What a tattoo costs in eight European cities
Shop minimums, hourly and day rates across the studios listed on The Stencil Room, city by city, and how studios actually price a piece.
Tattoo pricing looks opaque from the outside, but most studios use the same three numbers: a shop minimum, an hourly rate and a day rate. Knowing which one applies to your piece is most of the work.
The three numbers
- Shop minimum. The least a studio charges for anything, however small. It covers setup, sterile kit and the artist's time drawing. A small fine line symbol is usually charged at the minimum.
- Hourly rate. Used for medium pieces that take an hour or a few. Ask whether drawing time is included or quoted separately.
- Day rate. For sleeves, back pieces and other large work done over full sessions. Usually cheaper per hour than the hourly rate.
City by city
These figures come from the studios listed on The Stencil Room in each city, and in this preview those listings are sample data. Treat the table as an illustration of how the guide will read once real studios are indexed.
| City | Lowest minimum | Hourly | Day rate | Studios |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | £60 | £80–£80 | £480–£480 | 1 |
| Bristol | £60 | £75–£80 | £450–£480 | 2 |
| Amsterdam | €100 | €150–€175 | €900–€1,050 | 2 |
From studios that publish their prices. UK studios are shown in pounds, everywhere else in euros.
What moves the price
- Size and placement. Ribs, hands and necks are slower to tattoo than a forearm.
- Detail. Realism and dense colour take longer than bold traditional work of the same size.
- The artist. In-demand artists with long waitlists charge more, and their books open less often.
- Custom versus flash. Flash is already drawn, so it's often priced as a fixed amount.
Deposits
Most studios take a deposit to hold a booking, which comes off the final price. It's usually non-refundable if you cancel late, so read the studio's policy before you pay.