INFORMATION FOR TATTOO CLIENTS
Location
We're right here. 1725 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cowichan Bay, BC. We're down the little alleyway next to the bakery, facing the water.
Booking
Please get in touch by email (katestonetattoos@gmail.com) or my contact form and tell me a bit about your vision. You can write as much or as little as you like, but I at least like to know size, placement, and what your idea is. If reaching out by email, please attach inspiration photos: reference images, examples of tattoos you like, and, if we are tattooing near existing tattoos or doing a cover up, good photos of that area of your body. Please have someone help you take them, and please make sure they are safe for work.
While I know it seems that a realist tattoo artist should be able to tattoo anything, I actually can't! If you want fine line, traditional, Japanese, or literally anything else, I'm not the best artist for the job. I really am a one-trick pony.
If you don't hear back from me, please check your spam folder. If I'm not in there, please know I sometimes get backed up. If you haven’t heard from me after a week, I appreciate a nudge!
Special considerations
Please let me know in advance if you have mobility issues, special needs, medical concerns, a need for privacy during the tattoo, or anything else. I want my clients to feel comfortable and at home in the studio. We do have ramp access to our studio and hydraulic lift tables, and we can hold a parking spot right by our back door for you if needed. Please let me know if you would like to know more about the accessibility of the environs.
Shop Etiquette
Sometimes it's a full house at the shop, so please be mindful of your belongings and noise level. While in the shop please have the sound notifications on your phone turned off and please wear headphones if you want to watch or listen to something on your device. Please ask before depositing your belongings onto counter tops or moving objects from one surface to another, as we need to keep our fields from getting contaminated. The floor is lava! Once something goes on the floor, it stays on the floor.
Please don't touch your tattoo! Let's keep it, your hands, and the rest of the shop, clean!
Also please remember to wear clothing that will strategically cover and reveal and keep you comfortable and warm. Some clients bring a blanket, and layers are always a good idea. Please be mindful that the other clients on site might not be as comfortable with you chilling in your skivvies as you are.
Cost
My rate is $190/hr inclusive, and I don’t bill for breaks or set up. A typical full day session includes 4-6 billable hours. Please plan to stick around for the full day. I will happily reschedule you for a different day if you cannot. I accept cash and eTransfer.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to give an estimate for how long your tattoo will take to complete. Factors such as skin type, pain tolerance, detail, and location all come into play. Colour work takes 2-3 times longer than black and grey work of similar size and complexity.
I can tell you that if you moisturize the skin several times a day for a few weeks beforehand and drink plenty of water, your skin will take the ink faster and we'll get better results when healed.
Deposit Policy
Booking requires an eTransfer payable to katherinehelenstone@gmail.com, of $150. This includes a $50 design fee and a $100 deposit. Both are refundable with two weeks’ notice of a cancellation if I haven’t yet started the design. If I have started the design, I will keep the design fee but return the deposit. Only one deposit is required for multiple bookings. The deposit will be moved forward to the next appointment until the final appointment, at which point it comes off the day’s total. No-shows and short notice cancellations (less than one week) result in forfeiture of the deposit. Major changes in the direction of the project concept will require a fresh start on the design and a new design fee. The design fee and deposit are payable after our phone consultation.
I reserve the right to turn away clients and return their deposits, but I may choose to keep the design fee if I have completed design work.
Aftercare
Your tattoo will be bandaged with “second skin,” which is like Saran Wrap with medical grade adhesive on one side. You will be able to admire your beautiful new tattoo and show it off without removing the bandage. This bandage stays in place for 5-7 days and makes the healing process effortless. It’s important that you plan to avoid submerging in water for 3-4 weeks (showering is fine). That means no swimming, sitting in the hot tub, or taking baths—so please consider how the timing of your appointment might affect any plans you have for recreation, vacationing, etc. You will also want to put exercise and any sweat-inducing activity on hold for 5-7 days until the bandage comes off. After the bandage comes off, you will moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. If you follow this protocol, you will not experience any scabbing and only minimal flaking.
I provide more detailed care instructions upon booking.