There’s no true way to determine exactly how painful a tattoo will be and every tattoo varies considerably. The degree of pain usually depends on a few factors: pain tolerance, placement, tattoo design and the artist. Everyone is different though, right down to the thickness of their skin and the sensitivity of their nerve endings. The body placement of the tattoo is a huge part of the pain level. Tattoo style and design are also an important thing to consider. A simple linework tattoo will typically be less painful than a full color saturated, bold lined tattoo. Lastly, the artist can influence the degree of pain. Every artist uses different machines and has a different creative process, level of experience and execution of design. As mentioned above, everybody is different – we’ll take a peek at the least and most painful areas of the body to tattoo based on common reports!

Above are two chart guides that help illustrate the estimated degree of pain based on each area of the body. You will notice that each image differs slightly depending on a biologically female body versus a biologically male body. As mentioned above, every person and every tattoo experience is different. These are only meant to be loose helpful guides worth considering before your next tattoo.

Feet & Ankles

The skin covering the feet and ankles is very thin compared to other parts of the body. There isn’t a tremendous amount of fat tissue cushioning these areas either. This alone can make it feel almost as though the tattoo needle is bouncing directly off your bones. Much like the hands, there are a great deal of nerve endings that run down the ankles to the feet. Hence why many people are ticklish in this area. That being said, getting tattooed here can be really painful (8-9).

Calves & Shins

The shins are another area without much fat or muscle tissue between the skin and bone. That means that the center of the shin tends to be really painful (8-9), but less painful as you go further to the outer sides of the leg (5-7). The calf or back of the leg typically has more muscle and fat tissue to act as a buffer when being tattooed. The calf is still painful (4-6), but certainly not as painful when compared to the shin. It’s also important to note that the degree of pain will vary considerably depending on how close the tattoo is to the back of the knee or the ankle.

Knee & Knee Ditch

The knees and knee ditch (back of knee) are commonly reported as some of the most painful (9-10) areas to get tattooed. It’s an area of tight skin that’s in constant flexion: bending or folding, like when we walk, sit or do any number of daily activities. This can make the healing process pretty uncomfortable. There’s also major nerve endings that run directly down the back of the leg, such as the sciatic nerve. This alone can make the knee and knee ditch incredibly sensitive to the poking and prodding of a tattoo needle.

Thighs

The thighs are a fickle area to get tattooed. Certain areas of the thighs can be pretty painful but others can also be very mild in comparison. It can be difficult to gauge the pain level of this area for a number of reasons. Most people tend to have more padding in this area, in the form of muscle and fat. The skin here tends to be a bit thicker and more accustomed to friction. The top/front of the thigh is on the lower end of the pain scale (4-6) due to the extra tissue and muscles under the skin. However, the back of the thigh and the inner sides are typically more sensitive – making them more painful (5-7).  It should be noted that the level of pain usually increases the closer you get to the hips or pubic region.

Hips, Butt & Groin

Hip tattoos are a common trend, often extended down onto the top/outside of the thigh. The hips can be a very painful (6-8) spot to get tattooed though. The skin can be very thin across the hip bones, combined with the incredibly sensitive nerve endings leading into the groin area. The groin area certainly tends to be more painful (9-10) though. The groin area has a tremendous amount of nerve endings along with lymph nodes under the skin, making it a very tender spot to get tattooed. The butt, however, is usually far lower on the pain scale (2-4). Our butt cheeks are comprised of mostly muscle and a good amount of fatty tissue. It should be noted though that healing tattoos in any of these three areas can be very uncomfortable because of clothing or daily activities such as sitting.

Stomach

Just like the butt, the stomach has a good amount of fat and muscle under the skin. There’s also no bones under the surface in certain areas, making the stomach much less painful (4-6) to get tattooed than other areas. It’s a good area for a large tattoo if you’re concerned with how painful tattoos can be. However, the level of pain tends to increase with tattoos that go closer to the ribs or groin area. Also worth noting that this area can be a bit uncomfortable to heal if you are a stomach sleeper, or have a lifestyle/job in which you carry things against your stomach like boxes or children. 

Ribs/Sternum/Under Bust

Just like the ankles/feet, the ribs are an area of the body with very thin skin stretched over numerous bones. In addition, the ribs rise and fall with each breath – continually stretching and contracting the skin. Many report the ribs to be among the most painful areas to get tattooed (9-10). The sternum and under bust areas share the same high degree of pain (9-10) for this reason. It should be noted that these areas can also be quite uncomfortable to heal, especially for women. It’s best to go without a bra during the healing process.

Upper/Middle/Lower Back

The level of pain for back tattoos varies depending on the placement. For those with less muscle or fat tissue, back tattoos can be all around painful because there isn’t much padding. The bonier areas are typically more painful, just like other boney areas through out the body. The spine tends to be the most painful (9-10). The skin covering spinal bones is quite thin – in addition, a tremendous amount of nerves run directly down the spine. Upper back/shoulder blade area can also be quite painful for this reason (9-10). The lower is considered slightly less painful (6-8) in comparison due to the extra padding that we mentioned.

Shoulders

The degree of pain per shoulder tattoos varies considerably for each person. The primary factor being how boney that area is. Some report that their shoulder tattoos were not so bad, while others say they are among their most painful tattoos. For those with less muscle or fatty tissue, the striking of a tattoo needle can send pain to nerves that spread all the way down your arm. A lot of it will also depend on the selected design – tattoos placed closer to the collar bone, neck or shoulder blades will also have a higher degree of pain (6-8).

Bicep

The bicep is generally less painful (2-4) than other areas of the body. There is a good amount of muscle cushioning the bone and not as many nerve endings. This space is great for a first tattoo for this reason, as well as the amount of space and visibility for tattoos. The under side of the bicep can be more painful (4-6), however. Many report that this area is more sensitive so tattoos in this are tend to hurt more depending on the individual. It should be noted that inner bicep tattoos will also be more painful the closer they are to the arm pit and elbow.

Elbow/Elbow Ditch

The elbow is a very painful spot to get tattooed (9-10). There is very little cushion over joint bones and a great deal of nerve endings (think about when you bump your ‘funny bone’) make it one of the most painful spots. It’s also a difficult space to tattoo because the elbow skin is so accustomed to bending and twisting for normal day-to-day activities, which also makes it a tricky spot to heal. The elbow ditch is very much the same story, very painful (9-10).

Forearm

The forearm is pretty low on the pain scale (2-4). It is an area of thick skin with a good amount of muscle and fatty tissues underneath. There aren’t a tremendous amount of nerve endings near the surface of the skin for that reason. Just like the bicep, forearms are a great place for a first tattoo. There’s a good amount of space, good visibility and relatively low pain. However, the level of pain will increase as the tattoo design goes closer to the wrist or elbow.

Neck

The neck in general is quite painful area to get tattooed. Some report that the sides of the neck are more manageable in terms of pain (6-8). However, the front of the neck is completely different. The front of the neck has very thin skin and very little muscle. Combined with the amount of bones, cartilage and nerves near the surface of the skin – getting tattooed here ranks high in terms of pain (9-10).

Face/Head

This are is certainly not for the faint hearted. There are numerous sensitive nerve endings all around the head. There also isn’t very much padding in the form or muscle or fat, so you will likely feel every bit of the tattoo needle bouncing through the thin skin. The head ranks high in terms of pain(9-10) for that reason, while the face is a bit more subjective. The face does have a bit more padding than the rest of the head, but it’s still quite sensitive. The level of pain, like anywhere else on the body, also depends on the selected design. This area still ranks pretty high (6-8) on the pain scale though.

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