Research Note: I have tattoos in various locations across my body, and each placement taught me something different about pain levels, visibility, aging, and practical considerations. This post draws from my personal experiences, conversations with artists and collectors, and the lessons I learned from both good and regretful placement choices.
The Wrist That Taught Me Everything
My first tattoo was a small script piece on my wrist. I was 22, thought it was clever, and figured the visibility would be a feature, not a bug. Three years later, it became my biggest placement regret—not the design itself, but where I put it.
What I didn’t consider at 22: the wrist has thin skin stretched over bone, which made the session far more painful than I expected. It’s also impossible to hide in professional settings—I spent years wearing watches and bracelets to cover it in business-casual offices. The thin skin and constant sun exposure meant it faded and blurred faster than any of my other pieces. And by claiming that prime real estate with something small, I eliminated the possibility of building a cohesive sleeve later.
That single decision taught me that placement isn’t just about where you want to look at your tattoo. It affects the pain during the session, how the piece ages over decades, your professional flexibility, and your future tattoo possibilities. Choosing placement is just as important as choosing the design.
Learning Pain Through Experience
After the wrist, I approached my next tattoos with more research. Healthline’s tattoo pain chart confirmed what I’d learned the hard way: pain correlates with thin skin over bone, proximity to nerves, and areas of high friction or movement.
My shoulder piece changed everything. After the wrist disaster, I expected pain. Instead, I found myself actually relaxing into the chair. Four hours passed like one. The thick muscle padding that makes shoulders boring in anatomy class makes them ideal tattoo real estate—my artist worked steadily, I breathed normally, and when it was done I understood why people build whole sleeves from this starting point. If you’re nervous about pain tolerance, the outer upper arm and shoulder area (what I’d rate around 2-3 out of 10) is the place to start.
The outer thigh surprised me too. Substantial muscle, thick skin, and distance from major nerve clusters made for a comfortable session. I sat for three hours without needing a break. The calf was similar—good muscle padding, though the closer you get to the ankle and shin bone, the more you feel it.
My upper back piece was tolerable but uneven. The middle of the back, over muscle, was fine. But every time the needle approached my spine or shoulder blades, the sensation intensified dramatically. The vibration on bone is something you have to experience to understand—it’s not sharper, exactly, but deeper and harder to ignore.
Then came my rib piece. I’d read the warnings, but I didn’t truly understand until I was in the chair, taking breaks every twenty minutes because the combination of thin skin over bone and the movement from breathing made everything more intense. It’s the most beautiful piece I have, and I’m glad I got it there, but I would never recommend ribs for a first tattoo. You need to know your pain tolerance first.
The Visibility Calculation
My wrist tattoo taught me to think about visibility in career terms. At 22, I worked retail and didn’t think about future offices. By 30, I was in business casual environments where visible tattoos still carried stigma.
Highly visible placements—hands, fingers, neck, face, forearms in short sleeves—can limit employment in conservative fields. This is changing, slowly, but it’s worth being honest about your industry. I’ve met lawyers who regret hand tattoos and nurses who cover forearm pieces daily. I’ve also met tech workers and creative professionals who display everything without consequence.
The question isn’t just “do I want this visible?” but “do I want the option to hide it?” Chest, back, ribs, shoulders, upper arms, and thighs give you that flexibility. Forearms and lower legs depend on your workplace dress code. Hands, neck, and face are permanent statements.
I eventually made peace with my wrist piece by accepting it as part of my story. But if I’d placed it on my upper arm or ribs, I’d have had years of flexibility that I gave up by not thinking ahead.
How Placement Affects Aging
Seven years after getting my upper back piece, it looks almost identical to when it was fresh. The colors stayed vibrant, the lines stayed crisp. My wrist tattoo from four years ago is already noticeably faded and blurred. The difference comes down to placement.
Protected areas—chest, back, ribs, upper arms usually covered by clothing—get minimal UV exposure, which means slower fading. Areas that see daily sun accumulate damage that shows in your ink. My wrist gets constant exposure whether I’m driving, walking, or just existing outdoors. Every bit of that UV damage shows.
Friction matters too. Hands and feet experience constant rubbing from washing, movement, and contact with surfaces. The tattoos there blur and fade dramatically, often needing touch-ups every few years. High-friction areas near waistbands or bra lines can also experience faster degradation.
Weight fluctuations affect some placements more than others. Stomach tattoos can distort with significant weight changes or pregnancy. Upper back, shoulders, and calves tend to remain more stable regardless of body changes.
