The most painful places to get a tattoo, according to tattoo artists
Tattoo application involves using a mechanised needle to repeatedly puncture the skin
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beauty is pain, the saying goes - an adage that is especially true when it comes to tattoos.
As a permanent body modification, it is understandable that getting a tattoo comes with a bit of pain - as they are done by puncturing the skin over and over again with a mechanised needle to inject ink.
And while pain thresholds differ by person, the fact remains that tattoos aren’t a pleasant experience to endure.
However, some tattoos are more painful than others - depending on the location.
To find out what tattoo placements hurt the worst, we spoke to the experts: tattoo artists.
According to Kerri from New Wave Tattoo, narrowing down the most painful areas for a tattoo is difficult - as the pain of a tattoo varies depending on a number of factors.
“It does depend on a few things at the time,” Kerri told The Independent. “For example, how you feel on the day, whether you have the flu or just feel run down, what style of tattoo you get done as different styles put different pressures on the skin, the artist, as some could be more heavy-handed, and then finally the placement.”
However, despite the multitude of pain influencers, every tattoo will hurt, according to Kerri, who told us: “All tattoos are sore but different places will feel worse depending on the above.”
As for the most painful places, the answers varied by artists - even within the same shop.
Ribs, elbow and the top of the foot were suggested by New Wave Tattoo artists, as was the inner arm area, including the inner elbow.
For Kerri, her personal list of the most painful places “would have to be kneecaps, the bottom of the foot, and the sternum.”
Unfortunately, avoiding any one of those locations doesn’t mean your tattoo will be pain-free - as another tattoo shop yielded different responses.
For Dave of West London Ink, the head was named the most painful location for a tattoo - followed by the sternum and the ribs.
While there are some tips for making the process less painful, such as drinking water or carrying on a conversation, according to Inked magazine, the reality is that getting a tattoo is never going to be painless.
“Sadly, everyone is different,” Kerri said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments