New Year, New Tattoo Artist Policies

Sarah Micheletti

Jan. 4, 2025

Client Experience

As we usher in the new year, it's a natural time to refresh aspects of your business that could be serving you better. In comes the topic of policies: How to book and communicate; Deposits; Rescheduling, cancellations, and no-shows; Day-of appointment procedures (examples included).

Most policies create accountability, trust, and comfort by letting clients know exactly what to expect. This translates to better communication, fewer misunderstandings, and ultimately, a better experience for everyone. By setting clear boundaries and staying firm and consistent with them, you'll attract the right clients and help avoid stress and discomfort on your end (though enforcing can take a bit of practice).

Where to share

Consider all the touch points you’ll have with a client based on your booking process and where it makes the most sense to surface each type of policy.

Instagram story highlight

Having a “Policies,” “FAQ,” or “How to book” type highlight on your Instagram page is a great place to start. This allows clients to discover and access your policies at any point, but is relying on them to be curious and find them.

Booking page or email

If you have a dedicated web page for your books or are sending out an email with booking links, both are perfect spots to include the majority of your policies (maybe skipping “day-of” info to keep it short). At this touchpoint, the client may be about to book with you, so knowing these policies can help set boundaries at the start.

Tattoo request form

If a client is at the point of requesting a tattoo from you via a form, it’s imperative to include at least your deposit/reschedule/cancellation policies. Best practice would be to add a checkbox they are required to check saying they’ve read and agree to these policies before submission (we do this in the Mind Your Ink platform).

Appointment confirmation and reminders

Once someone has booked with you, continue to reiterate your deposit/reschedule/cancellation and day-of policies. At this point, the client has entered into an agreement with you via paying a deposit and reserving appointment time, so in theory, they’ve already seen and agreed to most of your policies. Use this as an opportunity to also introduce any day-of or post-appointment procedures and information.

Examples

We’re going to pull real-world examples from a few Mind Your Ink artists that we’ve seen to be effective in clarity and appropriate boundary setting. That’s not to say you need to exactly copy any of them, but if you do, maybe DM the artist on Insta to say a quick thanks 😊

Deposit, reschedule, and cancellation policies

Stevie (he/him)

@maybestevie, Stevie on Mind Your Ink

Deposit, reschedule, and cancellation conditions
I understand that an appointment requires a $100 deposit to book and secure my spot.
I understand the artist will not start drawing without a deposit.
I understand that the deposit is applied to the final cost of the tattoo.
Deposits can be made via Venmo to @maybestevie. (Located under the business tab).
Deposits are **NON REFUNDABLE** failure to reschedule or arrive in a timely manner can result in the loss of your deposit.

Sam (she/her)

@highsettler, Sam on Mind Your Ink

Deposit, reschedule, and cancellation conditions
I understand that an appointment requires a $50 deposit to book.
I understand that the deposit solidifies my place in the calendar and pays for administrative time only.
I understand that the deposit does not pay for the artist to start drawing, nor does it pay for any artwork at all.
I understand that the deposit does not apply to the overall tattoo cost.
Deposits can be made via Venmo @highsettler or Cashapp $highsettler.
Deposits are non-refundable*
* Rescheduling is almost always fine, as long as you give me 24hrs notice. Your original deposit will transfer to your new appointment :)

Ollie (they/them)

@chronic_the_hedgeh0g, Ollie on Mind Your Ink

Deposit, reschedule, and cancellation conditions
I understand filling out a form does not guarantee my appointment. I understand a $50 non-refundable deposit is required by Venmo to finalize my appointment once accepted by the artist. I understand that my artist’s time is important and failing to notify them of cancellation or delay over 20 mins may prevent me from scheduling with them in the future. I understand I am Very Cool for filling out this form.

Payment instructions

Aaron (he/him)

@yuhizzle, Aaron on Mind Your Ink

Payment instructions
Payments are accepted via Venmo, PayPal, cash, and Zelle. My rate is $180/hour. Standard deposit is $80, deposit for large scale and cover-up work is $180. The deposit is applied to the total cost of the tattoo. In the event of a multi-session tattoo, the deposit is carried until the final session, at which point the deposit will be applied to the remaining balance. Deposits are non-refundable. Rescheduling an appointment is possible with at least 24 hours notice, the deposit you already paid will cover the deposit for the date of rescheduling. 

Justo aka DOJU (he/him)

@dojutattoo, DOJU on Mind Your Ink

Payment instructions
► Deposit and final payment of your tattoo can be done by Square
I am not accepting cashapp/chime/Venmo
I do not have any other payment apps and you will be responsible for having the money at the time of the appointment, we also have a ATM at Reflection Room Tattoo. as well at the time of your appointment please have your ID as it is required when filling out the tattoo consent form.

How to Book

Pixie (she/they)

@misspixiedevil, Pixie on Mind Your Ink, Instagram post with the below content

Send Me Your Request!
mindyourink.com/book/PixieLynnTattoos (Link in Bio)
I’m currently using an in depth booking form for all appointments. This is how I will get your contact info, tattoo ideas, and your availability!

Hearing Back!
With this new booking form I will be able to keep all my ducks in a row and should get back to you within a week!
If for any reason I don’t get back to you soon enough feel free to message me and let me know that you sent off a form!

Finalizing your Appointment
Once I’ve had time to review your appointment request I will put you on my calendar for a time and date that matches your availability! You will receive an email notifying you of your date, price estimate, time estimate.
That confirmation email will also send you a deposit link. At the moment I require a $100 deposit that will go towards the price of your tattoo for all appointments unless specified otherwise.

Cancelations
I understand that life happens. If for any reason you need to cancel please allow me a 24hr notice.
I am totally willing to put your deposit towards a reschedule as long as I am given notice.

Struggling?
Are you struggling to fill out the form because your unsure of certain answers?
This email is specifically for booking in person consultations! You can either email me or message me on socials for an in person consult. [Email redacted for this blog post]

Why do I book this way?
Over time I have realized Instagram and Facebook are not on my side. I’ve noticed an influx of messages getting moved into hidden messages, not receiving notifications, or my clients only being able to send 1 message until I open it. I’ve also noticed an influx of fake artist accounts built to scam people.
Also, being someone with terrible adhd, being able to have everything laid out for me on 1 website will help me get through my books faster, saving both of us time. I want to be able to have the time to work on your designs and really be able to pour my heart into my work.

Wrap Up

Respect goes both ways. Clear policies help everyone get on the same page to foster positive client-artist relationships. What better time than the beginning of the year to reflect on what went well last year and what could use a little help for this upcoming year?

Questions? Comments? We don’t have the fancy ability to do that on the blog yet, but feel free to email via our contact link or DM on insta 👋