F.A.Q



How much does a tattoo cost?
My starting price for tattoos is 120€, which will get you one small tattoo.

I price my tattoos by the hour. The bigger the tattoo is, how complex the design is and how difficult the skin in that area area is to work on effect how long it will take to tattoo.
When booking your tattoo appointment I will give you an estimate of the price of the tattoo. The estimate might not be the final price of the tattoo, if we make changes to the size or the design.

Tattoos made with only black ink are a bit cheaper than tattoos with many different colors.


How long does it take to make a tattoo?
Depending on the size and complexity of the image being tattooed, the process can take somewhere between 30 minutes to many days. The tattooing itself might only take 1 hour but it’s good to have time for the other parts of the process (like placing the stencil, photography etc.) that usually take 1 to 2 hours with each tattoo appointment.  When booking your tattoo appointment I will give you an estimate on how long the tattooing process will take in total. 

It’s best if you have a relaxed schedule on the day of the tattooing so you alre not in a hurry to leave. 

It’s better to split the work on bigger colorful tattoos to many appointments. It’s totally fine to stop the tattoo appointment early if the pain is too much for you.

Can you tattoo an underage person?
I wont tattoo people who are underage, even with parental approval. I only make tattoos to people who are 18 years old or older. Prepare to prove your age with an ID. 

What times do you usually work? Do you tattoo also on weekends?
I usually tattoo on weekdays Monday-Friday between 10am and 8pm (depending on the day). I very rarely tattoo on the weekends, but you can of course try to ask if I have some weekend times available. 
I usually take 1-2 client per day. 
I am quite flexible on my scheduling so I bet we can find a time that suits both you and me!

I have an allegry. Can I get tattooed?
If you have an allergy that might effect the tattooing process or the healing of the tattoo, please contact me before booking an appointment. We can then discuss if it’s safe to tattoo you with your allergy. I can substitute some of the materials used in the tattooing process to other ones that are not allergetic. 

I use nitrile gloves while tattooing so people with latex allergy are fine to get tattooed by me. 

Some tattoo ink colors might cause allergy. Black ink is the least allergetic. 
We can have a tattoo ink allergy test before tattooing. In the allergy test I will put ink on bare skin (so not under the skin). If the skin reacts to the ink then it’s better not to tattoo at all. 


Can I use numbing cream when getting my tattoo done?
It is possible to put numbing cream on the skin before tattooing.
If you wish to use numbing cream, please contact me before hand. The client buys the numbing cream themselves. 

We can also discuss if numbing cream is actually needed. If it’s your first tattoo I suggest we try tattooing first without any numbing creams. Most likely the pain is not as bad as you are worried about and you can get through the tattooing process without any numbing creams. 


When can I see a sketch of my custom tattoo design?
I usually draw the sketch of the tattoo design a week before the tattoo appointment. I will send the client a sketch of the tattoo design by the latest 3 days before the tattoo appointment. After seeing the sketch the client can ask for modifications to the design. I can also still make adjustments to the design on the same day of the tattoo appintment. I wont start tattooing until the client is completely happy with the design.

How can I pay for my tattoo?
You can pay for the tattoo at the studio with cash or card.

Can you make me a tattoo of this drawing by my friend / this picture I found online?
This depends on the situation. I only make tattoos based on drawings by other people if the original creator of the image has given permission to use the image in a tattoo. Or if the person getting the tattoo has paid the original creator of the image to use the image in a tattoo. I will ask for written proof of the permission.

If your friend / relative has drawn the image you want to get tattooes, I can make this tattoo for you, if you have permission from the original creator. I might need to make some modifications to the image to make it work better a tattoo.

If there is no knowledge of the original creator of the image, I propably wont tattoo it on you. If the image is of an universal topic that nobody owns the rights to, I can make it as a tattoo and maybe add my own style to it. 

I don’t make copies of tattoos created by other tattoo artists. You can show me tattoos by other tattoo artists as inspiration, and then I can create you an unique tattoo inspired by these other tattoos. 

Can you make me tattoo in this style (some style that is different from what I usually tattoo)?
I prefer to tattoo in my colourful cartoony style. Look through the gallery of my tattoo works and see if my style is something that would suit your tattooing wishes. I make bold linework so unfortunately I wont tattoo delicate fineline works. 
If my style is not something that fits your tattoo idea, I am happy to suggest another tattoo artist for you that might fit you better. 

Can you teach me how to tattoo?
At the moment I am not taking  any tattoo apprentices. 


Photo: Sonja Siikanen






Apila Tattoo
apilatattoo ︎ gmail.com

Studio Nokkasiili
Luotsikatu 3
00160 Helsinki



Apila Tattoo
apilatattoo ︎ gmail.com
@apilatattoo

Studio Nokkasiili
Luotsikatu 3
00160 Helsinki