Pre-appointment Information
Attending your appointment
First and foremost, you must be 18 years or above to be tattooed. We require, upon request, photographic I.D. to verify your age and operate a Challenge 25 policy. If you are unable to provide adequate identification when requested, we cannot tattoo you and your deposit will be forfeit. Acceptable ID is a card bearing the PASS hologram, a driving license or a passport.
We enforce an over 18 only policy in our studio. Please ensure you have adequate childcare for the entirety of your tattoo appointment as children are not permitted on site.
Please aim to arrive for your appointment 10 minutes in advance of the appointment time. If it looks likely that you will be late, please call or text at the earliest opportunity. Arriving excessively late will result in the cancellation of your appointment and forfeiture of the deposit.
Make sure you have had a good meal prior to your appointment, are well rested and hydrated. This will help your comfort considerably and ensure the process goes smoothly.
We require that you fill out an informed consent form which requires that you answer some basic medical questions, ensures that you are informed of your responsibilities in looking after your tattoo and generally ensures both parties are on the same page. This includes listing any and all medications you may be taking so please ensure that you have a list with you if required. Please also ensure that you have any emergency medications you may need with you - insulin, asthma inhalers, epipens, etc. Please also let us know about any non prescription drug use, be it recreational, steroids, etc. There is no judgement, and the records we keep are confidential, but it will allow us to tattoo you safely.
Bring with you anything that you will need to be comfortable for a prolonged period. Drinks and snacks are encouraged (particular recommendation goes to Isotonic drinks like Lucozade Sport). It is important that you are still and relaxed through the tattoo process, so you are welcome to use mobile devices with headphones to watch films or streaming services, listen to music, etc. should you wish. The studio has guest accessible wifi.
Travel and Parking
The studio does not have parking. If you are coming by car, it is strongly recommended that you use the Lace Market multi-story car park on Pilcher Gate which is yards from the studio. It is a pay-on-foot ticketed car park and has plenty of space in all but the busiest of times. Aside from the advertised rates, it also offers an Early Bird rate of just £7 if you enter before 9:30am and leave before 18:30pm (correct as of July 2023)
Car parking, being a city centre, is expensive. We strongly advise using Nottingham’s excellent park and ride facilities. Parking at Forest Fields is free and you can get a day ticket for the frequent trams for £5.30 per person.
It is also very nice walk to the city centre from the Forest Fields car park, taking approximately 20-30 minutes which follows the tram tracks through the university to the main square.
From Nottingham Train station it is an easy 10 minute walk door to door through the old Broadmarsh centre site.
Deposits
All the artists at Death Ray Studio are self employed and as such responsible for their own financial dealings so deposits, or any other payments in respect to tattoo work are not taken by the studio. Any and all payments by way of deposits or otherwise relating to tattoo work must be made directly to the artist and will not be taken by the studio.
As such, the cost of the deposit is different across each artist and could be subject to further conditions, but the below expectations are universal concerns;
Deposits are non refundable and are forfeit should you fail to attend your appointment, arrive too late for the tattoo to be done, attend your appointment in an unfit state to get tattooed, or otherwise prevent the tattoo from going ahead as agreed.
If you cancel at short notice, or don’t show up for the appointment, not only will your appointment be forfeit but you may also be required to pay in full for the tattoo before artists will rebook your appointment. If this happens more than once, we reserve the right to not rebook you at all.
In the case of moving the appointment, the deposit will be retained only if sufficient notice - a minimum of 48 hours - is given. Ordinarily, an alternative date is agreed at the point of cancellation, though artists are able to retain the deposit as a ‘floating deposit’ without making an alternative.
Floating deposits are held for a maximum of 6 months from the cancellation date, after which time they are forfeit.
In pieces requiring multiple sessions, the deposit is retained and transferred across appointments securing each session until the piece is complete. i.e. each session is paid for in full according to the hourly rate until the final session whereupon the deposit is deducted from the cost of the session.
Ordinarily, blocks of sessions are booked for large scale work, or at least the next session is booked at the end of each previous session. Should no date be fixed for subsequent sessions, the deposit will be held as a floating deposit with the same 6 month limit as above.
Deposits are non transferable and secure the appointment to commence the work that has been discussed - i.e. it is taken as a commitment toward the project, not the time. Changes can be made within reason to the design brief, but a major change in direction (e.g. a different piece than agreed in terms of size, styl e or subject matter) may cause your appointment to be forfeit and your deposit lost.
Payment
All artists are self employed and as such are entirely responsible for the taking on payments. Most will accept cash or bank transfer by default, though many also now accept card payment, payPal, apps such as Venmo. Please ensure you check what acceptable payment methods are with your artists ahead of your appointment.