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If you are a sadist, deep-trance-tattoo-meditator, or just a thrill seeker looking to get the most painful tattoo possible — it’s hilarious that you’ve made it onto our site. We welcome all, but make sure you don’t buy any of our amazing numbing products or you won’t feel a thing!
If you are looking to avoid tattoo pain, you are in the best place possible. We are going to let you know the most painful places for a tattoo and how to magically boost your pain threshold if you still want to get a tattoo in one of these areas.
Where Does It Hurt in General?
The most painful tattoo spots are parts of your body where the skin is thin or close to your bones. Tattoo locations with delicate skin rank the highest on the tattoo pain scale, like around your eyelid. Your kneecaps and elbows rank close to the top of the tattoo pain chart for their bony surfaces.
Where Do Tattoos Worse Hurt for Women?
Women naturally have thinner skin than men, which means that all tattoos, no matter the location, are bound to hurt a little worse. Tattoo placement on the breasts or nipples may be especially painful for women due to the increased amount of nerve endings in the area.
Where Do Tattoos Hurt Worse for Men?
Most men find tattoo placement on or around their joints hurt the worst. Be mindful of your knees, ankles, and elbows. Men also have increased sensitivity in their nipples, although the sensitivity isn’t quite as intense as it is for women.
#1: Armpit
You know how there is a lot of debate surrounding the safety of chemical deodorant? It’s all because your armpit is kind of like a vortex into your body. Blood vessels, nerve endings, and lymph nodes. Getting an armpit tattoo won’t only hurt, but it will be difficult because of the placement.
#2: Rib Cage and Stomach
Bony and thin skin! Going over the ribcage is painful. You have probably heard people crying about how just getting that one little cursive word hurt so bad.
They aren’t being dramatic. A tattoo on the ribcage is going to hurt. Try it, and you’ll see. Meanwhile, the nearby stomach area is more vulnerable because it doesn't have a group of bones covering it. Stomach tattoos are cute, but be prepared to pay the price.
#3: Collarbone
Bony andthin skin, again! The collarbone sits right under the skin. If you are going with a machine tattoo – the vibration of the machine is going to reverberate in your collarbone and shake you all the way up your neck.
The result will fall somewhere between “wildly painful” or “shiatsu needle massage.” Funny thing, the collarbone is also an erogenous zone. More nerve endings = more sensitivity. Read: A collarbone tattoo will be an interesting time for sure.
#4: Elbows
You might have thought that because of that whole “pinch my elbow, it doesn’t hurt” thing, an elbow tattoo would be chill. Although elbows don’t have a lot of nerve endings, you won’t find them on the list of least painful places to get a tattoo — elbows see a lot of wear and tear, but they are still very painful areas to tattoo.
The bone proximity and lack of fat growth are what does people in. Just try bumping your elbow hard on a table or door, and you'll understand why it’s so painful to have it inked.
#5: Knees
Knees have a similar thing going on here as elbows. There’s not a lot of fat growing over the kneecaps. The bone is right under.
Although your knees themselves don’t have a nerve, the connective tissues and bones surrounding them do, making them one of the most painful places to get tattooed. You might even feel reverberations all the way down your shin when getting body art on the knee or the back of the knee.
#6: Shins
You might have some meatier areas in the back of your leg, but the shin bones aren’t a major fat storage location. With so little fat, you better prepare for the pain you’re going to feel if you have a tattoo planned for this interesting location. With such a thin layer of skin, it’s gonna be an ouchie.
#7: Ankles And Feet
You’re starting to see the trend here, right? Skinny areas of the body with the bone close underneath are not friends of the tattoo process. Your ankles and the tops of your feet are super bony and don’t have the thick skin of your other extremities.
The bottoms of your feet have over 7,000 nerve endings, making it a super sensitive and even potentially ticklish area to get tattooed – not to mention that every major nerve on your body ends in your extremities. For a chance at less pain, add some of our tattoo numbing products to your cart — your tattoo artist will be thankful you don’t kick them in the face as a reflex.
#8: Middle Of Chest
The sternum, or the bones that run up through the middle of your chest and connect to your ribcage and collarbone, is another area that’s skinny and bony. It’s also one of the more popular tattoo spots.
If you run into your breast tissue while you’re tattooing, it might be a bit fattier tissue, but the skin here can also be more sensitive. If you're planning on getting a big chest piece done, we recommend that you begin inward and go outward to get over the most painful part first.
