What to Do Before Getting a Tattoo: The 7-Day Countdown - Reddit

Your appointment is booked, the date is approaching, and every site you check gives you a different instruction: 24 hours without alcohol here, 48 hours there; cream every day according to one, definitely no cream on the morning itself according to another. Hard to know who to believe — and yet, one detail settles the matter for everyone.

On the day of the session, your tattoo artist will have you sign a declaration confirming that you have eaten within the last 24 hours, that you are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and that you have no allergies. This is not a blog trick: it is the process spelled out in black and white by the French national health insurance on Ameli. Eating and staying sober are therefore not just two pieces of advice among many: they are the closest thing, in your whole preparation, to a written rule.

This guide walks through the last 7 days before the session, asking the same question at each step: who says so, and where is it written? It deals with the logistics — the skin, the phone calls, the bag, the outfit. For choosing the design, the style and the tattoo artist, that is the territory of the first-tattoo guide; here, we assume the decision is made.

Before the Countdown: What Is Written, What Depends on the Studio, What Is Folklore

Every preparation instruction going around belongs to one of these three families, and they are not all handled the same way:

• The sourced-in-black-and-white kind. The declaration signed on the day (having eaten within the last 24 hours, no alcohol or drugs, no allergies) is described by Ameli. And a ministerial order of 3 December 2008 requires the tattoo artist to inform you before the procedure about pain, risks, contraindications and the precautions to follow — information that must be displayed on the premises. These instructions are not up for debate.
• The house rule. Exactly how long without alcohol, when to start moisturising, whether to stop before the session: no text settles it, each studio has its own practice, and that is legitimate. It is your tattoo artist who decides for their own table — the right move is not to seek a ruling on the Internet, but to ask them.
• The folklore. The "forbidden" chocolate, the 2 litres of water to drink the day before on the dot, the list of foods to banish: nobody knows where it comes from, no text mentions it, and these rules copy themselves from blog to blog without ever citing a source.

Keep this reflex for what follows: with every instruction you come across, ask yourself who says so and where it is written. The rest of the article applies this grid day by day.

Day -7 to Day -2: the Skin, the Schedule and the Phone Calls to Make Now

Moisturising the Area: When to Start, With What

Supple, non-dried-out skin is easier to work on: on this point, studios and prevention sources agree. Pass'Santé Jeunes, the health-prevention programme run in France's Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, recommends applying a moisturiser "in the days leading up" so the skin is not too dry. On the studio side, the starting point varies: from a few days to two weeks before the session, depending on individual practices — no official timeframe exists.

No sophisticated product needed: a simple moisturiser, on the area to be tattooed, morning or evening. And a real question to ask your tattoo artist when you confirm the appointment: some, on the contrary, ask you to stop all cream a day or two before the session, to work on clean skin. Both instructions exist, they contradict each other, and that is normal: it is a house rule. Your studio's wins.

Sun, UV, Tanning: the Area Must Arrive Intact

Here, a single requirement is the consensus: the area to be tattooed must arrive neither burnt nor peeling. Sunburn or flaking skin on the intended spot means an almost certain postponement — no serious tattoo artist works on damaged skin. No text sets an avoidance period (the "2 weeks without sun" you read everywhere is written nowhere): studios each set their own rule, often more cautious than you would imagine. The simplest approach: keep the area out of the sun and away from tanning beds for the whole countdown, and earlier still if your studio asks.

Ongoing Treatments, Problem Skin, Vaccination: the Week for Questions to Your Doctor

Let us be honest about the timing: these questions are ideally raised as soon as you book, not in the last week. If you have not done so, Day -7 is the catch-up session — after that, it will be too late to get a calm answer.

Three subjects deserve a real conversation with your doctor and your tattoo artist, without self-diagnosis. The dermatologist Nicolas Kluger, a tattoo specialist interviewed by the programme Allo Docteurs, cites Roaccutane as a treatment incompatible with an ongoing tattoo project, notes that some immunosuppressants lower immunity — hence the importance of asking your doctor's opinion when you are on a treatment — and recalls that in the case of eczema or psoriasis, care must be taken not to tattoo an area affected by flare-ups. We do not turn these points of vigilance into a list of contraindications: your situation is individual, and that is precisely why the question is one for a healthcare professional, not for an article.