Matching Design to Placement
One of the best pieces of advice I got from an artist: “If the design doesn’t fit properly at readable size in your chosen placement, either simplify the design or choose a larger placement.”
I made the opposite mistake early on. I put a small, intricate design in a small space, and as it healed and settled, the fine details mushed together. Intricate sleeves need full arm real estate. Detailed back pieces need most of the back. Portrait realism needs at least five inches in any direction to maintain likeness over time.
Minimalist designs can work in small spaces—wrists, ankles, behind the ear—but you need to accept that small detailed work ages faster than bold work. The simpler the design in a small space, the better it will hold up.
Thinking About Future Tattoos
My biggest regret isn’t any single piece—it’s that I didn’t plan for a collection. I put a small two-inch tattoo on my outer shoulder, which is prime real estate. If I’d been thinking long-term, I would have saved that spot for something larger and more significant. Now any shoulder piece has to work around or cover that small design.
If you think you might want a sleeve someday, avoid scattering random small tattoos along your arm. Start with a full concept, or at least a cohesive style. Work with an artist who can help you plan eventual coverage. I know people who have beautiful collected sleeves that tell a story, and I know people who have a jumble of unrelated pieces that don’t quite fit together. The difference usually comes down to whether they thought ahead.
Healing Considerations
Some placements are just easier to heal than others. Outer upper arm heals beautifully—minimal movement, easy to keep clean, protected by clothing without rubbing. Upper back and outer thigh are similarly straightforward.
Joints are harder. Elbows and knees bend constantly, which stresses healing skin. Hands and feet get washed repeatedly and rubbed by shoes. Areas that sweat heavily or get rubbed by clothing lines require extra diligence during the healing period.
My rib piece was challenging to heal. Breathing moved the skin constantly. Sleeping position was limited. Certain clothing was uncomfortable. It healed fine with extra attention, but it was noticeably more work than my shoulder.
What I’d Tell Someone Getting Their First Tattoo
Start with an easily hidden placement. Outer upper arm, shoulder, back, calf. Not because visible tattoos are wrong, but because hidden placements give you flexibility while you figure out what this permanent art form means to you.
Pick something moderately sized—not tiny enough to blur, not massive enough to overwhelm a first experience. A three-to-five inch design in a comfortable placement lets you understand the process without too much pain or commitment.
Test your pain tolerance before attempting ribs, spine, or other intense locations. You don’t want your first tattoo memory to be one of endurance rather than excitement.
Think about your career path, not just your current job. Tattoo acceptance is increasing, but industry norms vary wildly. If you’re unsure, choose something coverable until you’re certain about your professional direction.
Save prime real estate for pieces that matter most. First tattoos tend to be experiments, learning experiences. The outer shoulder, the forearm, the center of the back—these are the spots people see most. Consider saving them for designs you develop after you understand your own tattoo journey better.
Looking Back at My Own Journey
If I could redo my tattoo timeline, I’d start with my upper arm or back—hidden, comfortable, forgiving. My second piece would be forearm or calf, building confidence. Third might be ribs or another challenging placement, once I knew my pain tolerance. Hands or neck would come only after being heavily tattooed elsewhere, if ever.
Instead, I started with my wrist (regret), then scattered pieces without a plan, then tried to build cohesion retroactively. Learn from that. You’re not just choosing where to put one tattoo—you’re choosing how to build a collection.
Placement isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about pain, healing, aging, professional life, and future possibilities. Take time with the decision. Live with a temporary marker drawing for a day. Consider multiple options. Trust your artist’s recommendations if they suggest a different placement.
The design you choose matters. But where you choose to live with it for the rest of your life matters just as much.
Where was your first tattoo? Would you choose the same placement again? Share your placement experiences in the comments!
Resources
Pain and Placement Information:
- Healthline - Tattoo Pain Chart
- Consult with your artist during consultation—they’ve seen how different placements heal on different bodies
Aging and Sun Protection:
- Apply SPF 50+ to all tattoos when exposed to sun
- Reapply every 2 hours during extended exposure
- UV damage accumulates over time and is permanent
Professional Considerations:
- Research your industry’s norms before choosing highly visible placements
- When in doubt, choose something coverable
- Policies are slowly changing but still vary widely by field and region
InkedWith is written by tattoo collectors sharing real experiences. We’ve made good and bad placement choices—learn from both to make informed decisions about where your art lives permanently.
