Frequently Asked Questions
INFECTION CONTROL - IMPORTANT INFORMATION: YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY
All people who enter the studio are required to wear a N95/ P2 mask, including for consultations. We are happy to provide one of these masks to you, at no cost. We have a HEPA filter air purifier operating in the studio at all times and there is mechanical ventilation in operation (ducted reverse-cycle air conditioner) as well as fresh air (open window) ventilation throughout the stair wells. We aim to provide a safe space for all people who enter the studio and follow a very high standard of health and safety protocols to support this.
If at anytime within the 7 days prior to your appointment (consult or tattoo) you become a close contact with someone who has is unwell with any signs of cold, flu or other illness (even if you have tested negative to COVID), please let us know as we may need to cancel your appointment and rebook for another time. If you have tested positive to COVID or have had the flu or an infection within 21 days prior to your booking, please let us know so that we can reschedule your appointment. We do this to protect our own health, the health of our families, and the health of our clients. Furthermore, you will risk not healing well if you undergo tattooing while you are unwell or your body is healing from an illness or infection. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please do not hesitate to contact us via email.
TATTOOING PRICING:
- Most tattoos are charged by the hour. Rox charges $200 per hour - 1 hour minimum charge - during normal business hours. After hours appointments (after 6pm weekdays and Saturdays) are charged at $220 per hour.
- We provide our clients with their aftercare products, and this is included in the cost of the tattoo.
- Some pieces are charged by the design, regardless of time (particularly when design time takes longer than the actual tattoo time).This will be communicated at the consultation appointment.
- Custom pieces that require extensive drawing and designing may attract an Artwork Design Fee.
- A deposit is required to secure all appointments.
- Tattoo appointments are charged from the commencement of the appointment time until the end of the tattoo session, and therefore includes stencilling, changes in size/ design/ layout of the tattoo and late arrival to the appointment by the client. Photo ID must be presented at each appointment.
REQUEST FOR CONSULTATION OR TATTOO BOOKING - HOW TO BOOK:
If you would like to request a booking for either a consultation or for a tattoo appointment, please go to the CONTACT page of this website and complete the Contact Form. Alternatively, you can also email vampbodyart@gmail.com and include:
- size (cm x cm)
- location
- reference pictures
- colour or black and grey
- whether it is your first tattoo or not
- preference for appointment times (include days and times that you are available)
Chris, our Administration Assistant, will get back to you within 7 days - if you have not heard back within that time, please resend your email. We usually suggest that you book a consultation prior to making your booking. This is because we would like to discuss your design/ placement with you more. We do not copy the artwork of other tattooists or artists, however we are happy to speak with you about creating a custom piece that is inspired by the artwork that you present. We are typically booked 6 - 8 weeks in advance, however we also offer a cancellation/ wait list if you would like to be called earlier if a cancellation occurs. Please include in your email to us whether you would be interested in going onto the cancellation/ wait list.
Initial consultations are FREE OF CHARGE - HOWEVER, if you cancel your consultation with less than 24 hours notice, or change your consultation time more than once, we may require a $50 non-refundable deposit before booking another consultation for you. If more than one consultation is required, subsequent consultations are charged at $50 per appointment.
CAN I BRING MY CHILD/ CHILDREN TO THE TATTOO STUDIO?
Persons under the age of 18 y.o. are NOT permitted in the studio under any circumstance - this includes the office/ waiting area. Your appointment or consultation will be immediately cancelled should you bring children into the studio, and any deposit paid will be lost.
DO YOU DO VEGAN TATTOOS?
Yes, we do! Roxanne has been vegan for over 25 years, and she offers a fully vegan tattoo experience, which is more than just the use of vegan ink, but also vegan stencilling, skin cleaning and preparation and, of course, vegan aftercare.
THIS WILL BE MY FIRST TATTOO - ARE THERE THINGS I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I BOOK?
