Got myself "inked" last Friday at <a href="http://www.mytats.com" target="_new">My Tattoo</a> here in Alhambra.
I guess I can best describe the pain as scractching yourself really bad with a safety pin/cactus/rose thorn/etc. The actual scratch itself doesn't hurt as much as the stinging and soreness that arrive right after. That's kinda how it felt to me. Just really uncomfortable, but bareable. Your body naturally wants to tense up and curl up, but you gotta control yourself otherwise it'll be a mess. One he got going, it wasn't so bad.
Every so often he would take a break to spray some medical cleaning solution and wipe away the excess ink. Maybe it's because I chose an area where it wouldn't hurt so bad. Another Asian guy came in wanting some Asian kanji on his abs/lower abs. Man smiles and tells him to prepare for the worst. The guy looked like he was in total pain, and had to stop him a couple times. His friends were laughing and taking pictures.
I thought the actual filling in part would be the worst, since he would have to go over it more than once. But maybe it's because my chest was already numb, but it felt better than the outlines. He did them nice and smooth, without putting too much pressure. No blood during the whole procedure, but a little bit after the scabs started to form. The whole tattooing itself probably took around 1:30 - 1:45 or so, not including the sterilizing, transfer or interruptions.
It was a great experience for me. I've loved tattoos for a while, but barely got the courage to get one now. If there ever comes a time that I regret it, it'll be the time when I regret life and living itself. I'm not going into any bs about what the tattoo symbolizes, or any crap like that. I genuinely like tattoos. Yes, I've wanted one for more than just a week. Yes, I know it's permanent. Yes, I know removal is expensive. Yes, I'm taking a chance. And yes, I'm funking satisfied.
<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/deathpop5000/182980.html#cutid1" target="_new">LJ tattoo pics</a>