A tattoo artist has shared the four circumstances in which she would cancel someone’s appointment and not return their deposit – but some have claimed she’s too harsh
Getting a tattoo is a big commitment – but there are some situations where it’s just not safe.
Tattoos are a great way to express yourself, and many people put a lot of thought into every design they choose to have inked on their skin. Not all tattoos need to have meaning, but most of us will at least consider the placement of the design, even if we choose to have a tattoo for fun rather than for a significant meaning.
One tattoo artist, however, has said that some circumstances would cause her to cancel a client’s appointment – even after they’ve arrived at the parlour. A fine-line artist named Tamsin posted a video on TikTok in which she said that you must make sure your skin is in good condition before your appointment as if you turn up on the day and your artist can’t tattoo you, you could end up losing your deposit.
First, Tamsin explained that she cannot tattoo anyone who has sunburn on the area they want their ink. She said she “can’t tattoo over it” and won’t even try, as she knows it will be “so painful” for the client and the tattoo won’t heal properly because of how skin peels.
Another skin-related problem that could see you lose your deposit is having “active acne” or eczema on the area you want tattooed. Tamsin said: “I can’t tattoo over it, it won’t heal well. It won’t heal at all; [the ink] won’t be in your skin. It’s not doable. If you are not willing to get your tattoo in a different placement, you can’t get your tattoo at all.”
Third on the tattoo artist’s list were people who show up to their appointment drunk or “on any kind of substance”. She said that it might sound “obvious”, but she has to turn these clients away because they “cannot give consent for a tattoo”, which would “open up a whole can of worms” for the tattoo parlour.
And finally, Tamsin said she would cancel an appointment if a client was so picky that “no stencil placement” was good enough. She insisted that it would take a lot for her to cancel under these circumstances but noted: “I am very patient when it comes to things like that. I will replace a stencil as many times as you need, but if it’s getting to the point where there are no more positions I can possibly do, and I’m questioning whether you even want the tattoo, I’m not going to do it.”
Commenters on the video were split, however, as some people raised concerns about Tamsin making clients lose the deposit for having an acne breakout – especially as that’s not something people can control. But Tamsin insisted that if people email ahead of time to reschedule, then they won’t lose their money.
One person said: “Do you lose your deposit if you had an acne eczema break out randomly? That wouldn’t seem right to me because that’s completely unavoidable.” And another added: “Curious, you said for the sunburn one they lose the deposit (100% agree) but what about acne? Because that’s not like something they could’ve avoided?”
Tamsin responded: “So if someone shows up with an acne flare-up and didn’t even email me to let me know then yes, as I’ve already spent money coming into work/setting up etc. If they email ahead to reschedule, it’s fine.”
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