The following Tattooing F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) is designed to provide you with answers to questions we have been asked many times, and to provide you information about tattooing you may not have previously considered.

If you don't find the answer to your question here, please don't hesitate to contact us.


How should I go about choosing an artist?
What does Collective do to maintain a safe and sanitary environment?
What should I expect during my tattoo session?
Can my tattoo be covered up?
How long will my tattoo take?
How can I best prepare for my tattoo session?
Can I get an all white tattoo?
Areas of the body with special tattoo considerations.
How do I setup an appointment?
Why do you require a deposit?

How should I go about choosing an artist?


While opinions vary on how to find the right artist here are a few tips that we reccomend for your search.

Look at lots of portfolios: just knowing what is available to you and what artists are capable of will help you make an informed decision. Tattoos are like anything else, while there are many fantastic artists out there to choose from there are some not so good ones also. You should always look at your artists portfolio before making a decision.

Dont be afraid to travel: tattooers are like any artists. No two are exactly the same, if you really like an artist that isn't local it is worth the time and money to travel, love your tattoo don't compromise.

Patience: give your artists plenty of time to draw/designr your tattoo. Requesting a drawing on the spot even for small pieces can limit the creative lifecycle. You chose your artist because you appreciate their artistic vision, give them time to create.

Don't be afraid to spend money: There are two parts to this. First of all like most things, better artists cost more money; as demand for certain artists increases so do hourly rates. This tends to not be a very large increase by comparison and will ultimately get you a better tattoo.

Secondly make sure you give your artist the time and appropriate ammount of sessions required to complete your tattoo. An extra session will almost always allow your artists the extra time needed for the final detail that will make your tattoo stand out above the rest.

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What does Collective do to maintain a clean shop?

Collective maintains compliance with all state and local rules and regulations for biomedical waste disposal, sanitation and sterilization. As well as going above and beyond these standards to maintain a clean safe environment.

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What should I expect during my tattoo session?

Collective will do everything we can to provide you with a comfortable tattoo environment, you can work with your artist at all times to ensure a pace you are comfortable with. We get a lot of questions about how much tattoos hurt, it is true there is a certain ammount of discomfort when getting a tattoo and some areas of the body are worse than others. What we can tell you is that we have never had anyone not make it through their session. We will work with you the entire way to ensure your comfortable and will not force you passed your threshold.

Preparing properly for your tattoo will make a big difference in the comfort of your session see "How can I best prepare for my tattoo session?"

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Can my tattoo be covered up?

The answer to this question is conditional; in almost all cases yes, we can cover up your tattoo until you begin to restrict the artist with too many requirements. Cover-ups can look very good but they limit the options an artist has, anything beyond a general idea will just restrict the artists ability to make your cover up look as good and natural as possible.

If you do not like your tattoo it is often better to cover it up than it is to try and fix it, unless you just want to add more on to a tattoo you already like a cover up is often best.

Full color saturated tattoos work best for cover-ups, black and grey shades tend to be too limiting when working within the restrictions of a cover-up. Also the larger the new tattoo the better, smaller tattoos will need to be darker; a large piece will provide more options and look more natural.

In some more extreme cases where a coverup is too dark or saturated we may reccomend a laser tattoo removal session to help lighten the tattoo or we may pack white inkinto the skin to lighten the the dark areas before we begin the actual cover up session.

All tattoos are different and will require differnet approaches, bring yours in for a consultation, some initial drawings and see what we can do for you.

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How long will my tattoo take?

Tattoo time and number of sessions required vary greatly on design. Larger tattoos and those requiring greater saturation especially color tattoos will take longer and require multiple sessions. Your artist can give you a general idea and estimate during your consultation and a more accurate estimate after the tattoo has been designed.

All tattoos look better with an additional session while touch ups are free, allowing your tattooist an additional session will add to the life and vibrancy of your tattoo.

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How can I best prepare for my Tattoo?

Here are a few tips to prepare for your tattoo.

No Aspirin, large ammounts of cafeine or alcohol 24 hours before or during your tattoo, these are all types of blood thinners and will cause you to bleed more during your tattoo. Tylenol and other pain relievers besides aspirin are acceptable and do help. Ibuprofen and other anti-inflamatory medication can be used for large tattoos or long sessions to help prevent swelling.

Eat before your appointment! We can't stress this enough, low blood sugar during a tattoo appointment could lead to blackouts and force us to stop the procedure. A well rounded meal before your session is reccomended, Bananas and trail mix are both excellent choices in a crunch to eat before your appointment.

Personal hygene is a must, we promise to keep it clean and fresh during your appointment please extend us the same courtesy,

Consider your attire, wear something that you are comfortable in and allows you to sit in any position we might need you in. Wear something that will be easy to remove or pull away from the area you are getting tattooed.

Please don't shave beforehand, an accidental cut could lead to an infection that would prevent us from being able to tattoo. Also the skin is best when immediatly shaved before the tattoo. Trimming with an electric trimmer is fine for thicker areas before hand but please, allow us to shave you... ;)

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Can I get an all white tattoo?

Yes, white when done properly and tattoos designed to be all white can work . Multiple sessions will be required to acheive best results.

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Areas of the body with special considerations to be tattooed

The following areas of the body require special considerations when being tatooed, either the skin is too think and callous to hold ink or too thin to hold a strong line. We can tattoo these areas but understand there will be some limitations as to what we are able to create.

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How do I setup an appointment?

Feel free to stop by anytime for a consultation, please understand we are a 100% custom shop and anything we tattoo will need to be drawn first. Our shop hours are Tuesday-Saturday 12-10pm.

If you are looking for a specific artist it is a good idea to call ahead and see if they will be available.

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Why do you require a deposit?

Drawing and designing a tattoo takes a considerable ammount of time, our deposit is to ensure we are reimbursed for the time it takes to design your tattoo. The deposit will be refunded when your tattoo is complete. See our "Pricing" page for more information.

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