Tattoo pain chart
Published tattoo pain charts rate the ribs, armpit, shins and the top of the foot as the most painful spots, and the outer thigh, outer forearm, outer arm and calf as the least. The table sorts 33 spots into four levels.
- Low · 6
- Moderate · 4
- High · 16
- Very high · 7
- Varies · 7
Hover or tap a zone to see its name and level.
The diagram is a schematic. Every placement, level and note is also listed in the table below.
§1Tattoo pain chart by placement
Low is roughly 1–3 out of 10, moderate 4–6, high 7–8 and very high 9–10. Each level is the middle score from up to four published 1–10 charts, checked against Healthline’s medically reviewed chart, which sorts the body into low-to-moderate and high-to-severe spots.
“Varies” means the charts sit four or more points apart, or Healthline puts the spot in the other group.
| Placement | Pain level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Forehead and face | High | Thin skin right over the skull |
| Behind the ear | High (varies) | Close to the skull, but sessions are short |
| Neck, front | High | Thin skin over the windpipe |
| Neck, back (nape) | High (varies) | Usually milder than the front |
| Collarbone | High (varies) | Skin stretched over the bone; milder off it |
| Chest | High (varies) | Milder over the pecs, sharper toward the sternum |
| Sternum | High | Thin skin over bone |
| Nipple and breast | Very high | Very sensitive, tender skin |
| Stomach | High | Depends on body fat and how tight the skin is |
| Ribs | Very high | Thin skin and little fat over bone |
| Upper back | Moderate (varies) | Padded with muscle; sharper near the spine |
| Spine | Very high | Thin skin over bone; either side is easier |
| Lower back | Moderate | Fleshy in the middle, sharper near the hips |
| Hip | High | Depends on how much flesh covers the bone |
| Buttocks | Low | Padded with fat; the crease below is sharper |
| Shoulder (outer) | Low | Muscle cushion, few nerves near the surface |
| Upper arm (outer) | Low | Same muscle cushion as the shoulder |
| Inner arm and bicep | High | Softer skin with more nerve endings |
| Armpit | Very high | Thin skin packed with nerve endings |
| Elbow (outer and ditch) | High | Skin straight over bone; the inner crease is sensitive too |
| Forearm (outer) | Low | Thick skin over muscle |
| Forearm (inner) | Moderate | Thinner skin than the outer side |
| Wrist | Moderate (varies) | Thin skin over tendons and bone, and the joint moves |
| Hand (top) | High | Thin skin over bone; knuckles hurt more |
| Palm and fingers | Very high | One of the densest clusters of nerve endings |
| Outer thigh | Low | Thick skin over a large muscle |
| Inner thigh | High | Thin skin and many nerve endings |
| Kneecap | High | Almost no tissue between skin and bone |
| Back of the knee | High | Thin, sensitive skin over a joint |
| Shin | Very high | Little fat over the bone |
| Calf | Low | Thick muscle under the skin |
| Ankle | High (varies) | Bone just under thin skin |
| Foot (top) | Very high | Thin skin right over bone |
None of these scores comes from measuring pain. They are estimates from artists and clients; Hyperinkers says outright that no scientifically proven pain map exists for tattoos. Medical News Today notes the same: the rankings rest on personal experience, not research.
Scores from the pain charts by Hyperinkers, Authority Tattoo, Saved Tattoo and Inkjin; groups from Healthline; Medical News Today. Where a main chart lumps spots together, the split comes from the same publisher’s placement guides.
§2Where it hurts the most
The ribs and the armpit hurt the most. Three of the four charts give the armpit 10 out of 10, and three rate the ribs 9 or 10. The skin over the ribs is thin with little fat, and the armpit is packed with nerve endings.
The spine, the shins and the top of the foot come next, all very high, because bone sits right under thin skin. The kneecap, the elbows and the sternum follow for the same reason. Over bone the needle feels like vibration as well as a sting. Nerve-dense spots score high as well, among them the nipples, the palms and fingers and the inner arm. The inner thigh probably belongs here too, though only Hyperinkers gives it a number (8); Healthline and Authority Tattoo also list it among painful spots.
On vibration over bone: Healthline. Inner thigh: Authority Tattoo.
§3Where it hurts the least
The outer thigh, the outer forearm, the outer upper arm and shoulder and the calf get the lowest scores. Most charts put them between 1 and 4 out of 10, and Healthline puts them in its low-to-moderate group. Saved Tattoo is the outlier and gives women 5 or 6 on several of these spots.
What they share is padding. Muscle or fat sits between skin and bone, and the skin is thicker. The fleshy part of the buttocks belongs here too; the crease underneath is much sharper.
The upper back often appears on lists of easy spots, but its scores run from 2 to 7, so it lands at moderate. Like the lower back, it gets sharper toward the spine.
Low still hurts: you feel the needle on every spot.
§4Tattoo pain chart for women and men
Three of the four charts give one score per spot for everyone. The clearest data comes from a 2020 survey of 1,092 tattooed people (863 women, 229 men). On a 0–10 scale, women rated pain during tattooing at 4.31 on average and men at 4.48, a difference the authors found not significant. Right after the session women reported slightly more pain, 2.15 against 1.76.
