About

Choosing a tattoo placement can feel like a small decision until you picture sitting through the appointment. Will the ribs be rough? Would the thigh be easier? And does the spot still work for the design you want?

This site gives you a starting point. Pick a spot on the pain chart, see how it compares with other placements, then take your questions to your tattoo artist. The chart is free to use, needs no account, and doesn’t store the spots you tap on a server.

Meet the people in our pictures

You’ll see Maya, Nico and Leo across the site. Their images help you picture placements and studio moments. The pain scores come from our editorial scale, explained below.

Left to right: Maya, Nico and Leo.

Maya likes to plan. She has design ideas saved on her phone and a sketchbook from her weekend hikes. When she compares the ribs with the thigh, she wants to know how the tattoo will sit there as well as what the session might feel like.

Leo asks the beginner questions. He’s a photographer and boulderer considering his first larger tattoo. He wants the straight answer first: which spots tend to be easier, and what should he ask before booking?

Nico shows the appointment side of the story. His studio scenes cover checking placement, getting comfortable, and taking a break when needed. For advice about your own tattoo, speak with your artist.

How to use the chart

The chart covers 25 placements on the front and back of the body. A 9/10 means a spot sits near the painful end of our relative scale. It doesn’t mean everyone will feel pain at a nine. Read the placement notes, compare another spot if you’re undecided, and talk through the exact design with your artist.

Where the scores come from

We assign the scores as editorial estimates. They draw on commonly described sensations and differences such as cushioning, proximity to bone, and how much an area moves. They are judgment calls, not measurements. We haven’t run a published survey, convened an artist panel, or conducted a clinical study. We also don’t publish source-level evidence for each individual score.

Your experience may differ from the chart. The design, technique, length of the session, and how you’re feeling that day all matter. Placement alone can’t tell you how long the appointment or healing will take. An artist can estimate the appointment after seeing the design, size, detail, and likely breaks. Healing depends on the person and aftercare, and skin can look settled before deeper layers have recovered. Bring health concerns to a medical professional.

For general aftercare, see the Mayo Clinic tattoo guidance, the Cleveland Clinic healing guide, and the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology aftercare leaflet. These sources describe healing in general; they do not validate a fixed time for any one placement.

The chart, rankings, and placement pages all use the same set of scores, so the numbers stay consistent as you move around the site.

Before you book

Bring your artist the exact spot you’re considering, the design and approximate size, and any questions about positioning, breaks, or aftercare. That’s a more useful conversation than asking a pain score to make the decision for you.

Contact

Found something that needs correcting, or want us to cover another question? Get in touch.