FAQs

What are your hours?

Beginning soon, we will have winter and summer hours. These will be announced shortly. If you are ever unsure of our hours, please call 613-687-5250 to verify.

How old do I have to be to get a tattoo or piercing?

You must be 18 years of age to get a tattoo. If you are 16 or 17 years old, you may still get a tattoo, however, you will need to have your parent sign for you.

You must be 16 years of age to get a piercing. If you are 15 years old, you may still get a piercing, however, you will need your parent to sign for you. We do not pierce children’s earlobes nor will we perform dermal anchors on anyone under 18 years of age. We also do not pierce female nipples under 18 years of age.

Do I need ID? What kinds of ID do you accept?

You must always have ID with you, no matter what your age. We accept valid Driver’s Licence, Passport, Age of Majority Card, or Birth Certificate with Student Card or CAC card. We cannot accept Health Cards. If you are underage, both you and your parent must present appropriate ID. If your last names do not match, you will need to provide supporting documentation that they are your parent. This documentation must have both your name and your parent’s name on it as the names appear on your IDs. Such documentation can be Custody Agreements, an extended Birth Certificate, or a Baptismal Certificate.

Do I need an appointment?

Tattooing is mostly by appointment, however walk-ins are sometimes available. Piercing is done on a walk-in basis, although you must be here at least half an hour before the piercer’s shift ends so that there is time to perform the piercing. Please call ahead to ensure someone is available.

How do I take care of my tattoo or piercing?

We have tried-and-true healing methods. Thorough aftercare will be explained to you after your tattoo or piercing is completed. Please follow the instructions we give you. If at any time you have any concerns or questions, please call or stop in.

Is there anything I should do before getting a tattoo or piercing?

Please be sure you have eaten within the previous 4 hours before getting a tattoo or piercing. This will help your body deal with the shock of having a tattoo or piercing done. If you do not eat ahead of time, you may feel light-headed or nauseous due to lowered blood sugar levels, which can be amplified by the emotional and physical stress of getting a tattoo or piercing. If you are sick, you clean up your own puke!

Proper hygiene is also important. Please be sure you are nice and clean! Wear appropriate clothing. Something comfortable is always best. If you are shy, be sure to wear something that covers you so that you feel comfortable.

Do not use any freezing agents. These products affect the surface of your skin, changing the texture, which can make the area more difficult to work with and impede proper healing. We can tell, and we will rebook you or relocate the tattoo/piercing. If tattoos or piercings were that painful, no one would ever go through with it. Everyone has different levels of pain tolerance so some people will find some areas more uncomfortable than others. In the end though, part of the process of being tattooed or pierced is going through any discomfort that may occur – Earn your ink or piercing!

What is your policy on drugs and alcohol?

Do not consume alcohol or partake in street drugs before coming. You will not be tattooed or pierced if you have done so. Some medical conditions and medicine disclosure is required. In some instances, we may need a doctor’s note before performing a tattoo or piercing to ensure that your health will not be compromised due to a pre-existing medical condition.

Are there any times when I should not be tattooed or pierced?

• You should never be tattooed or pierced if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If there are ever any complications, no matter how slight the risk, your baby could be affected. No tattoo or piercing is ever worth endangering your child’s health and well-being. Also, your body is already working over-time in these situations so any added stress to your body is not recommended.
• You should also not be tattooed or pierced if you are sick or recovering from surgery. Again, in these situations your body is already stressed and trying to heal itself. There is no need to increase the amount of stress on your body, and in most cases, your body will focus on healing the larger trauma and not on the tattoo or piercing. Also we do not want any of your germs! If you are ill, stay at home so that you do not spread your illness here!
• If you are a female, you may choose not to be tattooed or pierced during your menstrual cycle. Many women are more sensitive during this time, which can make the process more uncomfortable, and it can take a little longer for your tattoo or piercing to heal if you get tattooed or pierced during this time.
• If you are planning on taking a trip or partaking in an activity during the healing time that may affect the aftercare of your tattoo or piercing. There is no swimming, sun tanning, or hot-tubbing for the first couple of weeks with tattoos, or couple of months with piercings, so a trip down South probably won’t be much fun if you can’t participate in these activities due to a healing tattoo or piercing. Also, if you know you will be going for surgery, ensure that your piercing will be fully healed at the time of your appointment as you will need to remove the jewelry and this is not recommended for a healing piercing.

