Should you tip your tattoo artist?
Yes. I believe you should tip your tattoo artist. Let me elaborate.
Same as any other personal service, tattooing also has some rules on tipping and behaving. It should never be that you feel like you want to get a tattoo and then you just go for a tattoo without thinking of anything else. If you want to get a tattoo, you have to be sure about something. For example: Do you-
- know all about tattooing?
- have money to get a tattoo?
- know tattoo machines well?
- have the money to give tips?
- know how much your aftercare products will cost?
- Have you chosen any tattoo design you want?
- Have you researched enough about tattoos?
Like these, there are many things you need to know before getting a tattoo. You have to take each of these things seriously. You can’t even ignore giving tips to a tattoo artist.
Tipping an Artist
Tipping is a way to show appreciation. When you are happy with your artist’s work, then why you should not tip your artist? Jobs like cab driving, bartending, hairstyling, fashion designing, and just to name a few, they receive tips for their services very famously. So, it makes sense to tip a tattoo artist who arguably works much harder than most of the services mentioned before. It may not be mandatory but it’s a way to show that you appreciate all the effort and hard work that your artist put into your new tattoo.
Why would you tip your tattoo artist?
You might think, tattoos can cost up to several thousand dollars and if you want to do it professionally, you have to spend a lot of money. So, why do tattoo artists need to be tipped even after spending so much cash? Well, there are many tattoo etiquette that can help you out of this confusion.
Art and artists should be respected.
Like all other service-based industries, tattooing considers tipping as a sign of appreciation. Maybe you already know that you can pay tattoo artists hourly. Any custom-designed tattoo requires a lot of time, work, and effort. After spending a lot of time getting your tattoo done, when you tip him along with the allotted money, It’ll make him feel honored. Tipping encourages the tattoo artist to do better and it gives good vibes to the tattoo artist about you. Besides, the last thing that the man who gave so much effort for you, obviously you don’t want him to have a bad impression of you.
How much should you tip?
Tipping depends on various factors. For example – the type of design, the size of the tattoo, coloring details, and which part of the body will be tattooed? etc.
According to the tattoo community, you should tip the tattoo artist around 20% to 30% on top of the final tattoo price. For example: If the tattoo price is $2000 you can tip 20% {$400} or 30% {$600}. (source – BYRDIE)
It’s just a number. If you want, you can give any number of tips to a tattoo artist as you wish. But don’t ask your tattoo artist how much should tip him. Keep in mind that, tips should never be given below 15% of the total price.
What should I do if I don’t like the tattoo?
If your tattoo artist can’t get a tattoo of your choice or makes a mistake, then let your tattoo artist know without getting disappointed. Maybe your tattoo artist will try to fix the tattoo free of charge. Deliberately the tattoo artist does not want to dissatisfy his customer with a bad tattoo. If so, your tattoo artist apologizes and regrets his unintentional blunder or it was a complicated custom design and your tattoo artist tries his best to do then you should give him another opportunity to correct it.
Finally, after completing the tattoo you should give him 20% or 30% tips along with the total bill. But if so, your tattoo artist has not communicated with you enough and also denies his mistakes, then you can think of not giving him tips. It’s up to you. Actually, it’s normal. If you are not happy with your tattoo artist because of his inaccuracy he does not want to take any responsibility for this. Then there is no question of giving him tips.
But if you are a man of honor and very conscious of your impressions, then you should give him tips like this time and never come to this store again.
If you are on a budget, how else can you show appreciation for the tattoo artist?
Giving money is not the only way of appreciation. There are many more ways to appreciate. For example: If you like the work your tattoo artist did, you can give him a good admiration for tattoos. You can also suggest your friends go to this tattoo artist for a tattoo. Moreover, you can take a picture with the tattoo artist or the shop and then share it on your all social media mentioning your satisfying experience. Maybe this will help him to get more new clients and this will also boost the tattoo shop’s name on the search engines. Further, if you are well-disposed with your tattoo artist then you can invite him to dinner too.
Money is not everything. In case, we want to appreciate someone, there are many ways to appreciate them.
Conclusion
Finally, Tipping may not be mandatory, but it is the best way to show appreciation to your artist who gave all the hard work and effort – physical and monetary – to put into your new tattoo. It’s not only a sincere way to show your gratitude but also helps to grow your business. It even encourages them to create and share more artwork with the world – which, at the end of the day, is what it’s all really about! As human beings, we should stand by each other and help others to move forward with their expected goals.