimes jewelry which you have previously purchased from Ink Therapy may be used for a new piercing. However, the piercer will need to take a look at the jewelry to ensure the jewelry is still in good condition and will correctly fit the piercing you are desiring. From that point, we have to clean and re-sterilize the jewelry in order to use it for a new hole! In some cases this can be a lengthy process, so, depending on the piercer’s schedule and time of day, we may have to ask you to come back later for the actual piercing.

YES! We just want you to understand that any single point piercing CAN have a short life span. We recommend coming in to the studio to have a consultation with our piercer.

We recommend staying out of any kinds of unhygienic bodies of water for at lease one month. This in includes bathtubs, pools, hot tubs, lakes, ponds, rivers or oceans. Any large body of water will spike the risk of infection and could prolong the piercings healing.

If you have to be in any large body of water before that allotted time, you can always use some kind of waterproof wound-sealant bandage (such as 3MTM NexcareTM Clean Seals or Tegaderm). These are available at most drugstores.

Titanium and niobium jewelry can be anodized. This process allows us to change the color of your jewelry. There are a handful of colors we are able to achieve. We can do this in-store for you. If you would like a piece you purchase to be anodized we are able to do this right before your piercing. This process is not only super cool, it is free for our amazing customers! Be sure to mention prior to piercing being performed.

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just received a new piercing, or at the very least, are taking the appropriate steps towards learning how to care for and maintain a healthy piercing. Most clients expect the piercing to be the hardest part of the procedure. This is not the case, the healing afterwards requires consistent use and a good understanding of aftercare techniques. These techniques differ depending on the location of the piercing, and your own personal life style.

The success of your body piercing will depend on a number of different factors, which can vary according to your day to day habits and activities. Avoid engaging in stressful activities, and situations as much as possible. Eat healthy foods, and get the appropriate amount of sleep each night. Doing these things while also maintaining a cleaned and undisturbed piercing site will allow your body to dedicate as many resources to the healing process as possible.

Things to consider when healing your piercing.

diet

lifestyle

stress level

aftercare regimen

certain physical activities

Things to do when healing your piercing

• Get enough rest
• Pay attention to what you put into your body
• Gently clean the piercing site with freshly washed hands, using single use, sterile gauze pad, and sterile saline wound.
• Avoid bumps, snags, and anything that may cause extra trauma in the area of the piercing.
• Avoid sleeping on the same side as a fresh piercing.

The following cleaning routine is generally recommended 2-3 times a day, depending on lifestyle and area of the piercing.

Sterile saline wound wash is a wonderful substance, but not a magical one. It’s not responsible for healing your piercing, just keeping it clean. Proper protocol for cleaning is as follows.

• Wash hands thoroughly. (Disposable gloves are very helpful for this)
• Apply liberal amount of sterile saline wound wash to sterile gauze pads.
• Gently apply to piercing site, and hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove.
• Allow to air dry, or pat dry with a sterile gauze pad.
• Avoid allowing moisture to remain behind or under the exposed parts of your jewelry.
•  During showers, allow warm water to run over the piercing site to help loosen any “crusties” or build up of discharge.

The number one thing they all have in common is, Leave the jewelry alone. There are many misconceptions and popular myths about piercing, one of the most common being that you need to twist or rotate the jewelry while in the body. On the contrary, this will actually prolong the healing process. Do not do this, as the healing process involves getting the body to grow and develop skin inside the healing piercing, technically referred to as a fistula. When you twist, rotate, or slide your jewelry, you are actually ripping the tissue that’s developing. This can lead to several problems including, but not limited to, increased trauma, swelling, uneven, migrated, or drifted piercing, and potentially infection, among other things.

We love to take a look at your piercing while it’s healing, and encourage you to stop by the studio regularly for check ups, this can help identify any issues you may not have noticed, or those which may not have fully developed. Early Identification of potential issues is crucial for resolving complications quickly and in an efficient manner. Aftercare isn’t one size fits all, and adjustments may need to be made to the routine on a per client basis. Which brings us to downsizes.

