FAQ’s
Here are some frequently asked questions, and we have the answers here to try to help you on your journey the best way we can possible.
How do I make
an appointment?
To make an appointment with us we just ask for you to follow these steps
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It all begins with an idea. The request form will allow you to explain your idea and upload photos, as well as pick your artist. From there, the artist accepts the appointment and we move on to Step 2.
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Your artist will provide you with a booking link for the appropriate amount of time for your tattoo. This will allow you to schedule a date and time that works for both you and the artist. During this step, you will be required to put down a deposit which goes towards the total price of your tattoo. This deposit ensures your spot and lets the artist know that you are serious about your appointment.
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Lastly, you will fill out a consent form which will get sent to you after you book an appointment. The consent form gets all the important information that is required by the state of North Carolina. The consent form is also put in place to protect Forge Body Arts.
After all of this, we will see you at your appointment. We look forward to working with you.
How do I prepare for my
Tattoo Appointment?
To prepare for your appointment we just ask you to follow the simple steps below.
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Make sure to stay well hydrated before your appointment and try to eat well. If you take care of your body, it will take care of you. Proper nutrition and hydration are pretty key during and after your appointment. Try to get a good nights sleep the night before your appointment, as well as avoid drug and alcohol usage at least 24 hours prior to your appointment.
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Make sure to have a great meal before your tattoo, nothing too heavy, but also nothing too light. Have some sugary foods to up your blood sugar. If you've heard of people passing out from tattoos, it's not from the pain and generally not from the needle, but because your blood sugar has dropped.
Be kind to your artist and take a shower before your appointment. Do not put on too much perfume, as your artist needs to be pretty up-close with your skin. Make sure to wear deodorant, and perhaps bring a little with you.
To shave or not to shave? If you feel you need to shave before your appointment, please feel free to do so. If you're particularly hairy, a little bit of a trim first is definitely a courtesy. But, our artists will shave you again anyways.
Wear comfortable clothing. You don't have to dress up and impress us, we would rather you show up in sweatpants and a t-shirt, as comfort plays a big role in getting tattooed. Also make sure you're wearing clothing suitable for the area that you are getting tattooed. As in, sleeves or pant legs can be rolled up easily for arm or leg pieces, or bring a zip-up hoodie for back pieces. If you're unsure, ask your artist, we are here to help.
Have a valid ID with you for verification.
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Breathe. Do NOT forget to breathe. Breathing is very important during your tattoo. If you need a break, please just let your artist know, they probably need to stretch anyways, or should.
Try your best not to fidget or move around. To ensure that you get an awesome piece, it's best that you sit as still as you can. Playing around on your phone is okay, but it causes you to move more than you think, so please be mindful.
Try to relax as much as you can, I know, better said than done, but give it a shot.
If you're feeling nervous, it's okay, just let us know what's going on and we will do our best to help.
Okay,
I got tattooed,
now what?
For all of your aftercare instructions please follow these steps.
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Your artist most likely put Recovery Derm on you which is basically a big bandage. It allows your natural plasma to take care of the first bit of healing. It's nice to not have to take care of your tattoo for a couple of days.
You will keep the Derm on for generally 5-7 days. Do not exceed 7 days. During this time you will probably notice a build up of fluid, it's just ink, plasma, and a little bit of blood. This is common and normal. Tattoos with more color work or saturation will look especially gruesome. Do not pick or pop the medical bandage. If you feel yours does not look normal, please reach out to your artist.
After the allotted time, we recommend removing the Derm in the shower (make sure your hands are clean and washed), getting a little water in between you and the bandage to help get it off. It most likely will not be an enjoyable experience getting it off.
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Once the Derm is pulled off and you're still in the shower, with clean hands, you are going to wash your tattoo with a mild, fragrance-free, alcohol-free soap. We recommend the following; Dr. Bronner's Unscented (make sure to dilute it with water), Dial Gold (pump style), Mad Rabbit, and Hustle Butter. Only use your hand to clean your tattoo, no loofahs, cloths, etc.
Once you have finished cleaning your tattoo, make sure there is no soap left behind first. Then you are going to dry your tattoo with a clean paper towel by blotting. Do not scrub/scratch your tattoo.
After your tattoo is fully dried, you will apply a very small amount of mild, fragrance-free, alcohol-free lotion. A little goes a long way. Lotion your tattoo up to 3x a day, with clean hands every time. For lotions, we recommend the following; Hustle Butter, Mad Rabbit, Derma-E sensitive skin lotion, Nivea Essentially Enriched, or any white store brand lotion (just check out the ingredients).
No soaking, swimming, hot tubs, etc.
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My tattoo itches, what do I do?
Some people become very itchy during the healing process, it's a lot like healing through a sunburn, as well as your hair is probably growing back in. Do not scratch your tattoo! You might find gently patting the tattoo will give you some relief, but do not scratch. The itchiness, if you do experience it, only lasts generally a couple of days.
A Portion of my Derm peeled up and part of my tattoo is exposed
If your Derm peels up at all for whatever reason, go ahead and peel it off and start the aftercare.
My skin looks red and bumpy with the Derm on!
This is most likely a heat rash, caused by excessive sweat getting trapped under the Derm. It is advised that you take it off and start the aftercare instructions. If you feel any more concern over it, please reach out to your artist.
