Tattoo and piercing questions, answered

Use the three-step form at /booking/. Pick an artist, describe the idea with placement, size and reference photos, then leave your name, phone and email. Your artist replies by text or email within two business days with a flat quote and open dates. Nothing is booked until you confirm a date with them.

Tony Asian usually books four to six weeks out. Zak Sadloski's wait depends on the size of the work in his queue, so ask when you send your request. Saturdays fill first, often three weeks ahead in summer, so a Tuesday through Thursday afternoon is the fastest way in.

No. Piercings with Rayna Lundvall are walk-in, Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 8, and there is no form to fill out online. Bring a government photo ID. If you want to plan a full ear or a specific placement first, you can still send a request through the booking form.

Choose "Any artist" in the first step of the booking form and describe the style you want. The shop matches the request to whoever fits it best: fine-line, script and botanical work usually goes to Tony, traditional, black and grey and cover-ups to Zak.

Yes. Give at least 48 hours notice by call or text to (401) 555-0100 and your deposit, if you paid one, moves to the new date. Inside 48 hours the deposit does not carry over. Appointments without a deposit can be moved the same way; we just ask for the notice.

$80. That is the floor for any tattoo, however small, because every piece needs the same setup, sterile single-use needles and cleanup. A one-inch heart and a two-inch date in script both start there. Most small fine-line pieces under two inches are quoted right at the minimum.

No. Every tattoo at Irish Rose is quoted flat per piece, from your description, placement, size and reference photos. The number you are quoted is the number you pay, whether the session runs long or short. There is no clock running in the chair and no surprise at the counter.

Only on work quoted over $500. The deposit is $50 minimum, non-refundable, and comes off the final price on the day. It moves with you if you reschedule at least 48 hours ahead. Anything quoted at $500 or under needs no deposit at all.

Pieces under two inches are $80. Palm-sized work usually lands between $150 and $350. A forearm botanical runs $400 to $750, and a half sleeve starts at $900. Those are typical ranges; your actual quote comes from your artist after they see the idea and the placement.

Piercings are $40 to $70 plus jewelry. A lobe is $40, helix or forward helix $50, conch $55, daith or rook $60, and an industrial $70. Jewelry starts at $35 in implant-grade titanium and $90 in 14k solid gold. The price includes a free downsize check at six to eight weeks.

Card, tap to pay and cash all work. Rhode Island sales tax applies to jewelry and aftercare products only, not to the service. Tipping is appreciated and never required; 15 to 20 percent is common for tattoos, and piercers are usually tipped a few dollars.

Tony Asian does fine-line, single needle, script, micro-realism and botanical work. Zak Sadloski does American traditional, black and grey, cover-ups and large-scale pieces like sleeves and back work. If your idea sits between styles, describe it in the booking form and the shop will tell you who fits it.

18, with a valid government photo ID. Irish Rose does not tattoo anyone under 18, even with a parent present and signed consent. Piercings have different age rules, and a parent can bring a younger teen in for those; the piercing questions cover the details.

The surface heals in two to four weeks. The deeper layers keep settling after that, which is why a tattoo can look cloudy for a while. Stay out of pools, the ocean, baths and hot tubs for the full four weeks, and wear SPF 30 or better on it for life.

Often, yes. Zak Sadloski handles cover-ups. Send clear photos of the old tattoo in daylight with the booking form, or come in for a free consultation. He will tell you plainly what can go over it, how much bigger and darker the new piece needs to be, and whether laser lightening first would help.

Within 90 days, yes, if the tattoo healed light and you followed the aftercare sheet. Hands, feet and fingers are excluded because skin there sheds ink no matter what you do. After 90 days, touch-ups are quoted from $80.

Every tattoo softens, and fine lines soften sooner because there is less ink. Tony sizes lettering so it stays legible at ten years and keeps lines at least 2 mm apart. He will say so when a design is too small to hold up, especially on fingers. Sunscreen does the rest.

Never. Rayna Lundvall pierces with sterile, single-use needles only. A needle removes a clean channel of tissue instead of forcing blunt jewelry through it, which heals faster and with less swelling. Guns cannot be fully sterilized and their studs are the wrong length and shape for cartilage.

ASTM F-136 implant-grade titanium or 14k solid gold, threadless, internally polished. Titanium basics run $35 to $60 and gold ends start at $90. Nothing plated, nothing acrylic, nothing mystery-metal. Rayna sizes the post long enough to allow for swelling, which is why a downsize check follows.

Lobes from age 8 with a parent or guardian present and photo ID for both of you. Other piercings from 16 to 17 need a parent or guardian present, with both IDs. Nipple and genital piercings are 18 and over only, no exceptions.

Lobes take six to eight weeks. Septum takes two to three months, nostril four to six months. Cartilage such as helix, conch, daith and rook takes six to twelve months, and an industrial nine to twelve. Navel and nipple piercings take six to twelve months. Healing times vary with care and anatomy.

Your first post is longer to leave room for swelling. Once the swelling is down, usually at six to eight weeks, Rayna swaps it for a shorter one so it stops snagging and sits straight. The check is free with every piercing; walk in during shop hours and she will look at it.

9 East Ave, Unit A, Westerly, RI 02891. There is lot parking right out front. From Pawcatuck it is five minutes over the Pawcatuck River bridge, from Misquamicut eight, from Watch Hill ten, and from Mystic about twelve minutes east on Route 1.

Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 8. Closed Sunday and Monday. Tattoos are by appointment; piercings are walk-in any time the shop is open, though the last hour can get busy on Saturdays. Call or text (401) 555-0100 during hours if you want to check the wait.

A valid government photo ID: a driver's license, state ID or passport. Connecticut and other out-of-state IDs are fine. If you are under 18 and getting pierced, your parent or guardian needs their own photo ID too, along with yours.

Yes. Irish Rose is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and inspected every year. Every artist holds bloodborne-pathogen certification. Needles are sterile and single-use, reusable tools are cleaned and run through an autoclave, and surfaces are disinfected between every client.

Eat a real meal an hour or two before, drink water, and get a decent night's sleep. Skip alcohol for 24 hours beforehand. Wear clothing that gives easy access to the placement, and bring your ID and any reference photos you have not already sent.