Getting Inked | My Tattoo Experience

Following the theme of cats from my previous post, I thought I would share my experience on getting a cat permanently on me! Yes, I am talking about getting my first tattoo!

It all started with an innocent conversation at our staff Christmas lunch last year and I can't even remember how we got on to the subject but my friend Ms GG and I decided that in the school holidays we would look at getting cat tattoos!! Crazy cat lady much!?!?! I guess I've played with the idea of getting a tattoo for a while but needed the little push to actually do something about it. I mean, how can one decide on what to put on one self that will stay there forever!?! After some searching through Pinterest, I found something I really liked.

Ms GG and I ventured to Menai in Sydney's south western suburbs, to a tattoo place called Inkful Sin. It was actually a really funny encounter that day where I wish I could say everything that happened but I don't want those involved to get into trouble... After some stalling with coffee and umming and ahhing about this crazy idea of ours, we arrived at the store with no booking but wanted to have a chat with the guys there. He said it was doable but he was waiting on another client and asked for us to come back later. We had some lunch and an hour later we called the shop to see if it's ok to see him but he told us that another person walked in and was currently getting a tattoo. He then told us to come back in another hour. What??!!? We though it must have been our destiny not to get a tattoo. Anyways, we went back at the new time and saw that the door was locked! Haha! We managed to get in soon after and got the ball rolling.

I decided to get a black outline of a cat on my left wrist. We had to get the sizing right a couple of times but it worked out in the end. The position of the cat is its ears pointing towards my elbow. Originally, I had it the other way around but our tattooist, Cosmo, said that then it would be upside down when I'm showing people - fair enough. Man, I could feel all of me sweating when Cosmo started the needle. I couldn't look at the tattoo being done otherwise I'd freak out so I kept myself distracted by talking. It did hurt but for me, it was manageable and it hurt more over some areas than others. I didn't like the sound of the needle either. The tattoo took about 15 minutes to complete. So fast! I was impressed with how Cosmo conducted his work. Ms GG got a different cat outline on her right wrist and a paw print behind her ear.

I was dreading the healing process of the tattoo. It started to scab about the second day and became a little itchy as well. I constantly rubbed Bepanthen Ointment (the nappy rash one) on it for about two weeks until the tattoo healed and stopped peeling.

Freshly tat-ed. Skin is raised and lines blurry.

3 months old. The black is less intense.

Please do your research before getting your tattoo - look at the cost, the equipment used, business reviews and other tattoos they've done. 

Inkful Sin Tattoo Studio

72-92 Suite 2 Alison Crescent

Menai NSW 2234

Welcome to the cat club!

Do you have or want to get a tattoo?