Downsizing your jewelry is very important. Initially the jewelry we install will be a bit larger to accommodate swelling. Obviously that won’t be ideal long term, or comfortable once the piercing has completed the first stage of healing. The best way to keep you and your piercing as happy as possible is to stop issues and irritation from happening in the first place. So we strongly encourage you to visit us again for a downsize around 2-6weeks, depending on the piercing and how fast your body heals the initial wound. We also love seeing the end results of our work. Smiling customers are the best part of our jobs.

Tips and tricks:

• Wash your pillow case, sheets and blankets frequently during the initial stages. A clean t-shirt placed over your pillow helps as well. Particularly for facial and ear piercings
• If you have a fresh piercing on the side you normally sleep on, consider a travel pillow, as this will allow you to relax, and simultaneously avoid putting pressure on your fresh piercing.
• Light, loose fitting clothing for torso piercings, really helps to relieve irritation.
• For oral piercings, drink lots of cold water to help with swelling, an extra pillow to elevate you head at night can do wonders.

OUTSIDE CARE

I think hands down the most important thing to know is; a healthy body makes a healthy piercing. All the essentials; sleep, hydration, hygiene, and nutrition are the keys to a successful piercing.

Ink Therapy recommends using a Sterile wound Wash Saline Solution from a pressurized can. We feel one of the best ways to apply the saline is with a sterile gauze pad. A gauze pad held gently to the piercing for no more than 2 minutes. Try not to rub or move the piercing with the gauze pad. This process should be done 2-3 times a day.

A hot shower can help loosen up any crusties or build ups prior to the sterile saline cleaning.

INSIDE CARE

Here’s the difference with a general aftercare routing and the oral aftercare part. We all know our mouth tends to have a lot of germs. So how do we counter balance this? Cleaning an oral piercing.

Use a new toothbrush and store it in a clean area away from other toothbrushes. Brush after each meal with a non-whitening toothpaste. You may also rinse with an alcohol free mouthwash. Drinking water throughout the day can help clean the food debris away from the piercing site during and after a meal.

SOME HELPFUL HINTS OF THINGS TO AVOID

• Do not play with jewelry – playing with the jewelry can increase long term issues. Such as damage to teeth and gums.
• Sexual contact such as French kissing or oral sex.
• Putting foreign things in your mouth such as chewing on tobacco, gum, fingernails, pencils, etc.
• Keep from submerging in any type of large body of water.
• Smoking, drugs, and alcohol are all going to greatly slow down the healing.

Thank you!

The Ink Therapy Team

Minors will have to provide a form of identification with photo name and age. Look below for ways to achieve this. If they are broken up, you will need name on both forms of identification.

Our goal at Ink Therapy is to ensure clients have a clean, safe and positive experience during and after their visit. Part of that is recognizing when a service could have a higher risk of issues, particularly in our younger clients.

We offer a variety of services to minors when they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and meet all of the ID requirements and anatomical requirements.

Anyone under 18 years old MUST meet the following requirements:

A parent/legal guardian must be present to sign the consent form in person. Parent/legal-guardian and minor must both provide all ID and/or documentation requirements including:

• Parent/legal guardian Photo ID
• Minor Photo ID if applicable (11 and up)
• Birth certificate naming parent and minor
• Legal documents supporting name changes (where applicable)

IDs Minors can use:

• School photo ID
• Work photo ID
• Driver’s License
• State ID
• Passport
• Greencard
• School yearbook

We understand that not all families come from the same mold, and that names are just that, names. With that being said, we are required to prove custody in order to perform the services we provide. That proof comes in the above varieties, Marriage/divorce or name change documents should also work just fine. We appreciate your understanding and preparations.

Here at Ink Therapy Tattoo you have to be at least 4 to receive a piercing. Please read our policies regarding minors, and minor ID requirements if you are under 18 before setting up a piercing appointment.

Please see our list of ‘What ages will you pierce what’ to see what piercings you are eligible to get.