Hello. I am getting my first tattoo and tried to do some preliminary research online in order to see how much I’d be paying. I know you have to pay a lot if you want quality. I just wanted to make sure that, wihle I am getting quality, I’m not going to get ripped off and my wallet destroyed because I was uninformed.

I read some tattoo shop reviews where people in retrospect after getting their first tattoo, realized they were horribly ripped off.

I tried e-mailing the tattoo shops with the picture of my tattoo and asking how much it would cost and how long it would take. It’s a 3.5 inch by 5 inch picture on my left upper arm. However, none of them would tell me via e-mail or phone how much it costs and asked me to come in person instead.

They did however say it can be done in one session in about an hour.

Can you guys help me out and tell me how much should I expect to be paying? On the bottom is a picture of the tattoo. All in black on my upper left arm at 3.5 inch by 5 inches.

Also, I live in Northern Virginia – a suburb of Washington, DC. (Not sure how much location effects the price.)

Thanks!