Yes! We would suggest that you book for a consultation so that we can discuss your tattoo concept, and also give you the necessary pre-tattoo information so that you come to your appointment prepared. At the consultation appointment, we can answer all of your questions and ensure that you feel comfortable moving ahead with booking the tattoo appointment.
CREATIVE CONSULTATIONS
If you are not 100% sure that you want to go ahead with booking a tattoo, but you would like to have a consultation to discuss whether your ideas are "tattooable" and to discuss design and placement options without any obligation to book for a tattoo, then booking a Creative Consultation may be the best option for you. These consultations go for 1 hour, either in person or online, and they provide an opportunity to discuss several design options and placement ideas, including being shown options that you may not have thought of. This type of consultation allows for a greater, more in-depth discussion about design/ placement/ lifestyle factors that should be considered for healing, etc. and is especially helpful when considering getting your first tattoo, or thinking about updating/ refreshing/ covering up and older tattoo. These consultations are charged at a fixed rate of $80, which is payable prior to the appointment. It is recommended that several photos of the area of the body to be tattooed, as well as reference/ design images, be sent through prior to the consultation. If a tattoo session is booked immediately as a result of the Creative Consultation, the consultation fee may be transferred to become the Tattoo Deposit, and is deducted from the cost of the tattoo.
HOW MUCH WILL MY TATTOO COST? HOW LONG WILL MY TATTOO TAKE?
The price of your tattoo depends on several factors. Some areas of the body take longer to tattoo than others due to the different types of skin on different areas of the body and the specific techniques required to tattoo that area. Colour takes longer than black and grey, for instance. While we try to give our clients a rough estimate of price, please keep in mind that there are several factors that determine how long your tattoo will take and how much your tattoo will cost and sometimes tattoos take longer than expected simply because of the condition of your skin, the skins elasticity, your ability to tolerate the discomfort, etc..
DEPOSIT
You will be required to pay a deposit to secure your tattoo appointment. The deposit is $100 for bookings 3 hours or less. For bookings of 3 or more hours, the deposit is $200. The terms and conditions of your deposit are as follows:
- This deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE and NON-TRANSFERABLE
- When 1-3 hours is booked, and the tattoo is relatively straight forward (no design/ research required, tattoo completed in one sitting), the deposit is taken off the final price of the tattoo.
- When the tattoo requires research and drawing up (as per custom designs), the deposit, or part thereof, may be used as the Artwork Design Fee. This is to offset the many hours of time researching and designing your custom artwork.
- If you cancel your booking; reschedule your appointment time/ day with less than 7 days notice; reschedule the session to a future time more than one month from the initial booking time; reschedule for a second or subsequent time; or make significant changes to your design concept, your deposit is forfeited (lost) and an additional deposit and/ or artwork design fee will be required to re-book any future appointment. All deposits/ pre-payments/ credit balances are forfeited after 6 months if they have not been used to confirm/ book an upcoming appointment.
- If you arrive at your appointment and you are unwell, have applied numbing cream to your skin, or your skin is sunburnt or has a visible wound you will be sent home and your deposit will be lost. You will be required to follow all COVID-19 safety protocols as established by Government authorities and by studio management - this may include wearing a face mask while in the studio.
- If you arrive at your appointment and do not have photographic identification (drivers licence, proof of age card, or passport), your appointment will be cancelled and your deposit will be lost. Persons under the age of 18 years are not permitted into the studio under any circumstance.
- The tattoo appointment is charged from the start of the appointment time until the end of the actual appointment - if you are late or make alterations to the design upon arrival, that is charged as normal tattoo time. If you are more than 30 minutes late to your appointment, your appointment may be cancelled and your deposit may then be forfeited.
- The balance of the tattoo session must be paid in full at the completion of the appointment. This must be paid in full using CASH unless other arrangements have been made prior to the appointment. (If you are paying via card, it must be a TAP & PAY chip card and the card must be in the name of the person making payment and may attract an additional 1.8% card processing fee).
