Least & Most Painful Spots For Your First Tattoo

If getting a tattoo is on your bucket list, you have a lot of questions to answer.

First, you’ll need to know what you want tattooed. Maybe it’s something sentimental, maybe it’s something serious, or maybe it’s something silly. 

As it’s your first tattoo, you can be sure people are going to ask you about the story behind it, so you’ll need to think about the why. Maybe you’ll get it done while you’re traveling, or when you’re with a friend or family member, or to mark a special occasion.

After you’ve thought about what it is you’ll get tattooed and why you want to get tattooed comes a much more difficult question:

Where will you get tattooed?

This is where the fantasy of a gorgeous, intricate piece of art meets the reality of the tattoo needle putting ink under your skin. The bigger and more beautiful the idea, the longer and more difficult the session is likely to be.

So where does the pain come from?

As a general rule of thumb, the process of getting a tattoo will hurt more over bony areas with less fat as there is less cushion for the needle. Still, it’s not really the needle that causes the pain, but rather the irritation or soreness from an hours-long process.

If you know the bucket list tattoo you want and it’s just a matter of placement, we’ve got you covered. Check out the outlines below for most to least painful spots for tattoos.

Areas That Tend To Be The Most Painful For Tattoos

According to Saved Tattoo, the following areas are rated as “extremely severe” for men:

• Armpits
• Spine
• Rib Cage
• Groin Area
• Shin Bones and Ankles
• Hip
• Lips
• Elbows
• Breast and Chest
• Sternum

While these areas are rated as “extremely severe” on the pain scale for women:

• Armpits
• Spine
• Rib Cage
• Groin Area
• Shin Bones and Ankles
• Neck
• Lips
• Elbows
• Breast and Chest
• Stomach
• Sternum

Areas That Tend To Be Painful For Tattoos

The following areas are rated as “severe” for men:

• Knees
• Neck
• Head and Face
• Ears
• Hands and Fingers
• Stomach
• Back, and Wrist

While these areas are rated as “ severe” on the pain scale for women:

• Hip
• Knees
• Elbows
• Head and Face
• Outer Shoulder
• Inner Bicep
• Wrist

Areas That Tend To Be Moderately Painful For Tattoos

The following areas are rated as “moderate” for men:

• Outer Thighs
• Outer Shoulder
• Inner Bicep
• Calves

While these areas are rated as “moderate” on the pain scale for women:

• Back
• Outer Thighs
• Outer Bicep
• Calves

Areas That Tend To Be The Least Painful For Tattoos

The least painful areas to get tattooed include:

• Calves - Given that this is the fleshy part of the leg and its location doesn’t interfere with the healing process, this is a good choice.
• Outer Shoulder - This area tends to be low pain and could be a good spot for a larger tattoo
• Outer Bicep - Similarly, the bicep is both a fleshy and muscular area that makes for a less painful tattoo
• Outer Thigh - With fewer nerve endings and plenty of flat space, this is also a popular choice