Do tattoos HURT?

         Hell yes, next question please.......

          I'm sorry, that was me having some fun...  But in reality,

          YES, they do hurt, just not too much...  I have always thought it funny that I get paid to hurt people and not only  get paid for it but have the person THANK me for it.  I defy anyone getting a tattoo to explain to someone what they are feeling.  At very best any analogy made will be a shitty analogy at best..  I like to say that it's like a sustained ant bite, but, if you think about it you usually kill the ant!!!

Can't you use a numbing cream?

Sure you can, but there are drawbacks.  A cream the numbs the surface of the skin only works for about 30 or so minutes and when the pain returns it seems three times worse.  Many artists will not use creams or lidocaine patches as they will cause a reaction on the surface making the skin kind of spongy and difficult to work the skin...  Besides if it didnt hurt then EVERYBODY would have them, and who the heck would want them...