- If you are suggested to book a "touch-up appointment", the appointment must be made within the designated time period specified by your artist and follows the same conditions as above. Touch-up appointments are generally charged at $75 unless otherwise indicated. Failure to make or attend this appointment will cancel your touch-up opportunity and in doing so this will mean that any touch-ups required will be charged at the normal tattoo rate. Touch-up appointments cannot be rescheduled without incurring additional re-booking charges ($50).
- We reserve the right to postpone appointments during extreme weather (i.e. 40+ degrees or severe thunderstorms) to prevent disruption of your appointment due to power network failures, or as a result of Government requirements relating to COVID-19 business closures.
- The payment of your booking fee implies your acceptance of these terms and conditions.
COSMETIC MICRO-PIGMENTATION (COSMETIC TATTOO)
- We are not currently taking any new clients for cosmetic tattooing. However, we are happy to offer referrals or add you to our waiting list.
TATTOO PREPARATION & AFTERCARE
When you book for a tattoo, we will provide you with some information regarding tattoo preparation. It is important that you follow the instructions given. We will also provide you with both written and verbal instructions regarding your tattoo after care procedure. It is your responsibility to follow these after care instructions as they have been created to ensure fast, healthy healing of your skin and your tattoo.
FOLLOW UPS & TOUCH UPS
Not all tattoos require a touch up or follow up session, but some tattoos do require them. A "touch up" session is different to a "follow up" session...
If your artist wants to see how your tattoo has healed, it may be suggested that you book a "touch up" session. If you are offered a touch up session, it is your responsibility to book that session within the time frame provided to you by the artist (usually 4-6 weeks after having the tattoo). If you fail to do this, and contact the studio after the designated time period, you will be charged full price for any additional tattooing. There are no exceptions to this rule. A touchup appointment is charged at a reduced rate as it should not take more than 10 minutes. A flat rate of $80 is charged, unless otherwise indicated. Appointments that take longer than 15 minutes will be charged at the standard hourly tattoo rate. Rescheduling the touch-up appointment will incur a $50 re-booking fee.
Some tattoos require a "follow up" session. This is usually to add any highlights/ lowlights/ additional shading and contouring. This is an additional tattoo session that is charged at the normal price.
TATTOO DESIGNS
While we are always more than happy to create a custom design for you, we will not draw something up without an appointment being booked for the tattoo. We get many requests from people who have an idea that they would like drawn up so that they can decide if they want it tattooed. We only draw up and design tattoos once the appointment for the tattoo has been made and the deposit has been paid. As per standard industry practice, we do not email through tattoo designs prior to the tattoo appointments, however some design outlines/ concept sketches may be sent through 48-72 hours prior to the booking as a courtesy or when options regarding the design are on offer - minor changes to these designs are charged at a drawing fee of $100 per hour. You will be informed at your consult as to whether you will receive a design via email or not. All custom designs remain the property of the artist and cannot be reproduced without written consent. Making additional changes to your design or changing the location of your tattoo may lead to your appointment being cancelled and re-booked for a later date to allow for drawing, and the deposit will be forfeited. Additional drawing fees and an additional deposit may also apply in these circumstances.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
Not all tattoos suit all areas of the body. And regardless of what you may see on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Google, etc., there are some areas of the body that just don't heal well or will not suit the tattoo design that you have in mind. Many of the images that you see online are of freshly performed tattoos. We have the experience of seeing how tattoos heal over time, so if we tell you that the tattoo will not look good in 5 years due to the stretching, creasing, rubbing or environmental exposure to the skin please believe us. We want to give you a tattoo that looks great when you leave the studio, and continues to look great for years to come. If you have questions regarding the viability of your tattoo idea, it is best to book a consultation to discuss your idea before booking your tattoo appointment.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE NOT ANSWERED HERE, PLEASE EMAIL US AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.