Radiohead Dotwork Tattoo: My Experience, Pain, and Healing

Before I get started I just want to say a huge thank you for all the support on my previous post, and for reassuring me that the content of that letter was...well weird. It’s my most viewed post to date so even if you just wanted a nose, or to genuinely reach out with advice, I appreciate you!

ANYWAY...

I got another tattoo. I love it. I’d like to tell you about it. 

After exploiting my blog in search of opinions on what to get for tattoo number two, I finally decided that I would pay homage to the wonderful album The Bends by my favourite band Radiohead. I got the design done at L1 Ink Tattoo Studio by tattoo artist Jessica Brown, who specialses in dotwork, and it cost me £60 overall, which included the deposit of £30 which secured my appointment.

The Booking

After deciding for certain on my design idea, I emailed Jessica with the basic concept of what I wanted; the album cover of The Bends but without the text, and I wanted it encompassed in a square. Whilst this wasn’t a completely detailed description, Jessica knew exactly what I wanted and was confident she could create a fitting design for me - this made the booking process far more straightforward. I was also asked by her about sizing (I decided on 3x3 inches) and placement (my ribs), so after that there were no further details needed for Jess to work on the design.

After picking a date and time that was available, Jess sent me the booking and deposit information which was a concise and detailed list of what to expect from my appointment, advice on how to prepare for the booking, and what the terms were with regards to cancelling or rearranging a booking. After sending my £30 deposit and reading the details sent, all that was left to do was wait for the big day.

Tattoo Day

The day before the 18th September which was my booking date, I received an email from Jess with her proposed design for my tattoo (pictured below). I was absolutely thrilled with the result as it was exactly what I had envisaged, making me more excited for the next day when I could finally get it done. 

My appointment the next day was at 2pm, and after eating the recommended big breakfast and buying myself a sugary drink and snacks, I was ready to go. When I arrived at the studio, Jess came out to greet me and showed me the stencil she wanted to work from. Again, the sizing was perfect, and after she had gotten her equipment ready, it was finally time. The stencil was placed on me by Jess where I wanted it and I lay down in position. The vibe was very chilled out, with music playing loud the whole time, and I was allowed to have Adam in there with me - I was not allowed anyone with me when I got my first tattoo done in London as the studio was so small, so this was a welcome change. 

The Pain

It is very annoying when people who have tattoos say that the pain is indescribable, but, for the most part I’d say it is. Whilst of course it certainly isn’t a pleasant feeling, I personally find it bearable enough to sit entirely still - I have two rib tattoos, considered very painful areas of the body to get tattooed in the first place, and I have been able to sit rigid still for both and handle an hour plus of non-stop tattooing on both occasions. The sensation feels a lot like how it looks when you watch someone else get tattooed - painful dragging and scratching is the best way I can describe it. It’s not pleasant no, and as time goes on the area gets more sensitive, so little movements become more painful than before.

To cope with the pain I just try and focus on a certain object or picture in the room, or grab onto the side of the chair so that my brain can focus on another sensation. No matter what, a tattoo involves pain and there’s no getting away from that, but I would argue that the end result, if the design is something you have really wanted and are excited about, is completely worth it.

Healing and Aftercare

Having successfully healed my first tattoo, I was confident that I could also heal my new baby accordingly. Something I didn’t know and was glad to hear from Jess’ advice at the end of the appointment was that people often make the mistake of over moisturising dotwork tattoos and this can therefore ruin the final result of it. Having been advised with my previous tattoo, which was not dotwork, to apply ointment or moisturiser three times a day, Jess advised that I only do it once a day with this one.

So, after two hours after the appointment had passed, I removed the cling film wrap, gave the tattoo a wash and applied some moisturiser. I chose Avino Baby moisturiser as I imagined that for a baby it would be very sensitive and less chemical, and have been applying that every day ever since. The tattoo was very painful to the touch for the first couple of days after, and very flaky. It hasn’t even been a week yet though and the pain has pretty much completely subsided. There is still a lot of scabbing and flaking going on but with the once day application of moisturiser I am keeping on top of that and it’s looking really good. Within another week or two I will hopefully have a fully healed tattoo.

I am absolutely thrilled with my second tattoo and am very pleased that I chose the design and artist that I did as it has come out exactly how I wanted it to, and I cannot stop looking at it. I feel like I now have such a unique tribute to Radiohead and will always think about how important The Bends is to me whenever I look at it. A massive thank you is in order to Jessica Brown for so effortlessly creating something I will treasure forever - her Instagram is @jessicabrowntattoo and she deserves to be checked out, her account is full of her amazing work (including mine!).

Who knows if this is the start of more tattoos for me (I did honestly think I’d only ever get one lol), but at least it makes good blog content right?

Thanks for reaaaaddddiiinnnggggg,

H x