Inside: How Much to Tip a Tattoo Artist? Does it depend on the part of the country where you live?
Tipping plays a very large role in your tattoo process, more so than other types of services. Nearly all service-based industries have tipping as a way to show how much you appreciate a worker’s personalized service.
Jobs like cab driving, bartending, and hairstyling, just to name a few, very famously receive tips for their service.
So it only makes sense that you also tip tattoo artists who arguably work much harder than most of the services mentioned before.
Why Should You Tip a Tattoo Artist?
One reason why tipping is important for tattoo artists is that they do not receive all of the money that you pay them for their efforts. Much like in every service-based industry; service workers only receive a certain percentage of money for their services.
Tattoo artists often take somewhere between 30% and 70% of every tattoo’s earnings, as the rest goes back into the shop. These earnings help in paying the shop’s bills and for some of the utilities. Some artists even have to buy their own supplies, which makes this price cut understandably unfair.
Also, it’s very important to show that you appreciate your artist’s talents and their efforts so that they can show a lot more passion for your future projects.
How Much to Tip a Tattoo Artist
A much agreed-upon metric for tips among most tattoo artists at least 15% for their tattoos. So if your artist takes $150 an hour and works for four hours, your bill will be $600. But you will have to pay your artist at least $90(15%) as a tip for their efforts. Now, this is, of course, a tip for mid-priced tattoos but this 15% can look quite hefty on more expensive tattoos like those that cost over $1500 or $2000.
On $1500 alone, your 15% tip can look like $225, and this is not a price most people are willing to give. So on most orders that exceed $2000, tattoo artists will also accept a tip of 10% for the total bill as it can also make quite the hefty tip for the artist.
Now if you are someone who doesn’t want to go through the complexities of doing the math about how much you have to pay them, you can always give them a predetermined amount of money. Most clients tend to do this, as they give their artist a $100 tip regardless of how complex or how much time the tattoo took.
Can I Tip Them With Gifts?
Yes, you can, but not all artists are willing to accept a gift instead of money. So unless both of you reach a mutual agreement you can expect tipping in cash.
Can I Pay For My Tattoo With Gifts or Services?
Unless you know the artist on a personal level, no you cannot. And as a client, you shouldn’t make that offer, as it is very disrespectful for the artist.
What If I Can’t Afford Tipping Them?
Tipping is and always has been optional. If you have a genuine reason why you can’t tip or feel like the quality of the ink is not up to par, you can skip tipping them. Most artists are very understanding and do not make a big scene if you say no.
Tattoo Inspiration You’ll Love
- Elephant Tattoo Ideas: The largest land animal on Earth lives within a family that has strong ties to children, parents, and grandparents. Elephants bond for life and do not forget their tribe. The age-old idiom “elephants never forget” symbolizes the gift of memory. Elephants also have strong ties to Hindu culture. They are represented as the divine God Ganesha and are interpreted as having wisdom, luck, and prosperity. An elephant tattoo includes all of these meanings and more. They are especially good for someone who is in mourning as they symbolize divinity and memory.
- Pretty Hummingbird Tattoo Ideas: A popular subject in the tattoo world is the Hummingbird. It is a thing of beauty that has unique shapes and amazing abilities. Capturing those qualities in a tattoo can be really rewarding. Have a look at our list of the Prettiest Hummingbird Tattoo Ideas.
- Artistic Dragonfly Tattoo Ideas: Symbolizing transformations, change, and new life, the dragonfly is a tattoo design that will never go out of style. Adding lots of details with many lines and colors or opting for a more simple design, a dragonfly tattoo is beautiful. Whether you are in the midst of significant changes in your life or have experienced an awakening of some sort, a dragonfly tattoo is perfect for you. Don’t miss out on these stunning design ideas!