#9: Face
We call these job-stoppers. The face, in general, is a more sensitive zone, but specifically getting tattooed over the forehead, cheekbones, and nose is going to feel less than pleasant, to say the least.
Also, the pounding of the tattoo needle will vibrate your head. You’ll probably feel like your brain is shimmying around, causing a whole different type of pain. Even if you're a pain junkie, you’ll still find that getting a tattoo on your eyelid or lips is one of the most painful experiences.
#10: Inner Thighs
Okay, this area may not be so bony or skinny, but it is super sensitive. Run your fingers up your inner thigh and then run them up your upper outer thigh. Feel the difference? Now think about that happening — but with needles! A tattoo in this area will be less than fun. Get some numbing gel on those legs!
#11: Head
If you want a tattoo design you can easily cover with the time it takes to let shaved hair regrow, then getting a head tattoo is an easy choice. Of course, your skull checks all the boxes when it comes to potential tattoo pain.
Because most parts of your head are verythin layers of skin, fat, and muscles, it can be an extremely painful location for a tattoo.Plus, the process is happening inches away from your ear, which can make for an unbearable tattoo.
But, it’s still a common area for tattoos thanks to its hideability and simultaneous auto-badass potential. If you’re getting a head tattoo, use a numbing gel — you can thank us later.
#12: Groin
We don’t need to include a lot of details about the pain involved with a tattoo here. The groin is one of the most sensitive areas of the human body, so you can expect this to be one of the most painful locations to get a tattoo. Steel yourself for this one. This is gonna hurt!
#13: Hand
A lot of people have joined the bandwagon for trendy hand tattoos. We love a good hand tattoo as much as the next person, but be prepared for some pain here. While the back of your hand is painful, your hairless palms are much more sensitive. If you’re looking at getting a hand tattoo, do yourself a favor and purchase a numbing gel.
#14: Buttocks
Your glamorous bum may look beautiful with a painting of Michelangelo on it, but we’re pretty sure the entire process was very uncomfortable. Although your buttocks have squishy skin that may make it seem like a tattoo won’t hurt as much, this area is full of nerves and tendons. In fact, it’s one of the most painful areas to get a tattoo.
What Makes a Tattoo Painful?
Tattoo newbies love to ask: does getting a tattoo hurt?
Some people love to tell you how they fell asleep during their tattoo, while others have half-finished tattoos because they couldn’t sit for the whole session. The level of pain someone feels depends on that person's pain tolerance, the kind of tattoo they are getting, and the placement of the tattoo.
The part of a tattoo that would cause pain is most likely the recurring needle pokes. If you have a huge piece with lots of solid color, that tattoo machine is working like a tenderizer on your skin. Have you ever stubbed your toe? And then you hit it 15 times more once you stub it? Bueno, a similar concept happening here.
How Do You Reduce Tattoo Pain?
If you want that art in a certain place, get it. If it’s going to make you happy every day to have that art with you on your lower back or outer shoulder or inner bicep, get it! Don’t let the idea of a little pain hold you back. One painful day or a couple of painful sessions are short-term — your tattoo is forever.
Don’t not get a tattoo because it is going to hurt. Yes, you should expect a bit of pain, but you can reduce tattoo pain using safe numbing gels and creams, breathwork, and taking breaks.
We’ve formulated a handful of products to make your tattoo experience less painful. Take a look at our Numbing Gel or Numbing Cream for tattoos that contain 4% lidocaine and other soothing botanicals. Ask your tattoo artists if they’re okay with you using a numbing product in that area ahead of time, then apply it an hour before your tattoo session to help numb up the area that will be.
(We’ve also made it way easy for you by bundling everything you need for your Tattoo Session — de nada.)
And yes, just breathing right can help. Don’t hold your breath. If there is an extremely uncomfortable part, and you can’t handle the amount of pain you’re feeling, practice deep, repetitive breathing. If that’s still not doing it — take a break! A little break can reset your nervous system.
In Closing
Of course, you can’t test or measure how sensitive a part of the body is. There are too many variables, and pain is too subjective. If it’s your first tattoo, the anticipation can almost make it seem worse.
You might get a full-blown ribcage piece and feel nothing, but typically, you’re in for a lot of pain if you neglect to use one of our numbing products. Keep that in mind when trying to make choices based on this list. And never deny your inner tattoo enthusiast because of pain.
Use our goo if you want a tattoo in a painful place, and you might just be one of those people talking about how you fell asleep during your shin session!
Sources:
Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Axilla - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf
The Anatomy of the Elbow | Washington University Physicians