What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept cash, debit, Visa, Mastercard, and Amex.

What are your rates?

For tattooing, our rates vary by artist. Genny and Liz are $125 per hour, Velvet is $140 per hour, and Ivan is $150 per hour. There is a minimum rate for anything that takes less than an hour. Genny and Liz’s minimum rate is $100, Velvet's is $120, and Ivan’s is $130. Tattooing prices include all taxes.

For piercing, the rates vary from $40 to $100. Piercing prices include the taxes and jewelry.

Do you require down payments?

We always require a down payment while booking an appointment. For the down payment, we require half of the total estimated cost of the tattoo. If you are getting a larger piece that will take multiple sessions, you must leave a deposit of half of the time booked for that appointment. Down payments are non-refundable and we require three working days notice if you are unable to make your appointment otherwise you will lose your deposit. If there is a last-minute emergency, we do understand but you will need to bring documentation to support why you were not able to make your appointment (for example, a Doctor’s note, letter from your superior, etc).

How much time do you recommend booking for a tattoo?

The amount of time you should book for a tattoo varies depending on the piece and yourself. Please do not book any more time than you can sit for or afford. Smaller pieces can usually be finished in one sitting and larger ones will require multiple sittings.

Do you do custom pieces?

We actually prefer to do custom pieces. Please bring along any reference material when booking your appointment to help direct us as to what you are looking at getting. If there is art to be done before booking an actual tattoo appointment, we do require an art deposit. Art deposits, depending on the piece, vary between $20 to $100. These deposits are also non-refundable, however once you book your tattoo appointment, the art deposit is then moved over as part of the tattoo deposit.

When an art appointment is made, your art is usually ready to view within the week, depending on how much artwork the artist has at that time. You will be given a definite date to come back and view the artwork. If any changes need to be made at this point, they can be. If in the end you decide not to get the tattoo done, your deposit has been earned by the artist for time put in.

What if I want changes made to my artwork?

That’s not a problem, however we will not do changes the day-of as appointments are only booked for a certain length of time and there may not be enough time to complete the tattoo in that case. Also, some changes may change the price of your tattoo. You will be notified if this is the case.

If you continue to make major changes to your piece (for example, if you originally want a lily but then change it to a unicorn, then to a frog), we will ask you to come back when you are serious about getting a tattoo done. Ensure you know what you want! We won’t waste your time if you don’t waste ours!

Can artwork leave the shop?

We will only allow artwork to leave the shop if it is paid for in full (the full price of the completed tattoo). The reason is that you could take the artwork to another tattoo shop and have another artist complete the piece, resulting in our artist being out money for his/her work.

There is also no photography/recording allowed of artwork for the same reason as above. This is stealing. This applies to ‘flash’ sheets as well as we have paid to reproduce these pieces. Flash sheets are tattoo designs that are mass-produced and commercially sold to tattoo shops to use either as ready-to-go tattoos or as reference for custom pieces.

Do you allow children in the shop?

We do not allow children in the shop as the shop is not an environment for children. There are images and language that may not be appropriate.

What happens if my tattoo needs touch-ups?

We always ask that you stop by within a few weeks of getting a tattoo done so that we can see how it is healing and we will then tell you if we need to do some touch-ups on the piece. Touch-ups are free of charge, unless you do something to affect the healing of your tattoo (for example, sun-tanning, swimming too soon, picking any scabs, etc as these activities can lead to colour loss). Some areas of the body usually always need touch-ups, such as the top of the foot and the hand.

Do you use sterilized equipment? Do you re-use needles?

We most definitely sterilize! We use an autoclave, the Midmark M7 Speedclave. We perform bi-weekly spore tests that are sent to an independent lab for processing and the report is then sent back to us confirming that our sterilizer is working properly. We keep these reports on file and send a copy to the Health Unit. We also insert sterilization strips into every package we sterilize. We sterilize our tubes, grip covers, and piercing tools between every use. We use pre-sterilized, single-use needles. We will NEVER re-use a needle. Not only is it unhygienic, but the needles become ‘dull’ after being used. Needles are disposed of in sharps containers in front of you. We also sterilize jewelry before it is used in a piercing. If something cannot be sterilized between use, such as ink caps, dental bibs, etc, it is disposed of. Between every client, our work areas are also sanitized using Percept.

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