WHAT IS A HAND-POKED TATTOO AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM MACHINE TATTOOING?

A hand poked-tattoo is made without a tattoo machine. I still use professional, single-use, sterile tattoo needles but hold them in my hand rather than putting them in a machine. I then apply the ink slowly and mindfully to the skin, dot by dot. The effect is often much softer and finer. I use very thin needles so my tattoos are not as bold or harsh as traditional machine tattoos and generally people find them much less painful. 

IS THE INK VEGAN?

Yes, the black ink that I use is vegan!

ARE THEY PERMANENT?

Yes, hand-poked tattoos are permanent. They can be lighter and softer than machine tattoos and I always offer a free touch ups if you want to have a bolder look after your tattoo has initially healed. The nature of delicate hand poke means that there might be some ‘drop out’ so I am always happy to touch up a tattoo for free.

HOW DOES THE DESIGN PROCESS WORK?

For a tattoo ceremony, the design is created (during the session) based on your intentions and what is communicated from Spirit and intuitively felt through our conversation and the meditation.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

Hand-poked tattoos take a long time compared to machine tattoos. Prepare to have a nice long lie down! Most of the tattoos you see on my page took 1-2 hours. The full time together may be 5-6 hours.

CAN I GET TATTOOED WITH A FRIEND?

If you let me know in the form that you want to book with a friend then I will block out a whole day for you. As I explain above, there might be some waiting around involved!

HOW MUCH DOES A TATTOO COST?

Price depends on the design size and complexity, please fill out a booking form to get a quote for your session.

DOES IT HURT?

The needle is still going into the skin (no more than about 1mm deep) so of course you will feel something. However, rather than the burning, quite intense feeling of a machine tattoo, it’s more like repetitive plucking hairs, or little pricks. Most people find it quite calming, and some even fall asleep!

CAN I BRING A FRIEND?

My tattoo process is very intimate so I ask that the appointment is just the two of us. The energy between us will inform the alchemy of the session and the artwork.

DO YOU TATTOO FINGERS?

I have tattooed many fingers (including my own) with amazing results. HOWEVER, the healing process is so important, you must be really careful not to over wash or soak your hands during healing - so it might not be best if you are regularly submerging your hands. Also the skin on hands renews very fast, so they do tend to fade and need touching up at least once. Slightly bolder designs work a lot better than lighter finer designs. I only tattoo tops of fingers (no inner fingers).

DO YOU TATTOO RIBS?

I no longer tattoo ribs / torso. The skin is very stretchy and delicate so it takes much longer to tattoo and honestly just isn’t fun for me :)

CAN I EXERCISE AFTER MY TATTOO?

Yes, apart from swimming you can get back to your normal life pretty much right away. I would suggest maybe taking it easy 24 hours after your tattoo if it’s in an area that might get rubbed on or intensely stretched (such as side ribs). Tune into your body and be mindful.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HEAL?

The healing process is much faster than with a machine tattoo as generally the tattooing process is less invasive and causes much less trauma to the skin. See aftercare instructions here.