My friend told me to do X, Family told me to do Y, and Google told me to do Z
Your artist is here to help, we give these instructions for a reason. Please do NOT follow the advice given by others to you about the care of your tattoo. If you do not follow the artists instructions, you will void your free touch-up, and honestly, you will probably hurt your artists feelings. We take a lot of pride in our work, once you leave the shop, it is up to you to take care of your tattoo. We give you the best and most up to date instructions. Tattoos are forever, take care of it appropriately.
IMPORTANT
Do not swim, soak, sunbathe, sunburn, or anything similar while healing a tattoo.
Do not allow your pet to jump on you and scratch the area. Do not let them lick it!!! I know, gross, but it has happened.
Take it easy at the gym, do not follow up your appointment with a gym session. Take a day off. Also, definitely wash your tattoo after being at the gym, as equipment harbors so much bacteria.
Do not pick your tattoo. Tattoos can become flaky like sunburns, do not peel your skin off.
Your tattoo may appear healed, it probably isn't. On every level of skin, a fully healed tattoo generally takes 4 months.
Your tattoo may become raised at some points, like braille. This is nothing to worry about, it happens for different reasons in some people. Irritation, weather, sickness, being cold, something you ate. etc. It's normal
Your healing is probably normal, but if it all you want our opinion or you are worried, please reach out. We want to help because we love you.
I have that
random
question?
Answers to life’s riddles, that aren’t 42.
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At Forge Body Arts, we are plus-size, and kept that in mind when picking some furniture. Our client bed holds up to 1100lbs, our guest chairs hold up to 500lbs, our waiting room bench holds up to 650lbs, and our step ladder (which helps us apply lower leg tattoos) holds up to 500lbs. We're uncertain of the weight limit of one of our tattooing chairs, but we can accommodate if need be.
There are no steps to get into Forge Body Arts, there is a ramp onto the sidewalk. We're not 100% sure if it's totally wheelchair accessible, as far as the angle of the door, and door width, but if you are concerned, let us know and we can set a time to figure it out with you.
We have a bathroom for clients and client guests. In the bathroom we have some hygiene products if you need them; pads, tampons, and deodorant.
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You are allowed to have up to 1 guest. This guest must be an adult.
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No. Nope. Nada. We do not. We are however, more than happy to give you recommendations for piercers.
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Absolutely, not. We are not a daycare. If you show up to your appointment with a small child, you will be denied your appointment and will not get a refund on your deposit.
But, my child is "different and they behave well."
Still no.
Bringing a child to your appointment is disrespectful to your artist and other clients.
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We do not allow you to see the drawing before your appointment. We use all the references you gave us and we draw something up for you. If you don't like it or change your mind, we will do that at your appointment, but that will be added time. We would hope that you've done research and have found us a good fit for you and trust our process. Showing you the drawing early generally means you're price shopping, which isn't fair to the time we've put into it.
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Just let your artist know that you need a break, whether it's to stand up and regain feeling to a limb, going to the bathroom, or you just want a break in general.
We don't get up and stretch nearly enough and this gives us a reminder and opportunity to do so. Do not feel bad about needing a break.
If you feel you can't finish your tattoo in one sitting, we generally just need the linework down first, so once we finish that, we can get another appointment(s) booked to finish it.
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We take cash and card. All card transactions are subject to a 4% card processing fee.
Cash is our preferred method.
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If we are not fully booked for the day, we will take walk-ins. Call aheads are recommended to check our availability. If you're in the area we will probably have our chalkboard sign out stating we have walk-in availability. As well as, check out our Instagram and Facebook to see if we posted stating we have availability.
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In the state of North Carolina, the minimum age to get tattooed with a valid form of identification is 18 years old, regardless of parental consent.
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Deposits are non-refundable for any reason. If for whatever reason you need to reschedule your appointment you must give us 72 hours notice. If you do not give us 72 hours notice, you will lose your deposit and will be required to put down a new one for your appointment. You are only allowed 1 reschedule per deposit. Your deposit can not be transferred to a different client.
If you do not show up to your appointment, your deposit will be forfeited and we will mark you as a no-show. This puts a negative impact on our professional relationship and makes us less likely to allow you to book in the future. We understand that things happen and we're all human, so please call us and let us know what's going on.
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Our location can be a little difficult to find. We are in the West Salem Shopping Center at 641 Peters Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem, NC. We are in between a barber shop and a hair salon. We are basically behind the barbershop. There's a patch of grass in front of the hair salon and we are the door to the left of that. We will most likely have our chalkboard sign out to help guide you. If you're confused at all, give us a call.
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We will not tattoo skin that is the following:
Acne breakout
Sunburn
Jaundice
Open Wounds
Psoriasis and Eczema
Extreme Dryness
We will not tattoo you if:
You are under the influence of alcohol or drugs
You are pregnant and/or breastfeeding
You are heightened, angry or incoherent
If we feel we are not the right artist for you. And it's okay if we're not. We might not be able to get your idea to fully come to life, but another artist might be able to. If after a little bit of a back and forth and we still don't see eye to eye on a project, we will probably advise you to research another shop. We want you to be happy with what goes on your body.
We will not tattoo the following:
Hate symbols
Gang affiliation symbols