Tattoo Consultation Questions: Printable Checklist

The best tattoo consultation questions settle five things before you pay a deposit: the design, the price and booking terms, the artist's and shop's licenses, the studio's hygiene, and the aftercare. In Washington, some of those answers are set by state law, so you can check them against the rules rather than taking a studio's word for it.

This guide groups the questions by topic, explains what a good answer looks like where Washington rules apply, and ends with a printable checklist. If this is your first tattoo, our first tattoo guide covers what to expect from the appointment itself.

What should you ask about the design?

Start with the art, because the rest depends on it.

• Can I see healed work in this style and placement? Ask for healed photos as well as fresh ones, ideally of pieces similar in size and detail to yours.
• How would you adapt my references? Explain which parts of each image matter to you, so the artist isn't guessing.
• What size and placement do you suggest, and why?
• When will I see the design, and how many revisions are included? Ask whether you'll get to review it before the appointment day.
• What happens if I want a different direction? Ask whether a major change affects the price, the deposit or the date.

Placement is also a skin-health question. The American Academy of Dermatology says to tell your tattoo artist to work around moles, freckles and other spots, and to avoid any areas your dermatologist wants to check at future visits, so you can both see whether they change or grow. It recommends a skin exam by a dermatologist before a tattoo, especially for people with a higher risk of skin cancer, such as those with multiple atypical moles, a personal or family history of skin cancer, or a weakened immune system.

If you need words to describe what you want, our tattoo style guides explain the main styles and how they age.

What should you ask about price, deposit and scheduling?

Money questions are a normal part of a consultation. Get the answers in writing before you pay anything.

• Is the price hourly or flat, and what's the rate or total?
• What does the estimate cover, and what could change it? Ask how extra time or a design change would be handled and approved.
• How much is the deposit, and how is it applied? Ask whether it comes off the final price.
• What happens to the deposit if I cancel or reschedule, or if you do?
• How many sessions will this take, and how much time should I set aside?
• Are touch-ups included? If so, ask about the time limit, what qualifies and any charges.

Policies vary from studio to studio, so don't assume a refund, a free redraw or a touch-up window. Our Seattle tattoo price guide explains how hourly rates, shop minimums, deposits and touch-ups usually work.

How do you check the artist's and shop's licenses in Washington?

Check both yourself. Under RCW 18.300.090, commercial tattooing is a violation unless it happens in a licensed shop and the person doing it holds the appropriate individual license. That rules out paid tattoos at someone's kitchen table, however good the portfolio looks.

1. Ask for the names on the licenses. That means the artist's licensed name, which may differ from an Instagram handle, and the shop's licensed business name.
2. Search the Department of Licensing (DOL). Its license lookup page shows whether DOL has issued a professional license to a person or business, whether it's active and when it expires.
3. Look for the posted licenses. RCW 18.300.070 requires the shop's location license to be posted in the reception area and each artist's individual license at their workstation.

If a listing doesn't turn up, ask for the exact name on the license, or contact DOL's tattoo licensing program at 360-664-6660 or [email protected].

Know what a license does and doesn't tell you. To get an individual license, DOL requires an applicant to be at least 18 and to have a current, active bloodborne pathogens certificate (DOL licensing requirements). It shows the artist meets the legal minimum, not how well they tattoo, so the healed portfolio still matters.

Expect paperwork, too. WAC 308-22 requires shops to keep a record of every client, including your name, age, address and signature, the date, the artist's name, and the type and location of the work, and to keep it for at least two years. Our Washington tattoo laws guide covers ID requirements, the age rule and how to report an unlicensed artist.

Which hygiene questions have answers in Washington rules?

You don't have to take "we're very clean" on trust. Washington's infection-control rules for tattooing, in WAC 246-145-050, spell out what should happen during your appointment:

The same rules require artists to wash their hands and wrists with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds immediately before and after a procedure.

Does the shop need an autoclave?

Not necessarily, so don't treat a missing sterilizer as a red flag on its own. Under WAC 246-145-060, a sterilizer isn't required if the studio uses only sterile, single-use disposable instruments, sharps and products, plus sterile supplies. If it does reuse instruments, it must test the sterilizer with biological indicators at least monthly and keep records of each sterilization cycle for three years. So the useful first question is: "Do you reuse any instruments?"

What should you ask about ink and aftercare?

Ask which brand and colors of ink the artist plans to use, and whether they dilute ink and with what. The FDA says using non-sterile water to dilute pigments is a common cause of contaminated ink, and that ink can be contaminated even when the container is sealed or the label says the product is sterile. The FDA has also not approved any pigments for injection into the skin for cosmetic purposes.

Mention any past reaction to a tattoo. According to the AAD, most people who develop an ink allergy react to one specific color, and red is often the culprit.

Then cover aftercare:

• Will I get written aftercare instructions?
• What products should I use, and which should I avoid?
• How do I reach you if something looks wrong while it heals?
• How will you record which inks you used? If you ever have a reaction, the FDA recommends asking the artist for the brand, color and any lot or batch number of the ink or diluent.

Our aftercare guide explains the standard routine, so you can compare it with the studio's instructions.

When will an artist refuse to tattoo you?

Ask what would make the artist reschedule, so the appointment doesn't fall through on the day. Under WAC 246-145-015, a licensed tattoo artist may not work on a client who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or on skin with evident lesions or infections in the area of the procedure, including sunburn. The same rule bars artists from working while they're under the influence themselves, or while they have weeping dermatitis or draining sores.

In practice, that means:

• Skip alcohol and drugs before the appointment.
• Keep the area out of the sun beforehand, because a sunburn there means no tattoo that day.
• Tell the artist ahead of time about any rash or skin condition in the area, so they can say whether to reschedule.

Which answers are red flags?

Pause before you book if:

• You can't find an active DOL license for the artist or the shop, or the names don't match.
• The shop and artist licenses aren't posted.
• The artist wants to work outside a licensed shop, such as at home.
• Needles or ink cups would be reused, or sterile packages are opened before you're in the room.
• Gloves aren't changed after the artist answers the phone or opens a door mid-session.
• The price, deposit or cancellation terms won't be put in writing.
• There are no aftercare instructions.

A policy you simply don't like, such as a non-refundable deposit or no free touch-ups, isn't a safety problem. It's a reason to compare studios.

Printable tattoo consultation checklist

Copy or print this list and take notes during the consultation.

Design

• Saw healed work in my style and placement
• Agreed on size and placement, and avoided moles and spots
• Know when I'll see the design and how many revisions are included

Price and booking

• Price basis (hourly or flat) and estimate in writing
• Deposit amount, and how it's applied, in writing
• Cancellation and rescheduling terms for both sides, in writing
• Number of sessions and time to set aside
• Touch-up policy: time limit, eligibility, charges

Licenses

• Artist's licensed name: active on DOL lookup, expiration date noted
• Shop's licensed name: active on DOL lookup, expiration date noted
• Shop license posted in reception; artist license posted at the workstation

Hygiene

• Single-use needles and ink cups for each client
• Sterile packages opened in front of me with new gloves
• Answer to "Do you reuse any instruments?" (if yes, sterilizer testing explained)

Ink and aftercare

• Ink brand and colors, and how dilution is handled
• Told the artist about any past ink reactions
• Written aftercare instructions and a contact for questions
• Know what would mean rescheduling, such as a sunburn or rash in the area

Ready to compare studios? Browse our Seattle tattoo directory by neighborhood, or find tattoo studios across Washington, then run each one through this checklist.