FAQ, AGB's & more

Common questions and answers

You have questions?

This page is here to answer the most common ones we get so we can help you even faster!

Here you can read our AGB’s (German only):

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The Password is: 13N

To book an appointment with us you can always come around at the shop. Please read how Covid affects the process, all informations can be found in the news section of our Front Page.

We do not offer booking in with us via E-mail, phone or our social media channels. Ideally you’ll have some time available, money at hand for a downpayment and optionally a printed or digital version of references to help us understand your idea, so our Shopgirl Lisa can help you choose the right artist and date for your tattoo. We do not offer tattoos or piercings anyone under the age of 18.

With the pandemic present there are a few changes. We adjusted our hygienic process to be even more rigid to offer you the safest experience you can get. But we also had to make a few adjustments to our daily business:

Consultations can be held in the studio with a proper appointment. To make one please send us an e-mail or call at the shop during opening hours so Lisa can help you to find a time and date for your visit. Please show up to all appointments using the provided hand sanitizer offered in our shop and talk to Lisa about further proceedings.

Currently there are no restrictions in Hesse. That means, everybody can keep their appointment.

Status 05/13/2022

There are test points within walking distance of the shop, for example at the Kreuz pharmacy (Rheinstrasse corner Oranienstrasse, approx. 1 minute walk) or at the Rhein-Main-Hallen (lower end of Rheinstrasse, approx. 7 minutes walk). 

Last updated 25/11/2021

In addition to what you have to do, we also commit ourselves to deal with the situation carefully. In the store, all employees must wear mouth and nose protection. All areas, seating and workplaces are cleaned and disinfected after use and at the end of the day (good that this was part of the daily routine even before Corona), it is ventilated as often as possible and contacts in the studio are reduced / limited to the smallest possible. Our employees and guests test themselves at regular intervals, but at least once a week. If you have any questions about our hygiene routine in relation to Corona, you are of course welcome to contact us at any time.

What do you have to look out for if you have a tattoo and want to be vaccinated?

> If possible, take the arm that has not been tattooed or an area that does not contain any color pigments.
> Do not have the tattoo poked directly.

IMPORTANT! If the tattoo is not more than a month old, it is recommended NOT to get vaccinated. It is best to plan your next tattoo two to four weeks after the vaccination.

As a rule, medical professionals avoid vaccinating tattooed parts of the body in order to rule out an increased risk of infection. But being on the safe side never hurts – as always, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Give your immune system time – both a vaccination and a tattoo are very demanding of your body.

Can I donate blood if I have a tattoo?

The answer is very clear: yes!

However, there is a waiting period of 4 months if the tattoo is freshly done.

Why is there a waiting period?

The explanation is very simple: the blood donation service cannot understand where and under what hygienic conditions you got your tattoo and cannot rule out an inflammation. The tattoo itself isn’t the problem, it’s the fact that your skin has been injured. To make sure that there is no infection or inflammation (such as hepatitis), you unfortunately have to wait a bit. After this waiting period, a hepatitis infection, for example, is visible in the blood (should it have been infected).

Does the waiting time also apply to piercings?

Yes, the four-month waiting period also applies to piercings (e.g. earrings) and cuttings / brandings.

Excerpts: DRK blood donation service www.Magazin.Blutspende.de

Anyone can imagine this situation well: You are pregnant or a new mom and want to do nothing better than scream it out into the world – better still, to wear a tattoo for your child on your skin with pride.

Many expectant and nursing mothers wonder if a tattoo is a problem for their child.

We recommend that you wait before getting a tattoo because you don’t know or have researched exactly where the smallest residues of the tattoo ink can settle in the body and what risks this entails for the child – at least until the breastfeeding period is over.

Since the immune system of a pregnant or new mother is weakened, an infection can creep in more easily – because most of the immune systems are passed on by the mother to her child through breastfeeding. This means that if a mother does get an infection, she is more likely to pass it on to the child.

As a rule, if you are not sure, talk to your doctor about the possible risks – but with us you will only get your tattoo when the “hot phase” is over. So wait patiently for your next appointment, we’re not running away!

Better safe than sorry.

You have probably heard this before: As a rule, a tattoo artist tells his customers that he should protect the fresh tattoo from the sun for the time being – and that for at least 6 weeks. But even after this time you shouldn’t sizzle in the sun or lie on the tanning bed, because the UV rays can damage the tattoo later on. But that doesn’t mean that you should never go out in the sun again – you should protect your skin and thus your tattoo well. The UV radiation attacks the layer of skin that your tattoo will be stabbed into. These skin cells (also called melanocytes) produce melanin when exposed to sunlight, which makes the skin “brown”. Too much melanin superimposes the color pigments of the tattoo and makes the colors look flat and paler. Light shades in particular (light pink, white …) can become unattractive in color, even “yellowish” – and that will only make you unhappy.

Good to know: Incidentally, heat and exposure to the sun can cause swelling, redness or itching.

Good protection is therefore essential. You don’t have to wear long clothes all the time or hide at home until the evening. A commercially available sun protection cream with a sun protection factor of 50 will do the same.

