How much does a tattoo cost in Brisbane?

Our hourly rate is $150–$300, depending on the artist and the work. Small, single-session pieces are usually quoted as a flat price up front instead, so you know the exact number before you sit down.

Asking what a tattoo costs is a bit like asking what a car costs — the honest answer is that it depends on what you are asking for. What follows is how the number is actually arrived at, so you can walk into a consultation with a realistic idea rather than a shock.

What changes the price

Six things, roughly in order of how much they matter:

• Size — the single biggest factor, because it drives everything else.
• Detail — a palm-sized piece dense with fine linework can cost more than something twice its size in bold traditional.
• Placement — ribs, hands, feet and necks are slower and harder to work than a forearm or an outer thigh.
• Colour — colour packing takes longer than black and grey, and often needs a second pass.
• Drawing time — custom work is drawn before you arrive, and that time is part of the piece.
• Whether there is already a tattoo there — cover-ups take more ink and more sessions than clean skin.

What you are paying for

Not just the time the needle is in your skin. The rate covers years of apprenticeship and training, sterile single-use equipment, the hours of drawing that happen before your appointment, and the overheads of running a licensed studio — insurance, health-department compliance, bio-waste disposal.

If you are bargain hunting, tattooing is the wrong trade to do it in. A cheap tattoo tends to cost you twice: once for the tattoo, and again for the cover-up or the laser work. Save up and get it done once.

How the deposit works

A deposit of $50–$100 secures your appointment, and the full amount comes off the price of your tattoo. It is not an extra charge — it is the first part of the payment.

Deposits are non-refundable, because a no-show costs the artist a day they cannot fill. Give us at least 48 hours' notice if you need to move your appointment and the deposit moves with you.

How to get an actual number for your piece

Book a free consultation. Bring your references, tell us roughly where on your body it is going and roughly how big, and be straight with us about your budget — an artist can design to a budget, but only if they know it before they start drawing.

You will leave with a real quote, not a range. If you would rather ask first, call the studio on (07) 3870 2013 and we will give you a ballpark over the phone.