policies & frequently asked questions
Please take a moment to read through my tattoo policies, in order to answer some common questions and streamline the booking process. For any further questions or clarification please feel free to email me. I’m always happy to help.
+ LILLINKARINTATTOO@GMAIL.COM +
+++++++++++++
-
You can now request an appointment or join the waitlist at any time!
I reply to requests every few days, so you’ll typically get a response quickly.
I release dates about 2-3 months at a time, so if you do not see the months you are looking for, check back closer in to request an appointment.
If all current space is full, you’ll be able to join a waitlist. I’m usually able to get to people the next booking cycle!
Please sign up for my newsletter to be notified when new appointment dates are added, merch is released, travel and flash days are announced, etc.
-
I am happy to schedule a consultation for your tattoo if you think it would be helpful to best communicate your goals - or if you’d just like to say hi before we work together!
Once we have an appointment (we have agreed on a date and a deposit is paid), we can schedule a free, 15-minute video appointment for planning.
-
To book any time slot, all appointments require a deposit.
Deposits come off the total cost of your tattoo at the time of your appointment (or the last session of a larger project), but they are strictly non-refundable in the event that you miss your appointment or choose not to get tattooed. If you need to reschedule, simply let me know and we will make a plan.
Most appointments - $150 deposit
Large Scale Work (Sleeves, Backpieces, Etc.) - $250 deposit
Flash / Flash Days - $50 deposit
-
Rescheduling with 5 or more days notice - your deposit will roll to the new appointment date.
Rescheduling with less than 5 days notice, or rescheduling two or more times - results in forfeiture of deposit, and require a second deposit to re-book. Please understand that this is not to be mean or strict - just to protect my time and ensure that I am not completely unpaid for scheduled work time that falls through, and subsequent back & forth / admin time needed to reschedule the date.
If I need to reschedule - Please bear in mind that I am just one person working for myself, and sometimes need to reschedule appointments for health or family reasons. I know this can be inconvenient or disappointing - please know that I feel the same way! In the event that I need to reschedule an appointment I will give as much notice as possible and fit you back into the schedule as soon as possible. I appreciate your understanding!
-
Small Stuff : $250-500
Under 2 hours of tattoo time
$250 minimum for all tattoos
Fit into my schedule as time is available
Half-Day Rates : $250/hour
Between $500-875 total
Maximum of ~3 1/2 hours of tattoo work per hourly half-day session
Full Day Rate : $1200 flat rate
Covers a full work day - my start time is 11am, and my end time is 7pm at the latest.
Time includes stenciling, a lunch break, stretch breaks, and up to 6 hours of tattooing.
Any following half-day sessions needed to finish a project will be charged hourly.
If you are working with a set budget, please let me know. If your proposed idea exceeds your budget, we can work together to scale back your idea to try and better meet your budget. This usually means making the proposed idea smaller, or reducing the level of detail in the piece.
-
Half Day Rate : reduced to $200/hour (20% off)
Up to ~3 ½ hours of tattoo time
Full Day Rate : $600-1200 sliding scale (0-50% off)
0-50% reduction
Up to 4-6 hours of tattoo time
Covers a full work day - start time is 11am, end time is 7pm at the latest.
Time includes stenciling / drawing, a lunch break, stretch breaks, and anywhere from 4-6 hours of tattoo time.
Any half-day sessions needed to finish a project will be charged hourly.
Your day rate can be different for different sessions, as your circumstances change.
ONLY FOR :
¾ sleeves, full sleeves
full chests
full backpieces or frontspieces
full-color work larger than 9×12”
-
Sliding scale clients are welcome to pay 50-100% of my normal rates, or $125-250/hour.
This offering is open to clients who hold identities outside of white/cis/able experience. This includes anyone who is BIPOC, POC, trans/two-spirit/intersex, and disabled folks. Please use this visual guide as a starting point to figure out where you might land in a sliding scale system.
I can currently budget for 2 sliding scale appointments per month. Clients can opt-in to the sliding scale wait list while requesting an appointment on my usual form. If I am currently fully booked for sliding scale, clients requesting sliding scale will be added to a wait list & contacted when new spots open up.