Remember to use your cream according to the instructions on the packaging – otherwise it won’t do much good. 🙂

We would generally advise you not to use the solarium, because you cannot protect yourself from UV rays here. If the “dosage” of the rays is too high, the skin may respond with a photoallergic reaction – i.e. redness, swelling and blistering.

Our conclusion? If you want to go out in the sun, please apply some cream, maybe even cover the tattoo with a cloth or something similar if possible.

We require you to make a downpayment when booking in with us that will be proportional to the labor required for your tattoo and at least 100€.

We do not make any concrete appointments without a downpayment. Your booking will be bound to a certain time, meaning if you do not show up without a proper prior notice we will witthold your payment as compensation of our artists time and missing earnings. Deposits via Paypal are non-refundable!

Our prices are generally determined by complexity and labor required to realize a tattoo. Since all our artists work as individuals they choose their own rates, which is why we can only provide you with an estimate during your consultation. The final prize will depend on the time and labor of the piece once it’s done, since there are many factors at play for each individual session. Prices start at 120€ – this is indiscussable to us –  since all tattoos require preparation, planning and materials size is only a secondary factor.

Absolutely! We might nor reinvent the infinity-symbol but for us its creating not stealing! We live for and love art, that’s why it’s of most importance to us to combine our own influence with your own idea.

We are not people to tattoo you the results of a google image search and absolutely prefer to work on your designs ourselves – only that way we can create a truly unique design for you to vherish and that you wont see everywhere as soon as you take a closer look.

That’s a no from us. We encounter situations like this when a customer brings in a reference, sketch or even an existing tattoo and asks us to “copy” it. As much as we value our customers, we also are artists, and we do not “steal” from other artists. But we will take your reference into account, mix them up, add a few touches and details here and there to create something that we sure as hell would not like to be stolen by others.

Regarding Sketches: We do appreciate you preparing and bringing well formed ideas to the table, but please take into account that our artists will use them as a reference to make it work with their techniques and style, not to insult you, but to ensure you get the results that’ll stand the test of time and represent them too.

If you need to cancel / reschedule for private or work related reasons please come by the shop or give us a call. You’ll get a voucher for the shop for the amount of your downpayment – we do not hand out cash. Please communicate the matter with us at least 48 hours ahead, so we can keep your downpayment valid. The reasons for this lead time is so the artist is able to look for possible people to fill in the slot. You are entitled to collect your voucher in a span of two weeks from the confirmation else your downpayment is considered invalid.

Please don’t! In a case like this please try to reschedule as a safety measure, since our artists getting sick would be a big mess for everyone.

This may lead to an extended waiting period but we also are responsible for your health during the process of getting tattooed and healing and want you to be safe and happy. Since getting tattooed is taxing on the body and immune system it is important to not take things a little too lightly.

If you really need to cancel on a short notice please make sure to bring in a valid medical certificate so we can keep your downpayment valid.

We recommend to hydrate and eat a good amount beforehand and make sure to feel fit enough for your session. Having snacks and drinks at hand also helps, especially during longer sessions. You should under no circumstance be alcoholized or under the influence of any drugs. Also please make sure to not have taken in any medication that may be blood thinning (this includes aspirin!). The spot to be tattooed will be shaved by our artists, so no need to bother about any hair in place. Apart from that: just bring anticipation and motivation to get tattooed!

We do them – though only for those really determined and fully aware of the consequences! These spots are usually only tattooed by us if you are already have a lot of tattoos and really know what you’re getting into.

What we are not comfortable with, are not able to pull off or just isn’t our area of expertise. That may be because of certain styles or designs. In these cases we will refer you to artists we think are the right fit if we know of them. We certainly do not tattoo any politically extremistic designs (especially nationalsocialist ones) and do reserve the right to deny tattooing designs without special justification.

We do not tattoo any parts of the eye, soles, genitalia or the likes. We also do hardly advise against getting the inside of your fingers tattooed.

Yes! Please keep in mind that every artist has individual preferences, rates and terms. It’s best to contact them directly and inquire with them.

Every professional tattoo artist knows that it is not allowed to tattoo moles.

But why actually?

Leave a few millimeters of space around the mole. Good planning is then up to your artist – after all, these spots are not uncommon and you want to be able to incorporate them well.
If a few stains are really so annoying that you cannot work with them, you can of course have them removed by a doctor. Since the scars are mostly small, “tattooing over them” is usually not a problem.

Important: the wound should have healed completely, further steps should be discussed with your doctor AND tattoo artist.

Incidentally, moles can also form in existing tattoos. It gets complicated when they occur in areas that are tattooed over a large area. That’s why you should always keep an eye on it and go to skin cancer screening regularly. Not only in the interest of your tattoos – but also for yourself!

By the way, you can tattoo over freckles without any problems. If you have any further questions, you can always contact your dermatologist and / or tattoo artist here. Comprehensive advice on any questions regarding a skin change should be a matter of course!

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    Contact

    Phone: +49 (0) 6 11 / 88 00 56 00
    E-Mailinfo@13needles.de

    13 Needles Tattoo & Art Gallery
    Rheinstraße 85
    65185 Wiesbaden