The Least Painful Places to Get Tattooed

As I approached the tattoo table for my most recent piece, I have to admit I was nervous. I was getting a large piece on my ribcage. I've always heard horror stories of how bad the pain is in that area. Even my tattoo artist, who I've been going to for years and fully trust, confirmed to me that his ribs were the most painful areas for him personally. So, I took a deep breath, focused on something in my mind and settled in for the hurt. You too may find yourself in this situation. You want a tattoo but pain is not your friend. Even some tattoo enthusiasts like myself get a little scared before each tattoo. If you are in the same boat as me, here are some tattoo location tips from my personal experience and the level of pain associated with each. Maybe these tips will help you in choosing a location that is right for you and your pain tolerance.

First off, let's get the fact that tattoos hurt out of the way. You may hear from people that it just stings or burns or scrapes. I disagree. It hurts. It is not unbearable and I value my finished tattoos enough that they are well worth the pain. But, don't be fooled. A mechanized needle, piercing your skin like a sewing machine, hurts. It is true that the pain does tend to numb away after a while. I think your nerves just get tired of screaming at your brain. Also, outlining needles hurt worse than shading needles. This is due to the fact that outlining needles are single needles which the artist must use very precisely to give your tattoo a smooth outline. Shading needles are actually clumps of several needles used to shade and color in larger areas. Think of it this way. An outlining needle is like someone stepping on your foot wearing a high heel shoe while a shader is like getting stepped on by a soccer cleat. Neither feels good, but at least the pressure of the cleat is spread out across several points instead of just one singular spot like the high heel.

Now for locations. No two people feel pain the same, but from my experience, I've rated the following places on a 1 to 5 scale, one being low pain, five being near the top of my toleration.

Outer shoulder/outer arm - 1 - This popular location for names, anchors, and "MOM" tattoos is one of the least painful. Most people have a decent amount of muscle or flesh on that area of the arm. That makes for a good location for minimal pain.

Back - 2 - The back is another low pain area. The back does not have as many nerves as many other parts of your body. In high school, we did an experiment by touching each other's backs with paperclips and deciding how many times we were touched. We only got it right about half the time. This experiment was to illustrate how our backs don't have as many touch receptors as other parts of out bodies. That was music to the ears of this cry baby tattoo lover. My large back piece was one of my least painful, even though it was done entirely using only an outliner needle.

Inner arm & forearm - 3 - This area was a bit tenderer for me. Any area that is ticklish tends to hurt more. When getting my worked on my forearm area it carried over to my inner arm. The forearm area is slightly more sensitive than the outer shoulder, but the inner arm is another story. The closer the needles came to my armpit, ticklish city, the more they hurt. If you have a low pain tolerance, avoid getting very close to your underarms.

Collarbone - 4 - I got tattooed on my collarbone area because I liked the idea of having work that I could easily cover but also easily show off by simply wearing a v-neck or unbuttoning a few top buttons. That's what I got, but I also got a bunch of pain with it. Any area where the skin is thin and the bone is shallow hurts more. The areas of this tattoo that spilled over to my shoulders and neck were average on the pain scale, but each time my artist touched my collarbone, it set me on fire. It was hard to keep from squirming on the table. Another thin skin, shallow bone area with similar pain levels were the shins of my legs. Babies beware.

Ribs - 5 - I wish I could say that everyone else is wrong and that the ribs were easy. But I cannot. The rib area is by far the worst tattoo pain I've ever experience. I believe it goes back to the ticklish thing. Although I won't roll in the floor laughing if someone tickles my ribs, they are very sensitive to touch. This translated to a very long, sweating, biting my rolled up shirt tattoo session. If you are set on a getting a tattoo but you are not sure about the pain, make sure you do not start with your ribs. If the ribs are your first tattoo, it will probably be your last.

In retrospect, I would experience the pain again for all of my tattoos. I love them. However, if you are planning on getting just one or two pieces, maybe these tips will point you to a location that works visually and in regards to pain as well.