Did That Hurt?
One of the most common questions I get regarding my tattoos is if it was painful to get them. At this point I usually toss the question back in their court by asking them how they would feel if we took a needle and jabbed it in and out of their skin at about three thousand times a minute. Their face turns quite pale right about then and I’m never sure if it’s from the thought of being punctured or that they realized the silly question they just asked.
Yes, tattoos do hurt. And some more than most. I think the most painful for me was on my shin. There is very little meat there and I am willing to bet that if I were to remove the skin in that area, the tattoo would be on my bone also. Over at 43things you can see a very interesting chart that shows the pain levels of different places of the body. Any of these ring a bell with any of you?
Different people experience different levels of pain as well. I distinctly remember watching two of my friends getting their back pieces done on the same day. One was crushing a coke can in his hand while sweat poured from his forehead and he turned almost as red as the ink being injected. All the while, my other friend was barely flinching and having a normal conversation without even the slightest infliction in his voice.
To this day, friend number one has and wears a ball cap that says “Yes! It hurts!” What it comes down to is that no matter how painful the tat, it is very worth it. The artwork and conversation are what they are all about after all. If there ever was anything that can fit into the pain is pleasure category I’d have to say that tattoos are it. So think about this the next time you feel those words about to slip from your mouth when talking to someone that’s sleeved. You may as well ask a new mother if that birth was painful!
Let’s hear about yours. Did they hurt? What part of the body is it on?
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I usually just look the person in the eye and say “Yes, getting tattooed hurts.” That usually takes care of it actually. I don’t discuss it with them, I just acknowledge and move on if I can…
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Yes but you have to admit it’s fun to mess wit them a little bit!
August 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I LOVE that question - I have two tattoo’s (just got my second yesterday) and whenever I get asked that (it’s ALWAYS a woman) I say “does childbirth hurt?” they say - YES - I say “is it worth it?” They say “yes” - I say “so are my tat’s.”
You should check out my new one - it’s REALLY well done by an amazing artist.
November 16th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
[...] Tattoos hurt. Some hurt more and some hurt less. If you’re sensitive to pain, test out the needle with just water to make sure you can handle it. [...]