where are you located (& can i park there?)

brilliance tattoo, 3399 washington st, jamaica plain, ma, 02130. there is a parking lot directly behind the building, the left side of which is reserved for brilliance.

how do i prep for my appointment?

the most important and effective way to prepare for a tattoo appointment is to sleep as much as you can the night before, eat a solid meal beforehand, and drink lots of water before and during the appointment. a tired, hungry, and/or dehydrated body will be much less equipped to handle being tattooed. we have seltzer, soda, water, and candy at the studio for fast hydration/blood sugar purposes. clients are encouraged to bring their own prepped meals, snacks, and hydration of choice — we have a fridge, microwave, and toaster oven if you need them.

treat the area we’ll be tattooing to some light exfoliation in the days before your appointment, paired with moisturizing. it’s MUCH easier to tattoo skin that is hydrated and doesn’t have a layer of dead skin cells sitting on top of it.

wear comfortable, warm clothes to the appointment, that either leave the area we’re tattooing uncovered or can easily be maneuvered out of the way. layers are great, since your body temperature may fluctuate during the tattoo.

in adherence with boston licensure regulations, you must bring a valid form of photo id with your birthday on it to your appointment.

is there anything that would stop me from getting tattooed?

if you are currently taking blood-thinners*, antibiotics, or steroids, i cannot tattoo you. if you are pregnant or currently breastfeeding, i cannot tattoo you. if you don’t have your photo id (or at least a photo of your photo id) i cannot tattoo you. if you are drunk or otherwise intoxicated, i cannot tattoo you.

*this includes ibuprofen and aspirin — if you need to take any otc painkillers before your appointment, the only safe one is acetaminophen (tylenol). drinking alcohol the night before is also not advised since it has a blood-thinning effect.

can i bring my friend/partner/parent/emotional support plant* to my appointment?

you may bring ONE additional person/plant with you to the appointment; any more than that becomes overwhelming. unfortunately because of massachusetts licensing laws we can’t allow pets in the studio, with the exception of service animals.

*no, this has never happened. yet.

do you send drawings to be seen ahead of time?

no. there is always time built into the beginning of the appointment to make any desired changes to the design. asking for changes will not hurt my feelings. additionally, many projects i do — freehand pieces, for example — cannot be drawn ahead of time; instead they are the result of collaboration between us at the beginning of the appointment.

do i tip you?

tips are always appreciated! but you don’t need to think about tipping the way you would a server at a restaurant. i don’t survive off of tips, and tattoos are already a significant expense, so i don’t expect people to follow standard tipping rules. if you can tip, that’s very appreciated. if you can’t, i will not hold it against you. i’m also a fan of non-money tips such as art, trinkets, and (gluten-free) treats!

“flash” vs. “pre-drawn”? what the heck?

every tattooer approaches the lingo a little differently, but in my case “flash” describes a design that is tattooable multiple times, with few-to-no changes. “pre-drawn” refers to a design or concept that will only be tattooed once, and will very often require some adaptation in order to fit the client’s body.