accessibility

Here is my accessibility information for the studios I work at in Brighton and London.
It details physical, sensory and privacy accessibility.
(click to jump to the section)

Frat House Tattoo - London
Good Company Tattoo - Brighton
Studio Baby - Brighton
Getting a tattoo - step by step walkthrough
Accessibility template for studios

FRAT HOUSE - LONDON

2 Beehive Place, Brixton Recreation Centre SW9 7QR.
Frat House is a queer/trans owned studio designed with accessibility at the forefront.
The building has step free access and a fully accessible toilet.

location
train
The studio is located 180m/0.1m from Brixton Tube Station which has step-free access, and 180m/0.1m from Brixton Overground Station (Category C) which has ~30 stairs from the platform.
car
There is accessible parking available at Brixton Station Road On-Street Bays (50m away), Popes Road Car Park (150m away), Coldharbour Lane (250m away).
bus
The nearest bus stops are:
Brixton Station Road (Stop T) - 60m away (route 35, 45, 345, P4)
Brixton Station (Stop P) - 110m away (route 45, 59, 109, 133, 159, 250, 333, N109, N133)
Brixton Station (Stop Q) - 130m away (route 2, 3, 196, 415, 432, N2, N3).

physical access
The studio has step free access.
The main front door width is 100cm.
The studio is on the lower level and is accessible via a lift.
The lift door has 98cm clearance and the lift floor is 110x150cm.
The studio has smooth wood floors, and all tattooing furniture is moveable and collapsible.
The door to the studio is 86cm, and clearance around the fire hydrant is 90cm.
Seating is available in the waiting area.
There is a comfortable sofa, a wide low chair, and height adjustable swivel stools available.
The max working capacity of the tattoo beds is 200kg.
The beds measure 80x180cm.
The beds can be lowered and raised (this requires manual removal and reattachment of the legs - client cannot be on the bed during).
A step stool is available to assist access.

bathroom
The studio has 3 gender neutral enclosed toilet stalls and a fully accessible bathroom on the upper level, accessible via a lift.
The width of the bathroom door is 110cm.
The bathroom is very large with room for a support person.
It features multiple grab rails and an emergency pull-cord.

privacy
The studio has 5 work stations.
You are welcome to bring one friend or support person with you.
There is no private room, but solid privacy screens are available which can be erected around the bed.
If you would prefer a completely private space, please let me know in advance - this is available at Studio Baby Brighton.
Disposable underwear and pasties can be made available for intimate area tattooing.
I will ask you if you would prefer to chat during the tattoo or have a quiet session.

sensory
You are welcome to bring your own headphones, eye coverings, earplugs, fidget/stim devices, blankets or any other items that might improve your sensory comfort.

scent
The smell of cleaning products and disinfectant at a tattoo studio is unfortunately unavoidable.
Sometimes a scented candle is burnt in the space - this can be avoided. Please advise if you would like me to minimise scents in the space.
Products used on your skin during the tattoo will be vegan and fragrance free.
The area of skin to be tattooed will be disinfected with alcohol, which has a temporary smell that dissipates quickly.

light
There are main overhead lights as well as accent lights which can be controlled independently.
There will be no flickering or fluorescent lights in the space.
I use a head torch which removes most of the need for overhead lighting.
You are welcome to bring an eye mask or sunglasses if the light intensity is too bright.

sound
My tattoo machines are very quiet.
There may be some conversational noise and the sound of tattoo machines from other artists.
Choice of music and volume in the studio can be changed to suit you.
Please feel free to bring ear-plugs or headphones.
For deaf and hard of hearing clients, I’m happy to discuss anything you need via email before your appointment, or have decisions on the design and placement finalised before you arrive if you prefer. You are welcome to bring an interpreter. I know some basic signs in Auslan/BSL and can fingerspell.

pain
You are welcome to use numbing cream prior to the tattoo. It generally works best for small tattoos, as it wears off during long sessions.
Apply it 60-90 minutes before the tattoo. Firstly clean the skin, then apply a thin layer of numbing cream and thoroughly rub it in.
Then smear on a second thick layer, wrap the area in cling film and wear the cling film to the studio.
There is also a product called Bactine which is a numbing spray that can be used during the tattoo as a session extender.
I do my best to be gentle and efficient when tattooing, but pain does build up during long sessions.
Deep breathing and a distraction can help bring focus away from tattoo pain.
I will let you know when opportunities for breaks are coming up, and you can request a break whenever you need one.
It is ok to stop the tattoo! Sometimes our bodies don’t behave the way we want them to. I will not pressure you to continue. We can finish the tattoo another day if we need to.