One last point, often discovered too late: Ameli recommends vaccination against hepatitis B before a tattoo. This is not a last-minute step — talk to your GP about it, ideally well before the week of the appointment. If in any doubt on any of these subjects, consult a healthcare professional.

Checking Your Studio While There Is Still Time

At Day -7, there is still time to check that your studio ticks the boxes the regulations require of it. What you can look at or ask for:

• The hygiene and sanitation training. Ameli states that it lasts at least 21 hours over 3 consecutive days, delivered by bodies approved by the ARS, France's regional health agency. The system was reformed by the ministerial order of 5 March 2024: the training now leads to an assessment and a certification issued by the ARS, valid for 5 years. Depending on when your tattoo artist trained, ask to see their certificate or certification — a serious professional will show it without taking offence.
• The declaration of activity to the ARS, mandatory in order to practise.
• The prior information displayed on the premises (pain, risks, precautions) — this is the only certain display obligation, provided for by the order of 3 December 2008 cited above.
• Sterile single-use equipment — needles and tips come out of sealed packaging in front of you, in line with the good hygiene practices set by the order of 11 March 2009.

To understand these obligations from the professional's side, our guide on tattoo hygiene, regulation and training details them one by one. And if this check raises a serious doubt, better to know it at Day -7 than at Day 0: there is still time to look for another professional, for example via our directory of professional tattoo artists.

Day -1, the Evening Before: the Only Day an Official Instruction Exists

Why You Do Not Drink the Night Before (and Why 24h vs 48h Is a False Debate)

This is the only step in the countdown where an official instruction exists, so let us quote it as is: "The day before the tattoo, avoid alcohol and medicines containing aspirin," writes Ameli. And the next day, the declaration you sign will confirm precisely that you are not under the influence of alcohol. The loop is closed: sobriety is not a studio preference, it is the best-sourced instruction in your whole preparation.

Why? Let us stick to what is written. Ameli describes a tattoo as a multitude of tiny cuts left in the skin, "which bleed slightly". Pass'Santé Jeunes goes one step further and spells out the link: no alcohol the day before, nor aspirin or anti-inflammatories, "to avoid thinning the blood". And on the studio side, tattoo artists refuse to work on a client who has been drinking: reliable consent is impossible to obtain, and a clean session is hard to run. Three reasons, three sources — none of them a blog myth.

That leaves the famous "24 hours or 48 hours" debate. Honest answer: no text sets a duration. Ameli says "the day before", full stop; studios generally ask for between 24 and 48 hours, each with its own rule. If your tattoo artist states 48 hours, that is their table and their instruction: it wins. A phone call settles the question in thirty seconds — and that is a far better reflex than averaging out the blogs.

Aspirin, Anti-Inflammatories, Doliprane: Why This Article Gives No Dosage

Several well-ranked guides on this query give a molecule, a dose and a time to take it before the session. We will not do that, and it is not false modesty: no official instruction we have been able to source recommends taking any medicine before a tattoo. The only published instruction goes the other way — Ameli's, on alcohol and medicines containing aspirin the day before, to which Pass'Santé Jeunes adds anti-inflammatories. A tattoo site that prescribes you a painkiller is stepping outside its role; we prefer to stay within ours.

Sleep, Water, Bag Ready: the Night Before, Without Counting the Hours or the Litres

You will read "7 to 8 hours of sleep" and "1.5 to 2 litres of water": precise figures, never sourced in this context. What can be said without inventing a quota: aim for a genuine full night — Pass'Santé Jeunes speaks of "a good night's sleep to be in good shape" — and drink water normally in the days leading up, the hydration of the day before being relayed by the same source, with no litre imposed. Arriving rested and hydrated is the whole point; counting glass by glass is folklore.

Use the evening, too, to prepare the bag and the outfit (we detail both below). A session morning with no race against the clock is already less pain — stress always adds to the rest.

The Day Itself, on Waking: the Meal, the Shower, the Outfit

What to Eat Before a Tattoo (and the "Forbidden" Foods That Do Not Exist)

The answer fits in one sentence: have a proper full meal before the session, with no special diet and no calories to count. A useful reminder: the declaration you sign confirms that you have eaten within the last 24 hours (Ameli) — so turning up on an empty stomach is the only real food mistake. Pass'Santé Jeunes puts it simply: a good meal before the session, to avoid any faintness.

