As a specialty service, I am proud to offer genital tattoos for all sexes and genders.
I have several flash concepts that are adaptable for a variety of anatomical differences, and am open for custom bookings as well.
Tattoos on genitalia pose unique challenges, considerations, and opportunities.
For anyone curious and brave enough to consider a a tattoo on the vulva, penis, or surrounding areas, please be sure to read this page fully before reaching out.
Similar to my ear and nipple tattoo offerings, genital tattoos are a great way to ornament a delicate area without healing complicated piercings.
I have flash designs available and always love to create unique compositions to flatter your anatomy.
Genital tattoos can be handpoked or done with machine. For quality and ease of healing, I highly recommend getting your tattoo handpoked. While handpoke is usually less painful than machine, in the case of genital tattoos it may be more painful especially since it takes longer. We will discuss the benefits of each method at your consultation
Especially with tattoos on intimate placements, prioritizing your trust and comfort are integral to the experience.
Your consent will be regularly requested at each step of the process and can be withdrawn at any time.
Process:
A consultation is required for all genital tattoos
This is a free no commitment consultation in studio, for your safety and mine, in order to build some trust and make sure that we are a good it before embarking on such an intimate project.
At the consultation, you can expect a walk through of the studio, an introduction to me and my practice, and a conversation about your goals, expectations, and questions. After this, we can take a private look at your anatomy and talk about how to adapt or create a design to fit and flatter you. I may ask to draw a sketch of your anatomy to use as a reference for your design.
If we both decide to continue after the consultation, I will reach out to you the next day to schedule your appointment and take a 100$ deposit. I think it’s important we both take some time to reflect after the consultation so that we are moving forward with lots of intention.
If we are doing a custom, I’ll send a quick thumbnail sketch your way after a few days to get your feedback on composition. After that, I’ll send a rendered design a few days before the scheduled appointment along with my standard intake form and general pre appointment information.
Preparing for your scheduled appointment
In addition to regular tattoo preparation (being hydrated, well rested, properly fed, not hungover, no sunburn, etc), preparing for a genital tattoo requires extra steps and foresight.
***you must arrive to your appointment freshly shaved/waxed***
I am not a professional waxer or aesthetician, and am not trained to manage pubic hair removal. I would highly recommend visiting a professional within 48 hours of your appointment in order to best prepare your skin, especially if you don’t have a regular hair removal routine.
Locally, for all genders, I can recommend The Body Politik and Fuzz Wax Bar.
Depending on the tattoo design, you may not need to fully remove all of your hair, but please be generous and allow for some extra room around the anticipated site. Feel free to reach out and I can give you more guidance if you need.
Do not use a chemical hair removal product like Nair , as it may negatively affect the skin before tattooing
***If you do not arrive to your tattoo appointment with adequate hair removal, we will reschedule you and your deposit will be forfeited.***
Please shower or otherwise bathe shortly before your appointment
Bring a robe, kimono, frock, long skirt, or any other piece of loose full body clothing that allows easy access and coverage while in the studio.
Wear underwear you don’t mind getting stained. Bring a clean pair of underwear to wear home at the end.
Do not apply any numbing creams before coming in to your appointment! They are not meant to be applied to genitalia and can adversely affect the outcome of the tattoo as well as your health.
For those who menstruate, please do your best to schedule your tattoo outside of active menstruation.
During your appointment
For your appointment, you can expect a visually blocked off station in the studio for the entire process from stencil to finish.
In addition to my regular consent/release waiver, I have an additional form for intimate tattoos that we will go through before we start. We will discuss what to expect during the session, and how you would like me to proceed when it comes to taking and sharing photos of your tattoo.
Before we start cleaning and stencilling, I will ask you to go to the bathroom.
What to expect:
- I may ask you to wash your hands, wear nitrile gloves, and assist me with parts of the process. This may include placing the stencil, giving a more thorough wash/scrub/clean during the stencil or tattoo process, or with holding certain body parts out of the way as I tattoo you.
- Arousal can happen— it’s not always within our control and is an anticipated bodily reaction when dealing with genitalia. In the relatively likely even of arousal (hardness/wetness/etc), we will simply take a quick break from the tattoo and reconvene after a few minutes. Not only is the intention of this experience not to be a sexual interaction, but the physiological changes of arousal can have adverse affects on the design and retention of the tattoo.
- For people with vulvas, I will use a barrier on your inner labia in order to minimize exposure to ink/soap/blood/etc. We will do our best to keep this in place throughout the appointment, though slips are expected, .
Aftercare:
Healing genital tattoos requires more specific aftercare than regular tattoos.