allergies
Please advise if you have any allergies to latex, metals, lidocaine, aloe vera, nut or seed oils, or reactions to adhesives.
I primarily use Intenze brand ink, and they provide highly detailed information about their ink ingredients: https://intenzetattooink.com/pages/our-inks

safety and sterility
Fresh sterile needles are used with each client.
Disclosure of your HIV or Hepatitis status is not required to get a tattoo. Knowledge of a client having blood borne virus does not change the application or processes of the tattoo, as universal safety precautions are undertaken with every client.
Every precaution is taken to avoid cross contamination in the space. Clients can help by not touching their tattoo during a session.

GOOD COMPANY TATTOO - BRIGHTON (info tbc)

St Augustine’s Arts & Events Centre, BN1 6EA.
Good Company Tattoo is queer/trans owned studio. The studio is up 3 flights of stairs with no lift.
If you need step free access please let me know, and your appointment can take place at Studio Baby Brighton.

location
train
The studio is located 1.1km/0.7mi from Brighton Station (Category A), 500m/0.3mi from London Road Station (Category B2), and 1.7km/1.1mi from Preston Park Station (Category C).
car
There is accessible parking available at St Augustine’s which can be reserved in advance.
bus
The nearest bus stops are:
Stanford Avenue - 110m away (route 5B, 52, 91, 98, 270, 271, 272, N5)
Beaconsfield Villas Bottom - 207m away (route 5B, 52, 98, N5)
Springfield Road - 350m away (route 5, 5A, 17, 270, 273).

physical access
The studio is on the 3rd floor and can only be accessed via stairs.
There are 6 sets of 9 steps each, with a landing/rest area after each set of 9 steps.
The studio has smooth wood floors, and all tattooing furniture is moveable and collapsible.
The door to the studio is (measurements tbc)
There are comfortable sofas and chairs in the waiting area.
There are metal chairs with no arms that are weight rated for 100kg.
The max working capacity of the tattoo beds is 200kg.
The beds measure 70x180cm.
The beds can be lowered and raised (involves removal and reattachment of the legs - client cannot be on the bed during).
A step stool is available to assist access.

bathroom
There is an accessible bathroom on the 1st floor.
The width of the bathroom door is tbc.
The bathroom floor area is tbc.
It features grab rails on both sides.

privacy
The studio has 6 work stations in an open room.
You are welcome to bring one friend or support person with you.
There is no private room, but solid privacy screens are available which can be erected around the bed.
If you would prefer a completely private space, please let me know in advance - this is available at Studio Baby Brighton.
Disposable underwear and pasties can be made available for intimate area tattooing.
I will ask you if you would prefer to chat during the tattoo or have a quiet session.

sensory
You are welcome to bring your own headphones, eye coverings, earplugs, fidget/stim devices, blankets or any other items that might improve your sensory comfort.

scent
The smell of cleaning products and disinfectant at a tattoo studio is unfortunately unavoidable.
Sometimes a candles or incense are burnt in the space. Please advise if you would like me to minimise scents in the space.
Products used on your skin during the tattoo will be vegan and fragrance free.
The area of skin to be tattooed will be disinfected with alcohol, which has a temporary smell that dissipates quickly.

STUDIO BABY - BRIGHTON

11 George St Kemptown, BN2 1RH
Studio Baby is a queer owned studio. The studio has step free access, but the bathroom is small and not wheelchair accessible. There is an accessible bathroom 130m away.

location
train
The studio is located 1.2km/0.7m from Brighton Station (Category A).
car
There are blue badge bays available on George St (30m away), outside 21 St James's Street (50m away), outside 29 Eaton Place (160m away) and at Chapel St car park (320m away).
There is limited standard on-street parking available.
bus
The nearest bus stops are:
St James's Street (Stop J) - 140m away (route 1, 2, 7, 20, 37, 37B, 47, 52, N1, N7) and
Law Courts (Edward Street) - 160m away (route 1, 1X, 2, 7, 18, 20, 71, 71A, 73, 271, 272, N1, N7)

physical access
The front door width is 78cm.
The private room door width is 71cm.
The studio has smooth wood floors, and all tattooing furniture is moveable and collapsible.
Seating is available in the waiting area.
There is a comfortable low leather sofa, and a solid wood chest 45cm high.
There are also small stools and height adjustable swivel stools available.
The max working capacity of the tattoo beds is 204kg.
The beds measure 80x180cm.
The beds can be lowered and raised (involves removal and reattachment of the legs - client cannot be on the bed during).
A step stool is available to assist access.

