Ok, so I did a search and couldn't find anything about this.

How much should a person tip a tattoo artist? Is there a percentage that you should follow, or a going rate per hour of work?

My friend is getting a huge tattoo done (probably close to $500) and she has no idea how much to tip.

4/24/2007 10:30:34 AM

an appropriate tip would be the deed to her single wide trailer.

or if that's too high, maybe her 1984 mustang.

4/24/2007 10:41:34 AM

^Thanks. That was totally helpful and exactly what I needed

4/24/2007 10:47:59 AM

4/24/2007 10:52:55 AM

^^^ wow, that was the biggest swing and a miss for a comedic reply all day on TWW, cograts.

and in reply to the original poster. It really depends on how well the experience goes but I'd say $75 as a bare minimum and at least $100 if you really love the work done.

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 10:56 AM. Reason : asdf]

4/24/2007 10:56:02 AM

why are you supposed to tip? You're paying for the size, the time and the colors, right?
Or is this just the person who designed the tattoo?

Never had a tattoo but I've thought about it, and never really heard of tipping...

4/24/2007 11:07:34 AM

^^Thanks. That's actually helpful

^You should always tip your tattoo artists. They get some of the money that you pay for the tattoo, but just like with anyone in the service industry, you are expected to tip them based on the quality of their service.

4/24/2007 11:11:14 AM

I bet you have a tramp stamp, don't you?

4/24/2007 11:14:33 AM

Quote :

"They get some of the money that you pay for the tattoo"

yeah, it's called an hourly wage......it's not like they are getting waitress money here. I would imagine a tattoo artist would command a nice salary to begin with due to the level of skill needed.

I'll follow all these pseudo tipping rules you people make up when people start tipping me for the work i'm expected to do anyway.

4/24/2007 11:18:19 AM

never heard of tipping a tattoo artist. Then again, I don't ever plan on getting one so it doesn't really matter to me.

4/24/2007 11:32:15 AM

mr. pink does not approve of this thread

4/24/2007 11:41:51 AM

Tell your friend to tip around $50 to $75 for one of that size. I don't think there are set rules, but people that are new to getting inked typically don't tip at all. Other people do around 10-20%, with the majority probably being closer to 10%.

4/24/2007 11:41:57 AM

you always tip your tattoo artist. first, its just a decent thing to do. second, if you plan on getting more work done you want a good relationship with your artist, finally it can help when you go in for your next piece to have the artist remember "hey he gave me a nice tip last time, I can fit him in pretty soon"

I've always done 10-15%

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 11:50 AM. Reason : .]

4/24/2007 11:50:11 AM

Quote :

"its just a decent thing to do"

so where's the occupational cutoff (i.e. how do you decide who to tip and who not to?)

4/24/2007 11:52:47 AM

yeah, tipping a tattoo artist does not make a whole lot of logical sense... You should tip anyone who does you a service then.

4/24/2007 12:06:35 PM

^^^ and ^^^^ Thanks guys. That helps me out a lot. She was figuring it would be about that much, she just wanted to check to make sure. This artist has done a lot of work on desiging this tat and she didn't want to under-tip (and I had no answer because all my tats are relatively small)

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 12:38 PM. Reason : stuff]

4/24/2007 12:37:22 PM

See how much the artist charges per hour first - then figure out how much to tip

I have 16 tattoos myself and because I go to the same artist, I don't tip - I know this sounds bad, but she charges $200 an hour for a reason (and my husband and I tattoo, and I know it doesnt cost NEAR this much, but she pretty much includes the tip in her price and shes a great artist) - so I'd say $100 an hour for a tattoo (which is normal around here), with a $20 an hour tip

I've paid $1000 (small discount) for a 6 hour session, which would probably be a $400 tip if you went to a regular artist

I know some artists only charge like $50 an hour, so $50 is a huge tip for a small piece

4/24/2007 12:58:20 PM

Ive never gotten a tattoo, but I would think if you are going to get something that will be with you permanently, you would want to make sure you take care of the person doing it for you (ie, tip well).

4/24/2007 1:02:09 PM

The mailman just brought my mail, should I tip him?

4/24/2007 1:04:46 PM

^^i don't tip my dentist, or my doctor....and I would say I have a huge vested interest in the accuracy of their work.

^lol.