We will not use any second skin or other long term bandages. Instead, we will do a “trad wrap”, which is basically cleaning, moisturizing, wrapping the area in paper towel, and securing the area, before sending you home wearing clean underwear.
Exposure to bodily fluids is inevitable during the healing process, so it is very important to diligently keep the area clean and protected. To do this, I recommend:
Using a bidet or a spray bottle of warm water to clean yourself after using the bathroom. If you don’t have regular access to these things, use scent free wet wipes instead. Dab with toilet paper to dry off, instead of wiping the area.
Clean and *lightly* moisturize your tattoo twice a day using products specifically designed for this area that don’t contain additional medicinal ingredients. For cleaning, I recommend a super mild unscented hypoallergic soap like Cetaphil or Dove. Cleansing wipes like LOLA or Summer’s eve (sensitive and fragrance free versions) are also awesome for easier cleaning than taking a shower with soap. For moisturizing I recommend avoiding cream based lotions when possible, and instead opting for an oil based skin moisturizer like coconut oil or a light layer of vaseline. ***Be mindful that most “vaginal moisturizers” are meant for managing internal vaginal dryness, and are not meant to be used as a moisturizer for the skin on the vulva and surrounding area***
Don’t over moisturize! Especially for those with vulvas, the skin in this area of the body is generally well moisturized, so we don’t want to welcome infection by over-moisturizing.
No sex!
As sexy as your new tattoo will be, sexual contact in any form (including masturbation) introduces a wealth of things that will adversely affect your healing such as:
- Friction
- Bacteria
- Bodily fluids
- Inflammation
While condoms and other barriers can protect you from many of these risk factors, they introduce their own potential issues when exposing the area to latex, lubrication, and other products, as well as friction.
Shower daily, as well as after exercising.
Wear fresh clean cotton (or other breathable non irritable fabric) underwear for the duration of healing
As with other tattoos, avoid exercising for the first few days of healing. No saunas, steam rooms, swimming, baths, exfoliation treatments, etc.
Avoid biking and other exercise that involves significant friction in the area.
Let your pubic hair grow back out for the two week healing process. Don’t wax, shave, sugar, or use other hair removal products.
For those who menstruate, use internal period products only (tampons, menstrual cups, etc.), as pads and panty liners can harbour harmful bacteria when in contact with your new tattoo.
FAQs
Will it hurt?
Yup! It’s still a tattoo. But it it definitely less painful than a piercing, and they don’t hurt as much afterwards either.
Handpoke is typically a gentler sensation, even if it is more time consuming. If you are wary of handpoke in this area, please let me know and we may be able to adapt certain designs to work for a coil machine, which would be more painful but overall a faster process.
Can you tattoo all parts down there?
While I will do genital tattoos on all sexes/genders, I will not tattoo anuses, testicles, labia minora, or penis heads. These areas feature overly thin, elastic, moving, or sensitive skin.
Do I have to remove my piercings?
It depends. Most genital piercings are in places I wouldn’t tattoo anyway, but outer labia, christina, and some other piercings may need to be temporarily removed for the tattoo process. We can talk about this during the consult if you have questions.
Do I have to get hard for the process at all?
No. The penis should be soft for the tattoo. It is less painful and more professional. If an erection starts to happen, that’s okay— it’s not always within our control. But we don’t want to encourage it so we will hit pause and take a break for a few minutes to reset.
I like some of your concepts, but can we can remove or change some parts?
Of course! Hell yeah! Whatever we gotta do to make something work for your anatomy 🙂
I want a tattoo right above or next to my genitalia. Do I still have to follow all of the same preparation and aftercare?
For tattoos that don’t interact as directly with genitalia, but are within the vicinity, we can definitely adapt the preparation and aftercare to make the process more manageable. Any tattoos within close proximity to genitalia will still require an initial consultation process, so we can discuss these differences more in person.
Can you do colour tattoos?
No. Since the skin is much thinner and has a significantly different structure than typical skin, I am only comfortable tattooing black and grey on this placement.
I wouldn’t want to share photos of my private parts. Can I still get a genital tattoo?
Of course! For the consultation and design process, I don’t even necessarily need photos to design for your anatomy– I can just make a sketch. After the tattoo, we can choose not to take any photos, take photos that I put in a hidden secure photo album. We can discuss the level of privacy you want for this experience during the consultation.
How well do they last?
They heal well as long as proper aftercare is followed! Like any tattoo, there is always some fading and changing over time. Handpoke tends to deepen in tone and cause less damage, which is why I prefer it for sensitive placements. As always, aftercare matters, so keep it hydrated and reduce friction as it heals. However, usually sun exposure is less of a concern!
Andy Pollard 