You must be 16 with ID and your parent must be present. You and your parent must have ID’s with matching last names and addresses to be tattooed or pierced at Big Brain.
Of course it does a little bit…but most people can handle it just fine. The worst part is the fear; not the actual pain. Once we start you will relax and most people can go for a couple of hours before they start getting sore.
Well sure. The hands, neck, and ribs hurt the most but they are also not very popular spots. The truth is GET IT WHERE YOU WANT IT. Don’t get it where it hurts the least. You will regret it if you compromise.
This is a question that you need to discuss with your artist. Each artist may suggest different products or suggest a different method for after care. Remember there are several ways of doing this right. We have a generic guideline for aftercare but please ask your artist for a more detailed set of instructions.
Every person is different and every tattoo is different. A young and healthy person will heal faster than an older person with fragile skin, a small tattoo will heal faster than a big one and some people take better care of it than others. So…it is hard to say exactly when your tattoo will heal. Put it this way, if it is not healed in two weeks you need to come back in and let us take a look.
Please read the “How does a tattoo work?” section. Basically, a tattoo is a minor skin abrasion. If you take care of it properly it will heal quickly and without incident; if you don’t there might be delays in the healing process. These delays may include scabbing and soreness that, in some cases, last weeks. Most people never go through these problems and are fine in a week to ten days. Whether you heal fast or slow there are well defined stages it will go through. Stage 1: During a tattoo and for the first hour or two afterwards, it will bleed. After that, it will weep or drain clear sticky stuff. This is normal but you must wash regularly to prevent it from thickening and forming scabs. Stage 2: It will dry up and quit oozing. Now is the time to start using the after care products that your artist recommends. Refer to “tattoo aftercare” if you are unsure how to do this. Stage 3: Thin flaky scabs will start falling off when you wash it; it’s similar to the way a sunburn peels. This is normal even if the scabs are the same color as the tattoo. Don’t worry; the color is not coming out. Stage 4: The scabbing is gone by this stage and is probably shiny but the healing process is not done yet. You might notice the skin is a little milky or foggy especially in the spots where it took the longest to heal. This is normal too; eventually that foggy skin will turn shiny like the rest of the tattoo probably looks. At this point you are very close to being fully healed. The last stage…Stage 5: You are completely healed when the tattooed area is no longer shiny and if hair grows in that spot it is back to its original length. Now you are free to go tanning, lay out, swim in a lake, go in a hot tub, swim in a pool or what ever else you might want to do.
Imagine you had seven pieces of paper stacked on top of each other; these represent layers of skin (some places have more or less than seven layers and the layers may vary in thickness). Well…the way a tattoo works is we draw on the fourth layer down. We do this by pushing the ink under the top three layers with a group of needles. The trick is to let only the very tip of the needle hit that fourth layer. If it goes into the fifth or sixth layer you have gone in to far and a thin line will become thick and blurry. If you don’t put the ink in far enough the ink will not stay. During this process the first layer is damaged the worst, the second layer is damaged a little less than the first and the third layer is not very damaged at all. After a week or two the injured layers will heal and re-grow over the “colored” layers. This leaves a crisp and clean tattoo under the re-grown skin.
You cannot swim or go in to a hot tub until it is completely healed. Refer to the question “How do I know when it’s done healing?” if you are unsure when that is. If your tattoo is small enough you might be able to cover it with a waterproof bandage and swim in a clean pool but still no lakes or hot tubs. Washing with soap and water and showering is fine of course (refer to your after care instructions).
You can not go tanning until your tattoo is completely healed. Refer to the question “How do I know when it’s done healing” if you are unsure when that is. It is safe to tan after that but it will discolor your tattoo. Refer to “How does a tattoo work?” If your tattoo is under the top layers of skin and you get a tan and make those top layers darker…It now makes your tattoo appear darker. When your tan is gone, the color will be back to normal.
No. It is unsafe to the child and to the mother. It is also illegal in the state of Nebraska.
It is not desirable but can be normal. Do NOT pick them. Refer to “How does a tattoo work.” Just like any minor injury it may scab, especially if not cared for properly. Follow the after care instructions the best you can to lower the risk of problems. Come into the store if you have questions.
Yes. It is very normal and it means you are almost done healing. Refer to “How do I know when it’s done healing” and “how does a tattoo work” Remember don’t pick at it and don’t worry…the tattoo will be just fine. The ink under your skin will still be there.
That is normal for the first 24 hours. If it is happing after that you are using too much ointment or not letting it dry long enough after you wash it. Refer to “Aftercare instructions” if you are unsure of the process.
