How Much Do You Tip A Tattoo Artist?
How Much to Tip – If you decide to tip, the next step is to calculate exactly how much to add to the final tattoo price. The general consensus in the tattoo community is that 20 percent is the typical amount to tip — just like at a restaurant or a hair salon.
However, consider this number a baseline, as some tattoos require more or less work than others. Just like there is no one tattoo experience or price, there’s no one-size-fits-all tipping option. “The more you spend on the tattoo, the more you should tip, as they are putting more work into the piece,” says Fiore.
Weed, however, notes that there is one thing that every tattoo experience needs to have to warrant a tip: It needs to be great. Your artist is putting time into the behind-the-scenes of your tattoo, but it’s also their responsibility to ensure you’re comfortable and having a good time while it’s happening.
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How much do you tip for a tattoo?
If the tattoo price is $1000 you can tip 20% ($200) or 30% ($300) If the tattoo price is $1500 you can tip 20% ($300) or 30% ($450).
How much does it cost to get a tattoo?
Tipping the 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 will 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 regardless of how complex or how much time the tattoo took. However, for some people, even 10% of their total order is a little too much to ask.
With loans, rent, and bills, it is easy to see why people may struggle to pay a tip up front. And if you feel this is getting a little too relatable, then here is how you can still tip on a budget. Also See: Top 12 Tattoo Shops In New York City.
Why is tipping important for tattoo artists?
Tipping your tattoo artist is one of the cornerstones of tattoo etiquettes, and yes tattoo etiquette is a real thing. From your hygiene as a client to avoiding continuous remodeling of your tattoo while they are working, customers do not pay attention tattoo etiquette as much as most tattoo artists would like.
- However, the most overlooked etiquette is clients tipping their tattoo artists;
- While other etiquettes are obviously very important, like showering before getting a tattoo and not micromanaging your tattoo while they are working, tipping takes much higher precedence;
So before you go out to get your favorite tattoo, here is a little refresher on why you should tip your artist and how much should you give. 
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.
- Artists undoubtedly have to pay a lot of attention to each of their clients and deserve compensation for their services;
- Same as how a waiter deserves a tip for their service, tattoo artists also deserve it if not more;
If you don’t skip out on tipping a waiter for their service, you shouldn’t skip out on tipping your tattoo artist. Another 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 shops bills and for some of the utilities. Some artists even have to buy their own supplies, which makes this price cut understandably unfair. Finally, you want to leave a good impression on your tattoo artist in case you come back, and offering them a tip is one of the fastest ways to make them your friend.
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. Besides, the last thing that you would want is a tattoo artist who doesn’t like you.
Now that you understand why tipping, especially in the case of a tattoo artist, is so incredibly crucial, it’s time to take a look at how much should you pay them. Now there is no limit on big of a type that you can give your artist, obviously. If they truly stole your heart with their tattoo, then the sky is the limit.
- However, in most cases, you don’t have millions of dollars worth of pocket change to give to your artist freely, so you (and the artist) will have to settle for less;
- It is important to understand that you shouldn’t just hand them a tip of a few dollars for their services, as that can be a little disrespectful;
And while they might not say it out loud, they will silently judge you; hence why it is important for you to know the general etiquette to tipping a tattoo artist for their work.
What percentage of a tattoo artist’s earnings go back to the shop?
While we’ve previously touched on many other areas of tattoo etiquettes, from finding an artist to client hygiene, a topic that is frequently skipped over is tipping. This is because there is plenty of hot discussion within the tattoo community and the mainstream world at large about tipping a tattooer. 
Why You Tip a Tattooer Tipping is a huge factor in the tattoo process and there are several critical reasons why you should tip an artist for their services. First and foremost, many service industries, from restaurant to hairstyling to cab driving to bartending, feature tipping as an opportunity to thank the worker for their personalized service. Unlike buying groceries at a store, tattooing is a process that requires the artist to give unique and specialized attention to each one of their clients.
However, today we’re going through every step and question of the process to ensure that you leave feeling 100% confident about tipping etiquette. Let’s get started with discussing why tipping your artist is important in the first place.
An artist deserves to be compensated for going the extra mile with a tattoo that will last forever—much like a waiter or waitress deserves a tip for servicing a table of dinners. You wouldn’t skip out on tipping a waiter, therefore, tipping a tattoo artist shouldn’t be any different.
When evaluating the tipping process, it is also important to consider that your artist will not receive all of the money that you paid for your tattoo. Tattoo artists typically take away 30 to 70 percent of every tattoo’s earnings, with the rest going back to the shop.
The percentage taken by the shop helps pay for the shop’s rent and utilities, wages for shop managers or assistants and the monthly business taxes. And if that wasn’t enough, most artists fund all of their own supplies, from needles to ink, which adds up over time. 
How Much to Tip a Tattooer Now that you understand why you should tip a tattoo artist, then next question is how much you should tip. There’s no right answer for this question, however, most artists would agree that 15% is an appropriate minimum with 20% being the norm. Therefore, if you spent $200 flat on a tattoo, you a should tip between $30 and $50. Some clients will tip more than 20%, but most artists will be grateful with the standard amount.
- Lastly, if you plan on going to your artist again, it’s important to make a good impression on them and show that you value their services;
- An professional artist won’t hold it against you if you don’t tip, however, if you make the impression that you’re a good client then it will work in your favor as your build a relationship;
Additionally, cash or electronic tips are the way to go. This ensures that the artist receives 100% of their tip and in most shops, they’ll have you pay for your appointment in cash anyways. 
When to Tip a Tattooer You should tip your tattoo artist after the tattoo is complete. You wouldn’t tip a waiter before your meal, therefore you should wait after the tattoo is complete. It doesn’t matter if you pay for the appointment or tip the tattooer first, there is no right or wrong way to conduct this process. 
Are There Any Exceptions? While it is expected that you tip your artist, there may be a few special exceptions. For example, many shop owners don’t expect tips but this goes from person to person. You shouldn’t ask if they take a tip, because most people will say yes. In very rare cases, artists will accept gifts or services for tips, but we don’t recommend that anyone approach this option. 
Share Your Thoughts What do you think about tipping tattoo artists? Do you think tipping is outdated or a necessary part of the tattoo process? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section on Facebook..
