Do you tip tattoo artists and how much? It’s optional but the tattoo artist will appreciate it if you tip. Let’s discuss this with us in today’s article!
Like any other service, tattooing also comes with an etiquette of its own. Among them, tipping tattooists becomes one of the essential parts. However, several guidelines for this etiquette have made people confused a lot and found it unnecessary.
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Contents
Why Do People Tip Tattoo Artists?
In the tattooing world, tipping 20-30% of the total price always plays a more important role in comparison with other service-based industries. People view it as a great way to show their appreciation for the service a tattooist gives them.
Normally, an artist must remain focused and pay close attention to completing the tattoos on each client. It is the reason why they deserve compensation for their effort.
This case hits the same as one of the waiters. If you never forget to offer a gratuity to the waiters, why don’t you apply a similar appreciation for the artists?
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Moreover, it is not that tattooists will receive your full payment for the work. Instead, their earnings only make up a certain percentage of money that you pay for the service.
The artists commonly get from 30% to 70% of the payment for each tattooing completion. The rest will belong to the shop owner so that he/she can pay bills of space rental, electricity, supplies, etc.
Last but not least, giving the tattooist tips is also a great way to make an impression on him/her. You visit the shop once to have nice tattoos; maybe you will want to come back for more in the future.
The more you appreciate the talents and efforts of tattooists, the better they tend to complete their work with a higher passion for future projects. So, it is worth your consideration to offer them tips.
How Much Should You Tip Tattoos?
There is no fixed tipping rate. People do a calculation for tipping based on numerous factors as follows:
- Do you ask them to put an original or used design on your body?
- What are the sizes of your desired tattoos?
- How many sessions do you need to get done during the tattooing process?
- Is the design complicated or simple?
- Is the tattooed position on your body complicated or simple?
- Does your desired design require coloring, details, or something like that?
In general, we suggest you apply the rate ranging between 20% and 30% of the total price. It is nearly the standard amount of tipping in the tattooist community.
At the same time, you should take these factors mentioned above into consideration to have the most reasonable tipping range.
Let’s take an example!
Assuming that your desired piece has a large size and is located in a difficult position of your body. For this case, it seems to be such an impolite decision not to offer a gratuity or give less than 20% of the total price.
The complexity of the tattooing process will decide how much you should offer. Also, the more expensive the design is, the higher amount of money you should offer as a gratuity.
As for the lowest tipping level, we have to say that it should never be lower than 15% of the tattoo price.
When To Tip Tattoo Artist?
Giving a gratuity before the tattooist gets tattoos completely done is not a good idea. Instead, the most suitable time to make it is when the tattooists complete their work and give you the bill.
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Furthermore, we suggest paying the bill in cash since this payment method will be better to offer tattooists a gratuity. In other words, credit card tips are often not available in most shops.
Do You Tip If The Tattoo artist Is Bad?
What if you are not happy with the final result? Do you tip tattoo artists and how much? We divide it into two cases. One is the tattooist’s fault, while the other is not.
Suppose the bad final piece is their fault; you can simply not offer tips and/or decrease the rate after they corrected the design and fixed the price. As for the range, 15% of the total price is reasonable in this situation.
In case the complete design cannot satisfy you, we suggest tipping if they:
- Putting the tattoos on your body based on a customized design;
- Completing more than one session during the whole process;
- Doing complicated tasks such as detailing, coloring, or shading;
- Helping you to relieve the pain during the process;
- Using high-quality tattooing supplies.
Do You Tip If You’re On A Budget?
Suppose you only have a tight budget that does not allow you to offer the tattooists a gratuity; it will be better not to get tattoos. It would be unfortunate if they did not receive tips after putting so much effort into creating a beautiful art piece on your body.
We recommend you save up the money and come back once you have enough money for both tattoo price and tips to avoid awkward situations.
Do I Always Have To Tipping In Money?
The fact shows that most tattooists accept tips in cash only.
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In case that you are not able to give the artist at least 20% of the total price, let them know. As an alternative, you can ask whether they accept other tipping forms such as a gift or a 5-star review on their social media channels.
However, we do not appreciate that at most.
Final Thought
Do you tip tattoo artists (and how much)? The answer is undoubtedly YES. Still, the tipping rate depends on the factors we have already mentioned above. Hopefully, our discussion can give you helpful information to consider the most reasonable tips for the tattooist you choose.
For further help, ping us a messenger whenever you want!