guide to accessibility for tattoo studios and tattooers

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 your 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 clients, and provide accessibility information in a way that enables clients to make their own assessment about how they might access it.

Here are some examples of comprehensive accessibility guides: Crucible Tattoo Co, Studio Take Care, Blank Collective.

Research consistently shows disproportionate rates of disability among neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ people. We can build relationships of respect and trust with our clients by showing deeply considered allyship, and by making our values a core part of our practice.

This guide is tattoo studio focussed, but elements can of course apply to other businesses where clients and customers spend time. When writing your own accessibility information, plain & straightforward language is encouraged. Photos can be extremely helpful, to enable your clients to visualise whether they will be able to access the space. I also have a step-by-step walkthrough designed for autistic / nervous and first time clients so they know what to expect from the tattoo experience.
Please feel free to copy and adapt these guidelines to suit your own purpose.

physical access

Your client might use a walker or a mobility aid other than a wheelchair, and be ok with a single step into the building. Your client might be able to climb one set of stairs, but not four. Your client might be a wheelchair user who can walk a few steps, or leave their wheelchair outside the bathroom and use it independently if it has grab rails. Your client might require a support person, and need to know whether there is space. Your client might have different needs on different days!

Considerations to communicate:

• The nearest public transportation stops & distance to the studio.
• Whether there are designated accessible parking spaces nearby.
• Number of steps to the studio and their heights.
• Number of flights of stairs, and whether there is an lift/elevator.
• Width of the front entrance, the length and weight rating of any foldable ramps.
• Material of the floor, whether any rugs or obstacles are present.
• Type and weight rating of seating in the waiting area.
• Weight ratings and widths of the tattooing beds and furniture.
• Whether furniture is collapsible to make extra space.
• Whether step stools are available for access onto the beds.

toilets

Extending your physical accessibility to the bathrooms, consider:

• The distance of the bathroom from the tattooing space.
• Number of steps or stairs to the bathroom.
• Width of the door.
• Size of the room.
• Availability of grab rails.
• Where the closest public wheelchair accessible toilet is located.

Your trans clients may also have concerns about what the bathroom facilities are like.
Knowing whether the studio has a private unisex bathroom, or if it’s in a shared building with gendered facilities can help them prepare for their visit. If you share toilets with other businesses in the building, can you talk to them or the building managers about making the toilets gender neutral?

sensory access

Complete and thorough accessibility information should cover much more than physical access. Getting a tattoo can be difficult, uncomfortable, painful and time consuming. To enable neurodivergent people or those with sensory sensitivities or chronic pain / illness to feel comfortable accessing your space, you can communicate what they can expect to encounter, and how you can minimise exposure to overwhelming scents, light and sound. Letting a client know what to expect from the studio - even if it can’t be changed - can help them mentally prepare & conserve energy for the experience.

• If the studio doesn’t have a private room, does the studio have temporary privacy screens that can be arranged around the bed?
• Do you provide adequate pillows to pad the body, fidget or stim devices, or anything else that might improve sensory comfort?
• Are tattoo numbing sprays available to use during the tattoo?
• Is there are conditioning, or might temperatures in the room fluctuate?

Consider what you can do to make your studio accessible for deaf & hard of hearing clients.
• Can clients bring an interpreter?
• Could you learn and teach your colleagues some basic signs to use during the tattoo, such as ‘are you ok?’ or ‘I need a break’?

scent

It is expected and unavoidable that there will be the scent of cleaning products and disinfectants in a tattoo studio, but studios can take steps to minimise extra scents such as incense or perfume. Let your clients know they can tell you if they are sensitive to scent, and that you will avoid incense and strong perfumes being present in the studio on the day of their visit.

light

A client may be laying down facing the ceiling and staring into overhead lighting for hours at a time.
• Will there be any fluorescent or flickering lighting in the space?
• Can lighting be adjusted?
Simple things such as providing a pair of sunglasses go a long way to show you are considering the experience of your client.

sound

It can be helpful to communicate whether the studio is quiet and private, or if is there likely to be overwhelming chatter and noise in the space.

• Is it small room with 2 tattooers working, or a large open plan space with 10 beds?
• Do you use loud or quiet tattoo machines?
• Can the choice of music and volume in the studio can be changed to suit your client?
• Let your client know they are free to bring ear-plugs or headphones.

covid safety

An important way to show up as an ally to disabled people is to show that you consider how covid / flu / common cold safety affects disabled or immunocompromised clients.
• Are the artists happy to wear a mask during the session?
• Does the the space has open windows or air purifiers present?

consent forms & hiv disclosure

HIV, HIV treatments and Hepatitis are not contraindications to tattooing, piercing or cosmetic procedures. It’s discriminatory and intrusive to require mandatory disclosure of a client’s HIV status on a consent form.
Universal precautions and cross contamination protocols dictate that we treat each and every client as though they may have an undiagnosed blood-borne virus. Knowledge that your client has a blood borne virus should not change anything about the application or process of the tattoo - utmost care should be always be taken regardless, and accessibility to your studio includes removing discrimination and stigmatisation from the entire tattoo process.

tattooing diverse body types and skin tones

Consider how people with varying body types and skin tones might access your space - whether they feel welcome, if they can see themselves represented in your practice, and what you can do to improve that. This could include:

• Educating yourself and other members of your studio on how to tattoo dark skin tones - there are plenty of resources online.
• Having examples of your tattoos on people of colour available.
• Avoiding desaturating skin tones in the photos you post. Desaturating photos contributes to a lack of representation of true skin tones, and leads to portfolios looking ‘whitewashed’.
• Educating yourself on what could be considered culturally insensitive imagery, and not tattooing it if it’s not appropriate.
• Offering discounts, sliding scale pricing or trades to people of colour if you can.
• Offering free colour test tattoos or consultations for people with dark skin when they book a colour tattoo.
• Making your colour test tattoos simple but intentional designs, instead of just a row of dots.
• Educating yourself on anti-fat bias and fat liberation.

When mocking up designs, pay attention to who you are visualising your tattoos on, as that will probably be the clients you attract. Include a range of skin tones and body types in your mockups to show that you are comfortable and proficient at tattooing a range of people.

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.

Let me know if I've missed anything! And please feel free to share this with your local artists and tattoo studios.

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