Saved Tattoo is the exception: it publishes separate scores, based on feedback it says it gathered from tattooed men and women. Women score higher there on the stomach (8 against 6) and the inner bicep (7 against 5), and lower on the back (5 against 7), which the site puts down to more padding. The ribs and the armpit score the same for both.
Saved Tattoo itself adds that there is no definite evidence women feel more pain. Medical News Today lists sex among the factors in tattoo pain without saying in which direction. In the 2020 survey, session length and stress went with higher pain during tattooing; sex did not.
Survey: Witkoś and Hartman-Petrycka, 2020. Separate scores: Saved Tattoo. Factors: Medical News Today.
§5What else changes the pain
The 1–10 scale is subjective, so read any score as a rough guide, not a forecast.
Session length matters: in the 2020 survey, longer sessions went with higher pain scores. Healthline notes that large, detailed pieces need long sessions, and artists may split them into sittings of two or three hours.
The kind of work changes the feeling. Outlines and fine detail tend to sting, while shading feels more like scratching, and many people say it hurts less. Burning sets in when the needle goes over the same small patch again and again.
Healthline says stress and anxiety can make a tattoo feel worse, and the survey found the same link. It also counts sleep and a meal beforehand as helping, and advises no alcohol for 24 hours before. Ask your artist or doctor about painkillers or numbing creams.
The artist’s technique matters too, according to Healthline.
Sources: Healthline, Tattoo pain chart; Healthline, Do tattoos hurt; Healthline, What does a tattoo feel like; the 2020 survey.
§6Choosing a first placement with pain in mind
Placement guides most often suggest the forearm, the upper arm or shoulder, the outer thigh and the upper back for a first tattoo, and all of them sit in the low or moderate rows of the chart. The size and placement chart shows how big a design usually goes on each.
Medical News Today notes that smaller tattoos take less time and so cause less pain, and Healthline adds that a larger outline can hurt more than a smaller one on the same spot. For a spot high on the chart, such as the ankle or the ribs, a small piece keeps the session short. The small designs run from 1 to 4 in, and the simple designs are a few clean lines with no shading. The beginner designs are practice pieces for people learning to tattoo.
Before booking, print a design at real size from the stencil catalog and hold it on the spot you have in mind. Then ask your artist how long that size takes there.
First-tattoo spots from Hyperinkers, Inked and Authority Tattoo; size and pain from Medical News Today and Healthline.
This page sums up published pain charts and one survey. It is not medical advice.
§7Questions
Q1Where does it hurt the most to get a tattoo?
The ribs and the armpit. Three of the four charts compared here give the armpit 10 out of 10, and three rate the ribs 9 or 10. The spine, the shins, the top of the foot, the nipples and the palms and fingers come close behind, because the skin there is thin over bone or full of nerve endings.
Q2Where does it hurt the least to get a tattoo?
The outer thigh, the outer forearm, the outer upper arm and shoulder and the calf. Most charts score them between 1 and 4 out of 10, since muscle or fat cushions the needle. Even the lowest-scoring spots still hurt.
Q3Does it hurt to get a tattoo on your wrist?
Opinions split. The two charts that score the wrist put it in the middle: Hyperinkers at 5 out of 10, Saved Tattoo at 6. Healthline puts it in its high-to-severe group and says people rate it anywhere from a 5 to a “what-was-I-thinking” level, with most ranking it fairly high. The skin is thin over tendons and bone, and the outer wrist bone sits close to the surface.
Q4Is the tattoo pain chart different for women?
Not by much, going by the research. In a 2020 survey of 1,092 people, women and men rated pain during tattooing about the same, 4.31 and 4.48 out of 10, and women reported slightly more pain right after. Separate female and male charts, such as Saved Tattoo’s, rest on feedback the site collected, not on a published study.
Q5What does getting a tattoo feel like?
Healthline describes several sensations: stinging during outlines and fine detail, scratching like a cat’s claws during shading, burning when the needle works one patch for a while, vibration over bone, and a dull ache in the background.
Q6How long does tattoo pain last?
The sharpest pain comes during the session. Afterward, soreness and swelling can last up to about a week and feel like a bruise or sunburn; in the second week they give way to itching as the skin heals. Pain that doesn’t ease, or skin that stays red and warm, is a reason to see a doctor.
Q7Does a tattoo behind the ear hurt?
Healthline puts it at 5 or more out of 10 and says most people find it more irritating than painful. Tattoo charts rate the ear area higher: 7 at Hyperinkers and Saved Tattoo, 9 at Authority Tattoo. The needle buzzes close to the skull, but designs there are usually small and sessions short.
Q8Which tattoo pain chart is accurate?
None is measured. Every chart, this one included, sums up what artists and clients report, and the publishers disagree by several points on spots like the wrist, the ankle, the upper back and the back of the neck. Use the level as a rough guide and ask your artist about the exact spot.