Tattoos

Is this looking shit too???

@redrum 's fangirl

Advice needed -

Getting tattooed for the first time in ~ 8 years tomorrow. Hooray!

Tattoos will be on my calves/ankles.

I have CX race on Sunday. What'll be the best way to wrap my legs up and still be able to gallop about in the mud, since I'm assuming I won't want such new ink to get muddy... I'm guessing clingflim under leg warmers. Does anyone have better suggestion?

I would cling, taped down, tubigrip to keep it firm, football socks over the top.
(actually, I probably wouldn't race...)

Getting overly sweaty on new ink isn't great. Not just uncomfortable - can affect healing.

I probably wouldn't race. But saying that I heal pretty fast and after 5 days I'd be happy with some bepanthen and leg warmers, depends how it heals in those first few days I guess. I wouldn't cling film, you really won't want to trap the heat in there.

I definitely wouldn't race.

Yeah don't do that

Just cover it in mud and HTFU.

i wouldn't race as sweating within the first week will bring out the ink

Ok, most likely NOT racing. or going to the gym. Or spin class. For like a week.

At least a week. Look, you can live a week or so without hitting some strength/fitness gains and recover in short time. Fuck up your tattoo and your only remedy is another visit to the artist, more ink and more time not running. And that's not a short time frame.

If it helps, I'd rather damage my bike than my ink. Cheaper and quicker to fix the bike. Last time I took a tumble, was much more worried about how close the scars got to my tattoos than the risk to my bike.

um.... don't go to spin class ever.

Do you guys follow tattooers on IG? I follow a couple of them and then this one who reposts black and gray tattoos.

Something I have not noticed: Jesus people really like to tattoo bs on their faces/hands.

Something else: Crows for days. Hella crows. Put a bird on it, as long as the bird is a crow.

ha ha, I just looked. Exactly:

^ that's fucking rad

This has probably already been asked many times, but how much do people tip in the UK/London?

@GoodAdes, you don't...

Seriously? Don't play me, Corny!

@GoodAdes if you mean for food/drink in restaurant/bar/pub then most places will add a tip/service charge of 12.5% for everything else, goods and services, getting a cab, buying flowers, having someone tattoo you, you don't have to tip at all, unless you feel so inclined. And most in the UK don't feel the need to, unless of course they've spent time in the states and feel odd not doing so.

Tattoo artists aren't in the same category as waiters/bar-staff/hairdressers. The ones I've dealt with take cash only, charge a significant hourly rate (£100 per hour isn't unusual in London), bung a small portion of that to the studio and keep the rest (to the extent, I'm sure, of being very selective about what they declare). Haven't met one yet who expected a tip. Think they might have been insulted if offered one.

That's a good point! I went for a consultation with Stefano at Frith Street today and when he quoted a price I didn't even think about factoring in a tip... Adding on a tenner or so extra for a tip will bankrupt me i reckon

In Canada, as I'm sure most are aware, you tip for EVERYTHING. I actually asked the guy at the desk, and he had the philosophy of tip if you have a good time. Which I can get behind.

I consider the following when working out whether I want to tip;

a) does the worker get paid less than a living wage?
b) is the quality of service supplementary to the product I'm buying?

I'd argue that tattoo artists fall outside of this. You're negotiating a piece of work for an agreed price. Unlike working somewhere like the food service industry, the artist is under no obligation to price themselves below living wage and I doubt any of them do. I would also argue that a tattoo artist, having undertaken to permanently mark your body, should also be committed to giving you good service while doing so. Involving tattoo artists in the tipping culture just seems a bit redundant, they shouldn't be as dependent on it as workers in service industries and it almost seems insulting.

That said, getting a tattoo is a very personal and trusting interaction. If I were to get a tattoo and felt that the artist had excelled themselves in their work I would probably want to reward their endeavours. Money's impersonal so I would consider a more personalised gift, even if it's just as simple as a bottle of scotch.

Warning: cool story ahead, bros

I would consider a more personalised gift, even if it's just as simple as a bottle of scotch.

There used to be a tattooer who everyone went to near my hometown (now there are 2 tattoo shops in my hometown, but this was back in the dark ages). In this shop the artist would give you a discount if you brought him a 'personalized gift' of some vicodin or percocet.*

My friend was in there getting 'Survive' in old english letters arcing across his stomach (don't judge). A dude walked in yelling because he had gotten a sweet "Haley Davidson" tattoo the day previous.

I have heard iterations of this story a few times from a few places, but rather than "none of them are true" I think it is more "all of them are true".

* not sure if you have these things in the UK, but painkillers your doctor would give you that are some part of the opiate family.