Tattoo Pain Thresholds |

Getting a tattoo involves an ink-filled needle repeatedly puncturing your skin. Consequently, it’s not unusual to wonder how much pain you should expect when considering a tattoo.  

As it turns out, pain is a highly subjective experience, and how much discomfort you feel while getting tattooed can depend on a couple of factors including your biological sex, pain tolerance, and most importantly — the area of your body getting tattooed.  Most of the data on tattoos and pain is anecdotal, but some general rules apply. 

Generally Less Painful |
Generally getting a tattoo on fleshy areas like the outer thigh is less sensitive to pain.

Generally More Painful |
Tattooing the more “Bony” Parts of the body such as the ribs or hands tend to be more sensitive

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much pain you’ll feel when getting tattooed. But if you’re wondering what type of pain to expect, the experience is comparable to the feeling of a cat scratch or a sunburn.