Does getting a tattoo *really* hurt?

Depends where. Generally the closer to the bone or thinner the skin it'll hurt more. On a scale of 1-10 my inside ankle tattoo was a 7 and my erm private ink was an 8 in places.

I have one, about an inch by an inch, just in black, on the very side of my foot near my little toe.

Pain-wise, not horrific by any means and the foot and ankle is supposed to be very sensitive. It felt like someone was gently scratching with a needle, which didn't hurt at first. But then the scratching continues in the same place and then starts to really bug you because they've scratched that same bit so much! But it's bearable. And the vibrations are a bit weird on the boney bits, they seem to vibrate through our whole body. But again, really not too bad. Doesn't feel like you're being injected or stabbed with the needle at all, just scratchy scratchy.

Time wise, once it was drawn on and you are 100% happy with the design and position, about 7-10 minutes. Most of mine is 'coloured in' so I think that takes more time than the outline, and probably what accounted for the really annoying stingy scratching towards the end. Afterwards they put some breathable barrier balm (bepanthan for home use) and it just feels a bit like a patch of bad sunburn for the rest of the day.

They next day it only hurt a bit if I poked it (obviously to check if it still hurt!), so don't poke it and you'll be fine.

I also haven't experience childbirth!

I could have chatted the whole way through, but didn't dare in case I jogged her or made her laugh. Apparently the pain in childbirth is so bad you can't talk through a contraction, so definitely not that bad.

I have one from the bottom of my ribs to the top of my hip and it was the most painful thing ever. Maybe the guy doing it was just not the best but I don't think I breathed from the minute it started to the minute it finished. My OH said that probably made it worse but I didn't want it ending up wonky from my ribs going up and down and the pain was awful.

Mine is about the size of my hand and took an hour, so I think a smaller one could be done in less depending on the level of detail. The outline wasn't too bad but the colour was worse because he was going back over raw parts of skin.

I might sound like a wuss but that's my honest opinion. I'd rate it 8 out of 10 for pain, but I also haven't experience childbirth. I actually can't think of anything decent to compare the pain to because I personally found it much worse than getting scratched but not as bad as the hour after burning my hand on a frying pan (which stupidly I've done a few times).

I would love to get the colour re-done on my tattoo as I'm not happy with it but I'm still working up the courage to go back. The healing part didn't bother me too much, it was itchy but bearable. Only issue was I couldn't wear jeans until it healed because they rubbed too much.

That said I love my tattoo because it means a lot to me, I don't know how people go through that just for a generic tattoo picked out a book.

Yes! It hurts quite a lot,strangley I quite like it though

Mine is on my hip, about an inch in diameter and was just like a sharp scratching, maybe 3 out of 10. It only took 10-15 minutes. I haven't experienced childbirth either, that does scare me!

I am a complete wimp, and up until now it is the worst pain i've ever felt. Worse than my first bikini wax, worse than when I got my arm pits waxed during early pregnancy when they were especially tender.

However, it is bearable. I described it to my ex as "like someone is scraping your bone out with a spoon" - mine is only a teeny one, probably 2x3.5 inches, but coloured in not just an outline, all in one colour. The outline was fine but it was the colouring that I hated as it felt like something was being plunged into my back (which it was) ?

However, I will do it again.

Thanks! Still don't know if I'm going to be brave enough - particularly after Little Madam's bone scraping description!! ?

I would like to get two little paw prints in black, one for each of my cats Smallish, but big enough so they don't look like strange freckles!!

I can't wait to see your birthday tattoo! Promise to flash

Tattoos "hurt" for the first minute or so, then you get used to it. In a way it becomes kind of numb.

I had my first at 16, and loved it. Getting a tattoo is a nice pain. There's something addictive about it.

A tattoo the size you described wouldn't take that long, depends what you get. I'd say less than 30 mins, including the "set up". Most uncomfortable place for me so far was my neck. Felt like I had something stuck in my throat everytime he moved the needle.

