Frequently Asked

Questions

Artists

  • Currently, we offer full-service mobile general anesthesia. We sedate for tattoo sessions on any body part, both in the artist’s studio and in surgery centers across the US. The client goes all the way to sleep, providing a motionless canvas for the artists, and wakes up with a beautifully completed masterpiece.

    We are also developing a nerve block program, which allows us to directly numb the nerves themselves. We’re not talking numbing creams - this is like going to the dentist where they numb your tooth… the dentist can work on your tooth and you can’t feel it. We can do the same thing for arms, chests, torsos and backs. This doesn’t change the skin integrity or affect the tattoo quality at all! We are targeting blocks that allow 8-12 hours of being pain-free! Coming soon!

  • Once the tattoo design has been completed and agreed upon, Anesthesia Ink will coordinate the date, time, and location of the tattoo for the client, the artists, and our staff.

  • No - but Anesthesia Ink does have minimum studio requirements for being able to offer anesthesia inside a tattoo studio: a high-quality tattoo chair, space enough for multiple people to work, and privacy for the sedated client.

  • We follow all ASA and AANA guidelines for office-based anesthesia. We bring all emergency medications and equipment found inside a hospital with us to each appointment.

  • Yes! We work with artists to prepare the proper studio setup for anesthesia services, or we can utilize one of our local contracted surgery centers if that is preferred

  • Anesthesia Ink ensures each of our providers is trained to provide the highest quality anesthetic in the unique setting of tattoo anesthesia. This includes emergency management, client comfort with positioning aids, and artist ergonomics.

  • Hit the ‘Start Here’ button on our website, and a member of our team will reach out to schedule you! appointment.

  • We provide tattoo anesthesia for anyone healthy enough to undergo an outpatient procedure. We screen every client to make sure we are providing the highest quality care in the best possible setting for every single anesthetic.

  • We always bring emergency medications and equipment to handle the rarest of complications under anesthesia. Every provider is trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and every client is pre-screened to ensure they are healthy enough to undergo anesthesia in an office setting.

  • We have a variety of billing options, including billing the client directly or bundling our costs with the artist’s fees into one easy charge for the client. Our anesthesia fees are reflective of the local anesthesia market, ensuring you never pay more for our services than you would for a medical procedure.

  • Tattooing a client under anesthesia is ideal: they hold perfectly still, they don’t need toilet or food breaks, and they stay completely relaxed. Ever heard of the tattoo flu? That’s a thing of the past. Clients wake up feeling great and ready to book their next session with you.

  • We follow up with our clients after their anesthetic to make sure they are recovering well and to answer any questions they may have.

  • Clients need to follow all anesthesia guidelines before they go under, including nothing to eat or drink after midnight, specific medication instructions, and possibly having a physical exam with one of our providers. We streamline everything for your client to make the process as smooth as possible.

  • Our anesthesia providers reach out to the client the night before every anesthetic session to review medical history, obtain consent, and review anesthesia instructions, as well as answer any last minute questions. We want our clients to feel completely comfortable with their tailored anesthesia plan.

  • Yes! We are happy to schedule appointments to answer questions or visit a studio. Please reach out!

  • Because all of our providers have worked in operating room environments, we are very familiar with sterile space and help our artists maintain aseptic technique.

  • Every tattoo and client is unique, and we specialize in creating the best environment to facilitate tattoo projects.

  • We are currently growing and expanding our services across the United States! If we aren’t local in your area yet, we can fly our team to you, or fly you and your client to us.

  • Currently, we offer full-service mobile general anesthesia. We sedate for tattoo sessions on any body part, both in the artist’s studio and in surgery centers across the US. The client goes all the way to sleep, providing a motionless canvas for the artists, and wakes up with a beautifully completed masterpiece.

    We are also developing a nerve block program, which allows us to directly numb the nerves themselves. We’re not talking numbing creams - this is like going to the dentist where they numb your tooth… the dentist can work on your tooth and you can’t feel it. We can do the same thing for arms, chests, torsos and backs. This doesn’t change the skin integrity or affect the tattoo quality at all! We are targeting blocks that allow 8-12 hours of being pain-free! Coming soon!

  • We’ll do a pre-screening to make sure you are healthy enough to undergo anesthesia in an office setting. Typically, any health conditions you have (diabetes, asthma, obesity, etc) need to be well-managed and under control.

  • Anesthesia itself poses no risk to the tattoo artwork. The most common side effect of anesthesia is nausea and vomiting, but we try to avoid that by administering nausea-preventing medications and avoiding specific anesthesia drugs that tend to cause nausea.

  • Our clients wake up having jump-started the healing process. We hydrate our clients with IV fluids and give anti-inflammatories to help with pain. Ever heard of the tattoo flu? That’s a thing of the past. You get to have the highest quality medical care during your tattoo session so you can wake up with a completed project and get back to life.

  • We will call you the night before your session to answer any last-minute questions and talk about the anesthesia. The day of your procedure, you and your artist will apply your stencil or mark out where your tattoo will go, then we’ll get started getting you prepared for anesthesia. This usually means starting an IV, giving some relaxing medication, and getting you off to sleep. You’ll wake up when we’re all done!

  • After your tattoo session, the anesthesia will wear off gradually. We treat your pain while you’re under anesthesia to try and minimize the stress your body feels during your session.

  • We might have you do a physical with one of our providers before your session, and we’ll help you coordinate the visit. This is just to ensure the highest level of safety during your session.

  • Yes!

  • We follow all ASA and AANA guidelines for office-based anesthesia. We bring all emergency medications and equipment found inside a hospital with us to each appointment.

  • We always bring emergency medications and equipment to handle the rarest of complications under anesthesia. Fortunately, anesthesia itself is very safe, and our providers are trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and can manage complications until we get you to a nearby medical facility.

  • Our anesthesia fees are reflective of the local anesthesia market, ensuring you never pay more for our services than you would for a medical procedure. Because getting a tattoo is an elective procedure, medical insurance does not cover our costs.

  • Absolutely! In fact, you must have a ride home after anesthesia. They can stay with you until we get your off to sleep, and then they can be with you again right when you wake up.

  • Most of the anesthetics we provide are through an IV. You will have a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA) or a physician anesthesiologist keeping an eye on you for your whole session.

  • Our providers have graduated from an accredited anesthesia program, are licensed in your state, and have completed Advanced Cardiac Life Support, in addition to specific training requirements from Anesthesia Ink. We take your safety seriously and provide the exact same anesthesia you would receive in a hospital setting.

  • Follow your care instructions from your tattoo artist; there are no special anesthesia care instructions.

  • No, we need you to follow all anesthesia guidelines to ensure your safety during your session. Typically, this means nothing to eat eight hours prior to your anesthetic, and nothing to drink two hours prior.

  • You’ll feel groggy when you wake up, as you normally would after anesthesia. This usually goes away within a few hours.

  • Hit the ‘Contact’ button on our website, and a member of our team will reach out to get you scheduled!

Clients