And the "forbidden" foods — chocolate, spicy dishes, this or that list going around? Honest answer: no food is officially forbidden before a tattoo. No official source publishes a food blacklist; what matters is not to arrive on an empty stomach. One caveat only, owned as a house rule: some tattoo artists advise against coffee and stimulants just before the session, to avoid arriving jittery. No official rule on that — if your studio makes it an instruction, follow it.

Shower, Shaving, Perfume, Cream: the Morning-of Wash

The morning shower, yes, obviously: you are going to spend hours a few centimetres from someone's face. Shaving the area, on the other hand, no — and this is studios' recurring answer to the question: the tattoo artist prepares and shaves the area themselves, with their own equipment, just before tattooing. A razor micro-cut the evening before can be enough to have the session postponed: leave them that step.

Moisturiser on the morning itself and perfume on the area: practices vary from studio to studio — some want strictly bare skin, others are fine with it. That is one more house rule: ask the question at the same time as the one about alcohol, and you will have covered everything in a single message.

How to Dress According to the Tattooed Area

The principle: the area must be accessible without contortion and without undressing more than necessary. In concrete terms:

• Forearm or arm: loose sleeves or a t-shirt.
• Thigh or calf: loose shorts.
• Back or shoulder blade: a top that opens at the front.
• Ribs: a top that is easy to remove.

In every case: dark, old, comfortable clothes. Ink stains, the session can last hours, and no one wants to sacrifice a new shirt. If the placement is not yet settled, our article on choosing your first tattoo's placement will help you decide before you think about your wardrobe.

The Day-Of Bag: What the Checklists Forget

Papers and Money: What the Studio Will Really Expect

An ID document, first: it is used notably at the moment of the signed declaration. If the client is a minor, the law is explicit: written authorisation from a holder of parental authority is required, and the tattoo artist must be able to produce it for 3 years (article R. 1311-11 of the French Public Health Code; the practical sheet on Service-Public.fr, the official French administration portal, sums up the rules applying to minors).

On money: the payment method the studio accepts (not all take cards) and the balance remaining after the deposit, according to the terms agreed at booking. We will give no amount: the price of a session is set by quote, according to the estimated time and each studio's own conditions.

The Comfort Kit for Getting Through a Long Session

A session can last hours, motionless, in a sometimes uncomfortable position. The kit that changes everything:

• A bottle of water and a sugary snack for the breaks.
• Earphones: music or a podcast, also the simplest way to relax while the machine works.
• A book or a downloaded series, and the power bank to go with it.
• A jumper or a blanket: you cool down fast when you are not moving.
• The visual reference for the project if there were exchanges before the appointment.

If it is the pain that worries you more than boredom, our article on the most and least painful areas will help you know what to expect depending on the placement. And three good-manners reflexes that always make a good impression: arrive a little early, warn ahead if you are running late, and come alone — or check beforehand that your companion is allowed in the studio.

The Signs That Should Mean Postponing (and Why a Good Tattoo Artist Will Say No)

Postponing is not a failure: it is always cheaper than a regretted or badly healed tattoo. On the client side, the situations that justify picking up the phone:

• Fever or ongoing illness: your body has other things to do.
• Sunburn or damaged skin on the area: as we saw, the area must arrive intact.
• A boozy night before: Dr Kluger says it bluntly on Allo Docteurs — you do not get tattooed the morning after a night out.
• Ongoing pregnancy or breastfeeding: see our FAQ below.
• Lingering doubt about the design itself: if the hesitation is not about logistics but about the tattoo, it is not a bag you need to prepare — reread our complete first-tattoo guide before confirming.

And on the studio side? The order of 3 December 2008 requires the tattoo artist to inform their client and to look for contraindications before the procedure. In other words: a tattoo artist who asks you questions, has you sign the declaration and does not hesitate to suggest postponing is not being fussy — they are doing exactly their job, and that is an excellent sign. Conversely, a studio ready to tattoo someone who has visibly been drinking, or skin burnt by the sun, tells you everything you need to know about the rest of its practices: run. Our article on the 10 hidden dangers of tattooing details the broader list of warning signs, on the studio side as on the skin side. And if in doubt about your own situation, the rule does not change: consult a healthcare professional.

The Day -7 → Day 0 Checklist to Keep on Your Phone

One last useful obvious point: preparation does not stop when the needle goes in. The first hours after the session shape what follows — dressing, first care, first nights. That is exactly where our day-by-day healing guide picks up.