Find answers here for the most common questions about bookings, prices and how-to’s
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday
from 12 to 7. We have a minimum age of 18.
Make a booking
or to get info, contact us or drop by the studio. We ask a non-refundable deposit to book.
We have space for walk ins daily. Drop by.
Our starting price is €100,-
Different styles are different in how much time they take, thus how much they cost. When you email we can let you know the price estimate for your chosen project and artist. Let us know if you have a limited budget and we can tell you what the possibilities are.
Friends
or family can not come with you to your appointment. We are a private studio and have no waiting area.
Our aim is to keep the work process pure and a collaboration between you and your tattooer. You need to move as little as possible and your tattooer wants to focus on giving you the best tattoo possible.
Before you get tattooed
It is good to have some food or bring a snack. Be clean. Be on time, so not too early and not too late.
Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothes for the part you are getting tattooed on. Bring a top or shorts if necessary, so the artist will have good access to the area to be tattooed. To stay warm and/or for modesty a cardigan is handy.
Emails
that are urgent will be answered as soon as they come in and we are on the email (not on Sundays). Other emails take up to 3 days for a response, depending on your chosen artist and how far booked they are.
Best not and don't
drink alcohol the night before or take aspirin, because these make your blood thinner, so will cause more bleeding, which will mean loss of ink pigments
For health reasons you can’t get tattooed while pregnant or breastfeeding.
After the tattoo
A new tattoo is similar to an abrasion. Poor and unhygienic care can cause infections and scar tissue. Infections can lead to a less beautiful tattoo. We will give you instructions about the aftercare. Follow these as closely as you can.
Be aware that a tattoo is handwork, much like a silkscreen print or pottery. Slight imperfections are part of the medium. All skin is different and takes ink differently. Don’t expect a tattoo to look and age as a digital generated image
Custom design
It is good to research your design idea. That way you can give your artist all the information necessary for your tattoo (this does not mean a 2 page life story, deep meanings, etc., but a clear description on the visual aspect).
We will give you feedback and advise when necessary.
Don’t wait until you see your design to communicate all the things you want and don’t want. It is important that you do this upfront.
We strive to put in all the details you request, but our main objective is to make a beautiful design that will suit the intended body part.
If you’re happy to give your artist a lot of room to interpret your idea, that is great, we like that too.
Guestartists
are responsible for their own work. We provide them solely with a space to work and assistance. Please contact them to make a booking or with questions.
Tattoo aftercare
Learn the best way to care for a minimal or a heavier tattoo.
Second skin aftercare
Second skin is self adhesive and good to heal minimal tattoos with little shading and/or thinner lines.
– Let the second skin stay on your tattoo for 3 days. You can shower and do everything you normally do.
If the tattoo is still red on the next day remove the second skin.
– The easiest way to remove it is under a warm shower. You can then wash it straight away with mild non-perfume soap. Then carefully pat it dry with a clean towel or paper towel and apply with clean hands a thin layer of vaseline or a creme with a CE marking.
– Your tattoo will take from 1 to 2 weeks to heal. In that time wash and apply cream twice a day.
– Wear no wool on your fresh tattoo, it will irritate it.
– After a few days your tattoo can start peeling and sometimes have some light scabs. Don’t pick and don’t scratch! When it really starts to heal, your tattoo will itch a lot. This is a good sign, but again no scratching.
– When it is healed, keep your tattoo out of the sun as much as possible. This will keep the tattoo much nicer over a long period of time. The colors will stay brighter and the lines won’t grow so much.
If you have questions about the healing please don’t hesitate to email us. Don’t take advise from friends. If you are concerned about the healing, always see a doctor.
Plastic wrap aftercare
On heavier tattoos with lots of shading and/or color, plastic wrap is the best aftercare cover for your tattoo.
– Leave the wrap plastic on till the next morning.
– Wash your tattoo with a mild, non perfume soap in the morning and evening. Dry by patting gently with a clean towel or paper towel and apply with clean hands a thin layer of vaseline or a creme with a CE marking.
– For the next 3 days put plastic wrap over the tattoo, after washing and applying the creme. This protects it from rubbing and irritation by clothes, pethairs and other general little particals.
– Your tattoo will take from 1 to 2 weeks to heal. In that time wash and apply cream twice a day.
– Washing and taking a shower is fine, but don’t soak the tattoo by taking a bath, sauna, swimming or a really long shower for two weeks.
– Wear no wool on your fresh tattoo, it will irritate it.
– After a few days your tattoo can start peeling and sometimes have some light scabs. Dont’t pick and don’t scratch! When it really starts to heal, your tattoo will itch a lot. This is a sign of healing.
– When it is healed, keep your tattoo out of the sun as much as possible. This will keep the tattoo much nicer over a long period of time. The colors will stay brighter and the lines won’t grow so much.
The risks of getting tattooed
The application of tattoos involves risks, so please make sure you inform your tattoo artist if you take medication or if you have skin problems, allergies, epilepsy or hyper-sensitivity. Furthermore, see www.veiligtatoeerenenpiercen.nl to make sure the studio where you want to get tattooed is licensed. Above all, this permit indicates that the studio operates in accordance with the hygiene guidelines of the National Centre for Hygiene and Safety. It is best to make sure you are well rested and have eaten.
