FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Welcome! The booking process is super simple - head on over to Bookings

Here you’ll find an enquiry form asking you all about your next tattoo idea, just fill it out and hit submit to get the ball rolling. Be sure to keep an eye on your email’s junk/spam folders in-case your reply gets lost in there.

My pricing varies depending on projects. The two structures I use are Piece-based work or Day-Rated

• Piece based pricing is where a tattoo is valued based on its overall sizing, complexity, techniques used and placement on the body. This is the structure I use for most of my work as it allows me to take my time with intricate detail or layered techniques without running your pricing up as it would on an hourly rate. For large standalone pieces that would take two or more sessions, I generally piece-rate the entire design and then split the cost accordingly across sessions, pricing each stage individually, with a loose comparison to my day rate pricing. Timing for piece rated work can vary and doesn’t necessarily follow strict time restrictions for a session in a given day

• Day-Rated work is used for multisession pieces covering more than one area, for example, sleeves, leg-sleeves, chest pieces and the like. Day-rated sessions follow a more structured timeframe with each one starting and ending at set times to make the most of each stage.

All appointments require a deposit to secure - this confirms your slot in the diary as well as reserves any flash design you have chosen.

Deposits are non-refundable however they can be transferred to a different date given enough notice. During your booking process and before paying one, you’ll be given a quick info sheet to read through that will tell you all about how they work.

Although I am experienced in many styles from fine-line to realism and colour realism, I choose to specialise in predominantly Blackwork.

I don’t offer colour, black and grey realism or other varying styles as custom pieces.

That being said:

The skills I have in other styles have fuelled my style over the years. My time doing colour realism taught me how to watch the skin carefully for signs of overworking when I’m getting those smooth blends, and my time doing realism taught me the importance of contrast and negative space in design. Each of the styles I’m versed in have made my portfolio what it is today and I’m happy to have settled into a style that utilises all the techniques I’ve acquired and allows me to keep to what is now a very natural, illustrative style.

I think it is important to keep these skills fresh, so on rare occasions I may offer pre-drawn flash in other styles to keep myself well practiced.

A first tattoo is a milestone for a lot of people, you’ll be welcomed to the club!

I understand that there’s a lot of nervousness around first tattoo experiences, but you’ll be guided each step of the way from the booking form to aftercare - with the opportunity to ask any questions you need to.

The number one question is:

“Does it hurt?”

I’d be lying if I said you wouldn’t feel a thing! Tattoos can vary depending on what you’re having done but the most common description is either a sharp scratch or heat. Linework and dot-work can feel sharp and prickly, whereas shading and packing can be more like a radiating heat with a lot of vibration.

Neither of these are intolerable, I tend to work in stages so that I’m not staying in one area for too long or revisiting parts that are already irritated, keeping the pain as minimal as possible. We take plenty of breaks for snacks or stretches and I’m constantly monitoring you and your skin to keep everything as safe and comfortable as possible.

I’m proud to say that although my style looks harsh, my tattoo processes and techniques make for a very easy session. I’ve even had many clients happily sit a full day for their first tattoo!

You can find all the info you need on the Tattoo Prep page, here you’ll learn about:

• Making sure your skin is ready

• Making sure you’re well rested

• What to bring to appointments

• What to wear for comfort and ease

For aftercare advice and routines, check out Aftercare

Here you’ll find:

• A step-by-step tattoo cleaning routine

• Advice on what to avoid

• Product recommendations for best results

You can find me at Hocus Tattoo Lounge, 21 Sea Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH5 1DH

To read about Hocus, check out About The Studio

Hocus is an open plan studio with 4 ground floor stations, a quieter open plan downstairs section with 3 stations, a private room available on request, alternative options for our offered beverages and options for materials/products used.

We can accommodate for:

• Wheelchair accessibility

• Mobility concerns

• Sound sensitivity

• Crowd sensitivity

• Private room for more revealing placements

• Food and drink intolerances or allergies

• Allergies to products eg Latex, Aloe, Adhesives

Check out About The Studio for full details on the shop

If you can’t find information on something more specific, head to my Contact page and send me an email to enquire, or include your query when going through your Booking process

We have seating in the main tattoo area and at the coffee bar, so just come in and take a seat, we’ll get you settled with a hot drink whilst you fill out your consent form. Then I’ll lead you through the sizing /stencil process for your design and make sure you know what’s going on each step of the way.

For bookings and tattoo project enquiries head on over to Bookings

For Aftercare advice, first check out my Aftercare page in case the answer is there

For aftercare advice, business related enquiries, merch-related questions or any other queries you have, you can find my email address and Instagram details on my Contact page

Creature Concepts are a passion project of mine. My hope is that someday I will specialise purely in creature tattoos.

Whilst they are available as both flash and custom designs, they are very much artist free rein projects and I require your trust and open-ness in terms of design.

My creatures are very carefully constructed with an emphasis on making sure their biology makes sense. I look at everything from habitat to diet when creating them and so I appreciate full creative control in order to give you the best results.

The best way to go about getting a creature of your own is to write a brief prompt for me to work from and let me create from there. An example would be:

• Canine

• Elemental based, electricity or fire

• Fierce

• Dynamic

• Represents strength and power

• Dark with light accents

• This sizing

• This placement

This type of briefing allows me to tell what vibe you’re looking for, whether you’re after something fluid and flowing or something more static. It tells me the structure and biology you’d like and how dark or light you’d like the image to be. I can keep in mind the message behind the creature and be sure it represents what you envision, whilst leaving the actual creature creation to me.

Clients’ safety and tattoo quality are my top priorities, for this reason I don’t use any numbing products - nor do I agree to tattoo numbed skin.

In short, most numbing creams used in tattooing today are not actually safe for use on broken skin and come with a wide range of risks in doing so.

• Reactions to numbing cream are unpredictable - even if a client has successfully used them in the past they can still trigger sudden reactions widely ranging from skin irritation to anaphylaxis and I don’t feel comfortable taking that risk whilst a client is in my care.

• They interrupt your body’s natural coping mechanism. During the first 15 minutes of a tattoo, the body releases adrenalin and various other endorphins that act as natural pain-killers, regulate blood pressure and keep the mind and body on the same page. When numbing creams are used, this process is disrupted, making your risk for dizzy spells, queasiness fainting or in the more severe cases seizures more likely. Since you are not creating natural painkillers, it also heightens the pain felt once the numbing cream wears off which is often around an hour into the tattoo, making the whole experience more difficult to sit through overall.

• Numbing cream changes the properties of the skin and creates a more rubbery, textured surface to work on. The skin itself becomes constricted and the layers behave differently to a natural state, often in unpredictable ways across the same area. Essentially, it makes it incredibly difficult to judge how deep we are working, how many passes a single area can stand and how hard our machines need to hit the skin, so we’re working blind. Safety aside, the chance of a tattoo healing far below standards or becoming overworked is not something I’m willing to risk.

I am sorry to say, if you arrive at the studio with pre-numbed skin, your appointment will be rescheduled.

I tattoo Tuesday - Saturday, with working hours falling between 10/11am- 4/6pm depending on the structure, pricing and necessities of a session.

Mondays are Admin Days, where I’ll be most active in taking bookings and answering enquiries.

Sundays are my day off - for all intents and purposes I do not exist on Sundays