bathroom
The bathroom door width is 71cm.
The bathroom floor area is 127x83cm.
It features grab rails on both sides.
The closest accessible bathroom is located at the Starbucks on St James St, 130m away.

privacy
The studio has 3 work stations.
You are welcome to bring one friend or support person with you.
There is a private room which must be reserved in advance.
Disposable underwear and pasties can be made available for intimate area tattooing.
I will ask you if you would prefer to chat during the tattoo or have a quiet session.

sensory
You are welcome to bring your own headphones, eye coverings, earplugs, fidget/stim devices, blankets or any other items that might improve your sensory comfort.

scent
The smell of cleaning products and disinfectant at a tattoo studio is unfortunately unavoidable.
Sometimes candles or incense are burnt in the space - this can be avoided. Please advise if you would like me to minimise scents in the space.
Products used on your skin during the tattoo will be vegan and fragrance free.
The area of skin to be tattooed will be disinfected with alcohol, which has a temporary smell that dissipates quickly.

tattoo appointment walkthrough

On arrival I will greet you, and you will be asked fill out my consent form.
We will start with a chat about the details of your tattoo. This will be about the size of the design, your ideas for placement, any edits you want to make, any colours you would like to change, or anything else you’d like to mention.
I’ll print out multiple sizes of the tattoo to try in the mirror, and we can see which size/s feels best.
When we have a size we like, I’ll make a stencil - this is a temporary outline of the tattoo that sticks to the skin and slowly wipes away over the duration of the tattoo.
I will sanitise and shave the area of skin to be tattooed, and then I will apply the stencil onto your skin with gentle pressure.
We can remove and redo the stencil multiple times. We can try different size stencils to make sure it feels right.
If you are not happy with it, we will do the stencil as many times as we need to until it feels right.
If you are happy with the placement, you can relax and let the stencil dry for a few minutes.
When the placement is finalised I will get the bed or chair set up for the best position, and finish setting up the equipment we need.
When you are comfortable and ready, I will start tattooing you. I will tell you when I am about to start. I will start slowly, with a few of small lines to get you used to the feeling. I will use some pressure with my hands to stretch the skin and stabilise the area.
Things to remember during the tattoo:
- Keep as still as you can, and tell me if you need to move or adjust, so I can stop.
- Be aware that if you move other parts of your body during the tattoo, you might move the area that is being tattooed.
- Keep breathing, and try not to hold your breath.
- Keep your body as relaxed as possible - try to avoid tensing up.
- Twitching is normal, and it generally doesn’t affect the tattoo.
- DO NOT TOUCH the area that is being tattooed during the tattoo or afterwards. Touching the area being tattooed risks infection to yourself, and contamination to anything else in the studio that you might subsequently touch.
You can let me know during the tattoo if you need a break, a stretch, to change position, a drink or snack, change the temperature, change music volume, or anything else to make you more comfortable.
I will check-in with you regularly, and I will let you know when good opportunities for breaks will be coming up.
Once the tattoo is finished you can have a look in the mirror and make sure you are feeling happy with it. Remember not to touch it!
The tattoo may be lightly bleeding - this is normal and will stop after a few minutes.
We will wrap the tattoo temporarily with cling film to keep it protected while the skin settles down.
I will clean up the tattooing equipment, then I will take some photos if you’re comfortable. I can send you the photos I take, or take some on your phone.
I will discuss after with you and advise on aftercare methods. We can then apply the aftercare method of your choice.
We will then discuss the quote and confirm the final price, and receive payment in cash.

accessibility template for studios

This guide contains ideas on how to approach writing your accessibility information. It includes not just physical access, but sensory and privacy access and considerations for queer, trans & neurodivergent clients, & people with dark skin tones and varying body types.

Every studio should provide accessibility information, even if the studio is not on ground level.
By clearly and thoroughly describing a space, we can recognise the spectrum of disabilities and the individual needs of your clients, and provide accessibility information in a way that enables clients to make their own assessment about how they might access it.

Studios are welcome to use, copy and amend my accessibility template.