Tips for Giving a Tattoo as a Present

Tattoo

You might be thinking of giving that special someone in your life the gift of a tattoo for Christmas, a birthday or other significant holiday or occasion. As a fan of body art myself, I would consider this the perfect present. There are a few things, however, that you should consider before taking this step so your gift of love doesn’t land you in the doghouse.

DON’T just take them to a tattoo shop with a blindfold over their eyes and say, “Surprise!” This will more than likely scare the recipient half to death. Getting a tattoo is a big decision that requires thoughtful planning and consideration. They may have a lot of questions before they are ready to make this step.

DON’T take them to the first studio you come to, or one you heard was “cheap.” The tattoo he/she ends up with might be a constant reminder of your lack of planning.

Obviously you can’t wrap a tattoo. (Though how cool would it be to have a tattoo artist pop out of a box ready to give you a tattoo?!) Since that won’t happen, instead find an image online of a kind of tattoo you know the recipient will love. Print it out, write something sweet on it like, “This voucher is good for your next tattoo so you can remember this gift forever”, put it in a box, and gift wrap it.

Then have fun talking about the kind of tattoo your partner wants, where he or she will get it, and then make the appointment! On that day, you watch the kids/walk the dogs/whatever needs to be done so your partner has a clear calendar to spend a few hours at the shop. Or you can get a sitter and tag along, take some pictures, and go out to dinner after.

Maybe, just maybe the gift is matching tattoos and so you’ll both get inked that day.