-
All quotes are given based on your tattoo and how long it takes to complete. So in order to give an accurate price quote, I need detailed information about the tattoo you have in mind - the size, the location, black & grey vs. color.
Once I have a sense of what you're looking to get, I will be able to give you a general time & price range. It is often not possible to tell in advance exactly how much time and work your tattoo will take, so a final cost will be calculated once we have completed your tattoo. We will never exceed the quote you have been given, without expressly talking about it firsthand.
*** Quotes are only for tattoo time and do not include sales tax. If you plan to pay by card or Venmo, please plan for sales tax & processing fees (card - NYC 4.5% + 3% digital payment processing fee, Venmo - card - NYC 4.5% + 2% digital payment processing fee).
*** Check here for some rough outlines of what different tattoos might cost.
-
While cash is still strongly preferred, I am now taking card and Venmo payments, for those who prefer it.
Please note that card and venmo payments will incur sales tax & fees. Quotes given are for the tattoo time only, and do not include sales tax figures.
Card - +12% (7.5% processing fee + 4.5% NYC sales tax)
Venmo - +11% (6.5% processing fee + 4.5% NYC sales tax)
It is customary practice to tip your tattooer for their services, like you would tip a restaurant, bartender, or nail salon. There is no set "rule" for tipping, and anything is appreciated greatly, but never expected. People most commonly tip between 15-30% for their tattoo session, as at least half of your tattoo costs go towards your artist paying shop rent, NYC sales & income taxes (about 40% of profits for self-employed people!), and supply costs. Cash tips are always appreciated. ⋆˙⟡
-
Like many tattooers, I do not email drawings or drafts before your appointment time. Your drawing will be made ready for the time of your appointment, but not before. I schedule my appointments with plenty of cushion time, so if you ask for changes to your drawing (like the size, content, small details or edits) we will have time to do so at the time of your appointment. Depending on time constraints, asking for extensive re-drawing may result in rescheduling, so that neither your drawing nor your tattoo feel rushed.
If you are coming in for a large-scale tattoo (full back, sleeve, full front, etc.) , I might* email a draft to you a few days ahead of time. If so, this will give you an opportunity to request changes in advance, if you need. I will then email a revised draft the night before your appointment, and if you ask for changes after the second draft, I do reserve the right to ask an additional $100 drawing fee, and potentially reschedule your session so that neither of us feel rushed.
*I will let you know while setting up your appointment if I think I will be sending a draft in advance. It’s not something I do every time, depending on a few different factors. Rest assured that even if I don’t send a draft in advance, time is built into all appointments to make minor changes to composition and detail in a project.
-
Estuary - 546 Johnson Ave, # 430, Brooklyn NY, off the Morgan Ave L
I send out an appointment prep list about 10 days prior with specific tips and advice for preparing for your tattoo. General vibe is - sleep well, eat well, and take care of your body for the week leading up to your appointment.
-
If you know or suspect that you might need physical / sensory / social accommodations for your appointment, please check out my accessibility page for details about our space and practice - Lillin-Karin.com/accessibility You can then email me directly with any requests to make sure we’re on the same page before your appointment. It is extremely important to me to create as much access and accomodations as possible for clients, so please don’t hesitate to make requests.
-
If you arrive 30 or more minutes late to your appointment, I reserve the right to reschedule your time slot if I need to, based on my schedule for the day.
No call / no shows or same-day cancellations on the day of your tattoo will result in forfeiture of your deposit. If you think you will run late, PLEASE EMAIL TO LET ME KNOW! It’s New York, lateness happens. If you don't give me a heads up I may think you're not coming at all and leave for the day! I generally wait 30 minutes for someone to show up before assuming it’s not happening.
-
New Tattoo?
Touch-ups are free within one year of the tattoo, and must be scheduled in advance. If you would like to come in for a touch up, please fill out this form and I’ll get back to you shortly. Any touch-ups scheduled after a year will incur a small supply fee. If due to extenuating circumstances you cannot come in within a year let me know and I will do my best to accommodate.
Old tattoo?
I love to see and refresh older tattoos I have done! If you have a tattoo that is 5-10 years old and needs a little revisit, please feel free to reach out and schedule something. Depending on what needs to be done, I often do this for free, or at a steeply discounted hourly rate.