Usually “light spots” are cause by a problem in the healing process. Don’t worry these light spots are easy to recolor but this is a question that you and your artist need to discuss together in person; no touch ups are scheduled over the phone. If your tattoo does need touched up it’s free, just make an appointment and leave a deposit, if you miss that appointment it is no longer free and we keep the deposit; otherwise your deposit will be refunded no problem.
Absolutely. All of our needles are single use. This means they’re brand
new and sterilized before being used…then disposed of after being used.
We do NOT reuse needles. Be sure to ask your artist any questions you want about
the sterilization process.
Yes you can. There is no reason that a tattoo would interfere.
Prices are based on many things and can only be given with you here in person,
at the store. Once you get here you will find that there are several ways to
do the same tattoo. For example, we can do a tattoo for forty dollars or we
can do it for $300. A lot of it depends on size and how we color it but there
are other variables to consider. Please let us know if you are trying to stick
in a certain price range; usually we can hit your target price.
There is a limit on how small you can go. The general rule is the more detail it has the bigger it needs to be. In other words, you cannot get a fairy with angel wings 2 inches tall or a lady bug actual size. Remember just because you got it small, doesn’t mean you didn’t get a tattoo. If your mom is going to hate it…she is gonna hate it no matter how big it is. If you think it is going to hurt less because it’s small, you are wrong there too.
Yes. Bring in anything you want. We can work with almost any design. Many times, however, we will need to make small changes to make it work as a tattoo.
Yes. All of our artists are...well, just that…Artists. We can make all
of your wildest dreams come true but it is helpful if you bring in a reference.
For example, if you want a guitar with flames…well, there are hundreds
of different guitars. Make sure you bring a picture of the exact guitar you
want and we will use that as a reference. This does take a little while to get
drawn though so in some cases it might be necessary to make an appointment.
No you don’t. We accept walk-ins; it is on a first come-first serve basis. Custom tattoos, however, are a different story and most of the time you do need to give us a day or two to finalize your design and set an appointment. You must be in the store to do so.
All of our artists are world class competitors and are leaders in the tattoo industry. Each artist in our store has a certain specialty, style or strength. In other words, one person might be good at one thing and another person might be good at something else. Please look at each person’s individual portfolio to determine which artist you like. We will also help you decide who would work best on your tattoo.
We are one of the best body art facilities in the entire country. There are only a handful of shops in the entire world that constantly win awards and are continuously published in the industry magazines; we are one of them. Big Brain is respected on the international level for our creativity, professionalism, technical skill and talent. Although professionalism and technical skill can be learned or taught; creativity and raw talent cannot. Talent is something you either have or you don’t. Big Brain is world famous for its talent.
The first step is getting to the shop for us to take a look. There are a lot of options and solutions but we must see the problem first. In most cases we can repair what you are unhappy with or do a “cover up”. This means we will put a new design over the old one. There are certain limitations however, that is why it is so important to actually visit the store.
Yes we can (most of the time) but there are some limitations to the amount of
detail we can use in the tattoo. Other factors to consider are age of the scar
(is it done healing) the texture of the scar (burns are harder than cuts). Actually,
it’s another one of those things where we need to see it to give you the
whole story.
Yes. Please ask the donation center where you are giving blood for the exact times between tattoo and donation; the times vary from donation center to donation center.
No. It is illegal for a body artist to numb an area or tattoo on an area he knows to be numb but don’t worry; once you get started your bodies natural pain killers (adrenaline and endorphins) will kick in and you will be just fine. Our suggestion is to take an over the counter pain reliever like Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) just to help with soreness and swelling. You won’t need anything more than that.
Yes. Bring your ID!! Bring something comfortable to wear and bring your design. Other than that you shouldn’t need anything else.
It is forty dollars. This is the least we charge for anything. It is to cover the price of the gear we use in the tattoo process. The gear is disposable and is never used again.
Yes, we do require a deposit to make an appointment; however, it does come off
of the price of your tattoo. This deposit is non refundable; if you no show,
no call you lose it, but if you give 24 hours notice you can move your appointment.
If you don’t reschedule with in 30 days you will also lose your deposit.
First of all, this is very rare. If you think that your tattoo is infected…you need to come down here and let us take a look. There is nothing we can do without seeing it. An infection is impossible to diagnosis over the phone or web.
Yes, but they are very hard to take care of. For this reason we do not guarantee them.
Yes, but it is like the foot, it’s not guaranteed. Plus there are many more layers of skin on the toe and it is very thick. This makes it even harder. We do not recommend the big toe.