4/24/2007 1:16:32 PM

Quote :

"tramp stamp"

hhaha gg. thats a new one


But yah you should tip no less then 10% and up to 20% if you really like it

4/24/2007 1:31:28 PM

The swallows on my wrist (see gallery) cost me $75 dollars. I was expected it to cost me more than that because the last place I was tattooed charged considerably more for something very basic. I tipped the guy $50 because I was expecting to pay so much more and he did an awesome job.

4/24/2007 1:32:08 PM

It's just the industry standard. Most tattoo artists will hook you up and put more effort into their work if you go back for another session/ touch up work. I tip my guy nicely, so he does touch ups for free and is conservative with his estimate on time for sessions, taking into account breaks/not rounding up. Plus he stopped making me pay a deposit after the first session, putting lots of time into the design without any money up front. Just depends on how much of a dick you want to be I guess. But that aside, if you are paying 200/hour for average work then you didn't do you homework anyway.

4/24/2007 1:37:37 PM

Quote :

"i don't tip my dentist, or my doctor....and I would say I have a huge vested interest in the accuracy of their work."

How much work do your dentist and doctor actually do? Mine have their lackeys do the work and then pop in for 5 minutes and charge out the ass.

4/24/2007 1:38:11 PM

Quote :

"I tipped the guy $50 because I was expecting to pay so much more and he did an awesome job"

that i can agree with, but as a standard, no. I'm willing to throw anyone a little extra for a job well done, but I never go in (with standard exceptions....restaurants, bars ect...) expecting to tip.

^well, i don't tip any of them, so......

4/24/2007 1:48:03 PM

tipped my first guy a fifth of jack and $40 bucks...we cracked it open and did a couple shots each before i headed out

4/24/2007 1:57:22 PM

tipping sounds stupid for tattoo artists. maybe if you were in prison getting ink done I could understand it, but normal tattoo artists make decent money.

4/24/2007 2:00:50 PM

I think anyone that gives you a cosmetic (ie, not health-related) service deserves a tip. Dentists, doctors, etc. make BANK, but hairdressers, tattoo artists, nail artists, etc. don't really make as much as you think.

4/24/2007 2:50:34 PM

so the salary is the key, huh....

do you tip the guy at the McDonalds window, or the guy that flips your burger?....b/c he makes even less than the hairdresser, tat artist, ect....

4/24/2007 3:02:49 PM

4/24/2007 3:49:33 PM

well I know for sure the tattoo artist that I go to makes close to 250k per year if not more (she owns her own shop and shes the only artist) - we were discussing taxes one day and she kinda slipped up and said it - so yeah, they do get paid fairly well, and I know she makes between 1k-2k per day if shes filled up from 10 am - 8 pm

4/24/2007 6:50:19 PM

they are drawing something on your body that will in theory be there forever.....tip them 40 bucks


10% i mean

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 8:41 PM. Reason : lkjd]

4/24/2007 8:40:45 PM

My bf got one that was about $500 and he tipped $100. So that's 20%, but neither of us know what the "standard" is, or if there even is one.

4/24/2007 10:33:27 PM

I got my bellybutton pierced a while back at a tattoo place...was I supossed to tip? Wow, didn't realize.

4/24/2007 10:43:18 PM

$500 needs at least $25, IMO

I always tip at least 20%

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 11:13 PM. Reason : ...]

4/24/2007 11:12:43 PM

am I supposed to tip my grocery bagger?

4/24/2007 11:18:24 PM

if anyone should be tipped its teachers

4/24/2007 11:25:32 PM

these days everyone wants a tip...every fool thinks...he deserves atleast a 6 figure....

4/24/2007 11:44:21 PM

Quote :

"$500 needs at least $25, IMO I always tip at least 20%"

Does not compute.

4/25/2007 2:23:43 AM

^^i mean, I'm not a math major...but...um...yeah.



*waves* Hey Ronny!

4/25/2007 2:35:22 AM

I knew someone would ask this...I meant if this person couldn't afford 20%, at least tip the artist $25.

4/25/2007 9:20:48 AM

again, you should tip your guy if you plan on going back. otherwise he/she will likely remember and give you an overestimate the next time. may not seem fair to you but it's pretty standard in the tattoo industry.

4/25/2007 9:52:24 AM

I got both of my tattoos done at cape fear tattoo in wilmington by the same artist. I have flames on my left and right arm, the first one cost about 80 dollars more I tipped the artist about 20% and he remembered me the second time and gave me a discount. So if you are planning on going back, tip, if not then make your own decision.

4/25/2007 10:28:55 AM