What you thinking of getting done? I have a 2 hour session booked for my birthday, to finally start getting my Hello Kitty half sleeve coloured in. Very excited!!!

It hurts a lot....I would say 8/10....but after getting one....you will be happy.like 10/10!!!

The ones I have that are on bone (foot/ankle) hurt like hell 8/10

The tattoo's that go on fleshy areas are more scratchy than painful, 4/10

I'd say your would take about an hour.

My first one (tramp stamp) hurt a lot, maybe an 8 on the pain scale but as I discovered once it healed up the guy had "ground out" bits of the design, which probably didn't help. Also the poor bloke could only do about a second's worth of work at a time because it seemed to be going over a nerve, which caused an involuntary twitch. My second one is on my shoulder and was much easier, maybe a 3-5 on the pain scale. Both are just a couple of inches across, with no colour and took about 20 minutes each.

Mine's on my lower stomach, is all black, about an inch diameter. I think it took about 10-15 mins, and wasn't too painful at all, ouchy, but definitely bearable. I'd have another without worrying about it being painful.

BB has one like this... I like it, it's cute!

I would like one, my slight OCD tendencies mean that it really needs to be central and symetrical though!!

Have seen a few style I like, I will probably wait till we have kids and use their names...

I've found a design I'd really like, but just need to pluck up the courage to get it done

Top arm 4/10 shoulder 4/10, thigh 5/10, wrist 6/10, chest 3/10, ankle 9/10, i like tattoo pain, does that make me strange?

I have experienced child birth 6 times, once with no pain relief, I also like labour pain, does that make me even stranger?

I dooooo indeed.

Where you thinking of getting it BV?

Mine's on my wrist. The best way I can describe it is a cat's claw in your skin maybe 2mm and scratching all around. Kinda like an intense buzzing feeling, which is what it essentially is. The vibration gets to me more than anything but it's not unbearable. The place that has hurt me the most is my ankle.

Shameless flash.

Aww BB I love them

I have no idea re: location - yours look fab on the wrist but I'd be scared that would be a 'more hurty' place...

Maybe somewhere on my shoulder? At the base of my neck along the top of my shoulder perhaps. I'm really not sure. I'm giving myself plenty of time to think about it so if/when I go ahead, I'll be properly happy with what I'm doing!

Do not get your neck.. ouch Ouch OWWWWWW[:'(] Every time they go over your spine bones you will want to cry. Think fleshy/muscular areas...I'm mostly pretty OK with pain and quite like the pain of tattoos but anything on bone is horrendous.

My dad also once told me look at a 80 year old and the massive wrinkle areas, then consider the tattoo when you are 80. Mine can mostly be hidden by old people clothes ?

I have one on the back of my hip and it didn't hurt very much. Maybe 3/10 on a scale. It felt like when you scratch yourself but with more pressure and over and over again!

Mine was so long ago now I can't really remember, but I don't think it was *that* painful, more like an uncomfortable scratching. Mine is on a quite fleshy area though, and I've heard that more bony areas hurt more.

Mr Knees and I want to get one after the wedding and I'm trying to figure out where to have it. Probably on my hip as, even at 29, my mother would still kill me if I had a visible one!

Doesn't hurt that much. If it did, I wouldn't have gone back for 4 more!

The best way to describe it is like being repeatedly scratched by a cat.

I like these...

Mrs C, I have one similar on my ribs. Will try and see if I can get a picture of it!

Here it is:

I'm thinking of getting something like this:

As I love music and singing and H plays bass guitar. I thought it would symbolise us.

I quite like the idea of adding two cat paw prints, but not sure they would go

I'm a HUGE wimp ! And I have 6 in various parts of the body! I used numbing cream for my first on which was good didn't feel a thing! But it's not that bad like ees the pain is a nice pain!

I got one on my foot recently, not my first, but it hurt like hell.

Didn't help that I broke my foot a few years ago and still have little bump and a scar that was tattooed over.

Fat bits are the least sore, anything around bone is pretty sore.

Take my advice and never get a ex broken bone/scar tattooed though!