Do not apply a tattoo:
– if you had plastic surgery or radiation in the past year in the same area.
– on a scar that is less than a year old.
– in a area that has been tattooed less than six weeks ago.
– where you have been lasered less than three months ago or where the laser wound has not yet healed.
– on irritated skin such as bumps, dark moles or swelling.
– under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
– when pregnant or breastfeeding.
In addition,
it is not recommended to have a tattoo if you have one of the following conditions:
– diabetes
– haemophilia
– chronic skin disease
– allergy to tattoo materials or ink
– immune disorder
– cardiovascular abnormalities
If you have any of these conditions, please talk to your doctor first. Even more if you also use anticoagulants or antibiotics.
Making the tattoo:
A tattoo is basically a wound and therefore a potential risk for transmitting diseases via blood, such as hepatitis B and C. A tattoo artist needs to works hygienically to minimise these risks. A hygienic way of working is also important to prevent your new tattoo from getting infected. Make sure that:
-before tattooing the skin is cleaned, disinfected and optionally shaved with a new disposable razor blade;
-needles and ink are in sterilized pouches and are only used for you and that the needles are packed individually.
-clean tissues are used during tattooing to clean the skin.
-your tattoo artist is wearing gloves and replaces them if he or she touches something other than the tattoo machine, a tissue or your skin;
-the finished tattoo is taken care of and covered.
Aftercare:
Above all, a new tattoo is similar to an abrasion, so keep in mind that poor care and unhygienic treatment can cause wound infections and scar tissue. Consequently, infections can lead to a less beautiful tattoo. If you take care of the tattoo well, it takes two to six weeks until the tattoo is healed. The tattooer will give you written instructions about the aftercare. Read these carefully and follow them as closely as possible.
Please direct any questions you have to your tattooer or ask your doctor.
Read below for info on possible reactions.
Possible reactions
Tattooing is basically to put a foreign substance, ink, under your skin. Since everyones body and skin is different and reacts differently to being tattooed, you have to keep in mind that situations can occur, like bruising or infection for instance. On rare occasions the body can have reactions like blowouts, pooling or an allergy, these reactions can be mild or severe.
This is an important part of tattoo health risks information. In other words, you have to be aware that these things can happen and it is not always something that your artist can prevent. We can not be held accountable for anomalies, but we are certainly available for advise and to help you find a solution. If you worry about the healing of your tattoo the best thing to do is, firstly, to drop by Salon Serpent asap, the second best option is to write us an email or see a doctor.
Allergy
People can get allergies to almost anything and an allergy can come and it can also go. If people have an allergy to tattoo ink it is most often the color red. The reaction of your body will be that it wants to get rid of this ink, consequently it can give you a variety of symptoms from itching to raising of the skin to the tattoo not healing.
On some people the ink will fade and the symptoms with it. In very rare cases it can cause problems for years. Taking antihistamines will often give (temporary) relief. Contact us at salonserpenttattoo@gmail.com if you suspect an allergy and we will try to help you find a solution.
Blow out
A blow out is a burst of ink coming usually from a tattooed line and can be seen straight after the tattooing. This happens if the needle goes in just a little too deep. On some parts of the body where the skin is thin or bones/joints are very close to the surface this can happen easily.
Rash
It is possible find a rash on your fresh tattoo. Think small little bumps, like goosebumps and they could be slightly red in color. Specifically this will happen only in the first few days. Changes are high you have been healing it with plastic wrap and creme or an ointment.
Clearly you’ve done nothing wrong, but a rash usually means irritation of the skin and this can either come from the creme or the plastic wrap or can be a result of the combination of the two. In which case you most likely have a sensitive skin. The best thing you can do now is stop using creme and keep it dry and on top of that, no more plastic wrap.
Bruising
For certain skin types bruising is common and happens often. People with these skin types usually are aware of this. It is good to know that some areas of the body bruise more easily. For instance around the collar bones is a notorious spot where bruising can sometimes even happen seconds after it being tattooed. Most noteworthy is that it happens often but it is nothing to worry about.
Pooling
Pooling looks like a faded blue cloud behind and surrounding the tattoo. At first it might look like a bruise, but contrary to that it will not disappear after a few days like a bruise would.
This pooling happens rarely and if it does, mostly on women’s upper inner arms and upper inner thighs. There is not much muscle tissue there, mostly connective and fatty tissue. We do not know exactly why this happens. It seems like it is more likely to happen if the tattoo holds a lot of black ink.
Infection
You want to avoid getting an infection at all costs. It is never good, but if spotted early on it can be turned around. You can do this by washing the tattoo with disinfecting soap 3 times a day and refrain from using any creme or ointment. The goal is to keep it dry, as bacteria like warm, moist, greasy environments. Mild infections will show as a thin red line around your fresh tattoo and feel warmer then the surrounding tissue.
Serious infections will need a doctors attention. If the tattoo is throbbing, oozing white fluid, is swollen, red and/or whitish [like it has been soaked in water for too long] stop using creme and ointment and see a doctor. Something as simple as touching a healing tattoo with your hands without washing them first can give you an infection. Be overly clean and careful with your healing tattoo.