Deciding what tattoo to get is mostly a matter of slowing down. A tattoo is meant to last the rest of your life, and a sizable minority of people come to regret one, so the time spent choosing the design, the placement and the artist is the cheapest part of the whole process. This guide sets out a practical way to decide, uses survey data on why people get tattoos and how often they regret them, and flags the one popular way of testing a design that the FDA warns against.
What tattoo should I get? The short answer
Get a tattoo you have wanted for months rather than days, in a style a specific artist is good at, on a part of your body that suits how visible you want it to be. Test the idea on your skin with a stick-on or a drawing first. Then let the artist turn it into a design that will still read clearly in ten years.
How common tattoo regret is
Regret is common enough to plan around. A Pew Research Center survey of 8,480 US adults in July 2023 found that 32% have a tattoo, and 24% of those say they have ever regretted getting one or more. Among tattooed adults, 69% said honoring or remembering someone or something was a reason for at least one tattoo, 47% said making a statement about their beliefs, and 32% said improving their appearance.
Undoing a mistake is hard. The FDA describes permanent tattoos as designed to last a lifetime and difficult to remove, and laser removal takes a series of sessions without a guarantee of clear skin.
Choosing the design
Give the idea time
The simplest filter is time. If you still want the same design after several months of living with the idea, it is far more likely to be one you will keep wanting. An idea that changes every week is telling you something too.
Start from what it means to you
Meaning was the most common reason for tattoos in Pew’s survey, and a design tied to something that matters to you is easier to be sure about than one chosen because it is fashionable. That does not mean every tattoo needs a story. It means you should know why you want this one.
Check what the symbol means to other people
Look your design up before you commit. Symbols, numbers, words in languages you do not read and some imagery carry meanings you may not intend, and the time to find that out is before the stencil goes on. If there is text in another language, have it checked by a fluent speaker rather than a translation app.
Design for how tattoos age
Lines soften and details close up as a tattoo ages, which is why artists steer people away from tiny text and very fine detail. Bold outlines and simple shapes tend to stay readable longest. A good artist will tell you if your idea needs to be bigger or simpler to last, and it is worth listening.
Choosing where it goes
Placement decides three things you will live with: how much it hurts, who sees it, and how it ages.
- Visibility. Hands, fingers, neck and face cannot be covered by ordinary clothing. Think about work and any setting where that matters to you.
- Aging. Areas that get a lot of sun and friction are widely expected to fade sooner. Our finger tattoos guide covers what is and is not known about that, and our page on tattoos and weight change covers why the belly, hips and thighs are the areas most exposed to stretch marks.
- Skin. Scars need to be fully matured before they are tattooed over, and keloids are a reason to avoid tattooing altogether. Our guide to tattooing over scars goes through which ones can be tattooed.
- Healing. A tattoo under a waistband, a strap or on a hand gets rubbed and washed more while it heals, which makes aftercare more work.
Testing a design before you commit
Seeing a design on your skin for a week or two tells you more than looking at it on a screen. There are safe ways to do that and one to avoid.
- A printed stick-on temporary tattoo of your design, from a print shop or a custom temporary tattoo service.
- A drawing with a skin-safe marker, redrawn as it fades.
- A stencil test at the studio. Many artists will place the stencil so you can see size and position before any needle touches you.
The FDA also suggests trying a temporary tattoo on a less visible area before putting one on your face, which is sensible for any product you have not used before.
Choosing the artist
The artist matters more than the idea, because they decide how the idea becomes a tattoo. Artists specialize, and a brilliant fine-line artist may not be the right person for a traditional piece.
- Find artists whose portfolio is full of the style you want. One good example is not a specialty.
- Ask to see healed work, not only fresh photos. Healed tattoos show how the work actually ages.
- Check the studio is licensed where your state requires it. Many states license tattoo studios, and Texas, for example, offers an online license lookup for studios.
- Book a consultation. Bring your idea and your references, and listen to how they would change it.
- Expect hygiene you can see. Single-use needles, gloves, and a razor opened for you if the area needs shaving.
Before your appointment
Once the design and artist are settled, the last decisions are practical. Plan the appointment around the first two weeks of healing, when aftercare means no swimming and no strong sun, and have a fragrance-free soap and lotion at home before you go. Our best soap for tattoos page explains why the plain drugstore bar beats the soaps sold for tattoos.
Arrive with the area free of cuts, rashes and razor burn, and our page on tattoos and hair explains why most artists would rather do the shave themselves.
The verdict on choosing a tattoo
Choose a tattoo you have wanted for months, designed with an artist who specializes in that style, in a placement that suits your life and how the tattoo will age. Test it with a stick-on or a drawing, never black henna. With about a quarter of tattooed Americans reporting regret, the time spent deciding is time well spent.
FAQ
How do I decide what tattoo to get?
Start with an idea that means something to you, give it several months, and check what the imagery or text means to other people. Then find an artist who specializes in the style and let them adapt the design so it stays clear as it ages.
How long should I think about a tattoo before getting it?
There is no rule, but several months is a sensible minimum for a first tattoo. If you still want the same design after that long, you are far more likely to keep wanting it, and about a quarter of tattooed Americans report regretting at least one tattoo.
How do I choose a good tattoo artist?
Look for an artist whose portfolio is full of the style you want, ask to see photos of healed work, confirm the studio is licensed where that is required, and book a consultation to hear how they would approach your idea.
Is it OK to test a tattoo design with henna?
Not with black henna. The FDA says henna is approved only as a hair dye, and black henna often contains PPD, a hair dye ingredient not permitted in cosmetics applied to skin that can cause dangerous reactions. Use a printed stick-on temporary tattoo or a drawing instead.
Where is the best place for a first tattoo?
Somewhere you can cover if you want to, that does not get heavy friction or sun, and where the skin is healthy. The forearm, upper arm, calf and shoulder are common first choices for those reasons, but the right place is the one that suits your life.
What tattoos do people regret most?
The Pew survey measured how many people regret a tattoo, not which designs. What reliably helps is time before committing, choosing a design for its meaning to you, and checking what a symbol or phrase means before it goes on your skin.
Should I get a small tattoo first?
A small tattoo is a reasonable way to find out how you handle the process and the healing, but very small designs with fine detail tend to blur as they age. Small and simple works better than small and intricate.