A few days after Christmas we headed up to Lincoln so I could have my first tattoo at 40. Earlier in the year, I’d done a tonne of research online to find the best tattoo artist in the areas I’d be holidaying within the UK. Alex Stark at The Tattooed Arms stood out to me so I emailed him. He was fully booked for months, however (as if it was meant to be) he had one date available and it just happened to be the date I would be in Lincoln. I immediately sent him a £30 deposit to book the day. YAY!
Over the next few months, we emailed each other to discuss the design and placement of the tattoo. I sent him a few pictures giving him an idea of what I wanted – a gothic doll’s face, a woman sitting in lotus position and an open book. I wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted the tattoo though, as originally I’d wanted it at the base of my back but too many ‘tramp stamp’ comments had put me off. Eventually we decided the upper back would work well.
I told my friends about it and most were excited for me. Some thought I was nuts (my dad, in particular, wasn’t impressed), and I didn’t dare tell my in-laws (I know, I’m such a coward). But all in all, I didn’t care what other people thought. I was doing this for me, and no-one else. After all, I’d wanted to have a tattoo for years but had been dissuaded by my husband who has never liked them. However, as I was turning 40 I finally came to the conclusion that it was me who wanted it and it was my body. He’d just have to accept it. In the end, he was actually pretty cool about it. Now, I think he loves it almost as much as I do (I said almost!).
We arrived in Lincoln early in the morning of the appointment, parked at our hotel and walked along the high street using a map to find The Tattooed Arms, which ended up being super easy to find. We were greeted by Alex and his team before sitting down to wait for him to get everything set up. There were a few people already preparing for tattoos and some sitting reading magazines. After we’d admired the studio (it’s heavily influenced by pirates – pretty cool, actually), we skimmed through some of the magazines with mouths wide open – OMG, have you heard about extreme body modification? It’s unbelievable. Google it – you’ll be shocked at how far some people will go.
But back to my tattoo. I thought I would be nervous, but the nerves never really kicked in. Probably because I had a feeling I was in really good hands. I was right, of course. Alex made me feel immediately at ease. I wasn’t even that bothered about revealing my lovely flesh-coloured bra to everyone (!). The first thing Alex did was show me the stencil he’d done. I loved it! He very carefully placed it on my upper back but had to remove it because Michael thought it was too high.
Once we’d got the right position, I sat down and readied myself for the intense pain but it never really came. Yes it hurt a bit, but it was nothing like I’d expected. Some parts of the body are much more painful (the back isn’t really one of them), and I even found when he was outlining the image, that some sections of my back hurt more than others. After a couple of hours, it was my lower back (from sitting forwards) that hurt more than anything! But what hurt the most was when he wiped away the excess ink each time – after a few hours, that cloth started to feel like sandpaper! Ouch! But it’s not that bad really. It’s seriously worth it in the end. Michael was really fed up by the end of it though, because the music that was playing is so not his thing lol!
Once the tattoo had been covered with a little Bepanthene and cling film, I put my jumper back on (I was glad to get warmed up again!), we paid the final bill which was about £350 in total and we headed back out onto the streets of Lincoln. I’d been so worried that I would be in pain and that I’d struggle with my clothes but it didn’t hurt at all afterwards. Not one bit. The only thing I had to do was keep it covered with clingfilm for about a day and keep rubbing a little bit of Bepanthene into it (which I did for about two weeks afterwards). It didn’t bleed, but it did weep a little ink so I went and bought a couple of vests from Primark to wear under my clothes, just to protect them. It healed beautifully.
I’m absolutely delighted with the resulting tattoo and so happy I found Alex to do it. He really is a fabulous artist. If you’re curious to see more of his work, check out his website, The Tattooed Arms. And remember, if you want to book him for a tattoo, do get in touch well in advance.
And if you’re wondering if I’d do it again. Well, the answer is a resounding yes but shhhhhh. Don’t tell Michael 😉
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