Thinking of getting inked? Why not get a tattoo on an ideal body placement? Getting a permanent tattoo has become exponentially popular no matter where in the world you are. Selecting the best places to get a tattoo on your body is no less challenging than deciding on the tattoo design itself. Numerous areas of your body are potentially incredible tattoo spots. Before jumping the gun, however, you should read the rest of this article to know which are the best, most ideal locations for a tattoo on your body.
This article outlines the 10 best places to get a tattoo for women and an equal number for men. Considering the multitude of places in your body to get inked, there are quite a few areas that both genders love most. These include the upper arm, fingers, wrist, ankle, forearm, and neck. Yet, as per popular trend, men prefer specific places, including the neck, biceps, and lower legs. Topping the ranks among several places women prefer most are the lower back and ankle.
The lists below enlist the most popular areas for getting inked permanently. It’s certain, after going through the list and the relevant images, you’ll find it a breeze to make up your mind on where on your body to get tattooed next.
Best Places To Get A Tattoo
Your next tattoo may well be inspired by the likes of Tom Hardy’s cool tattoo designs and specific placements or something else you might have spotted in a popular magazine. That, though, shouldn’t be the end-all of the factors comprising your decision. Upon consolidating our findings, we came up with the best tattoo placements, all of which perfectly met specific criteria.
You should never feel pressured to get tattooed in a particular spot. Always, first, talk to your tattoo artist. Have a thorough conversation about your design idea, preferred placement, the procedure, and aftercare. An experienced artist would be your best guide in suggesting a placement after getting an understanding of your pain tolerance, where you feel the tattoo will look best, and other such factors.
For more information related to Pain Tolerances of different areas of the body, read our article: 18 Most Painful Places to Get a Tattoo on Your Body
What then is the best placement? The foremost factor is selecting a body location that brings out the best of the particular tattoo design. It should be a place where the tattoo reflects beautifully on the skin, while the longevity of the inked design is also maintained.
Considering all that, without further ado, let’s begin with the best places to get a tattoo if you’re a woman:
The 10 Best Places To Get A Tattoo If You’re A Woman
1. Ankle
Young ladies love getting a tattoo on the ankle for more reasons than one. To begin with, this location is one of the most feminine ones. Their preference is often a design with a butterfly, flowers, an angel, or even their favorite pokemon character here. From small, simple designs to larger ones, it all depends on your pain threshold. A tattoo on the ankle is a sure-shot way of making a classy, chic, freedom-oriented statement. This is especially so in the summer months when sandal-clad girls can’t help but show off their ankle tats.
2. Lower Back
The lower back is one of the sexiest places for a woman to get a medium to large-sized tattoo. Curvey areas are wonderfully accentuated with the help of a tattoo here. Low-waist jeans and short tops help bring up the popularity of this placement region by quite a few notches. As a bonus, whenever you aren’t in the mood to show off your lower back tattoo, you can easily hide it. You can be as bold as you want since the design can be covered by clothing when desired. For this reason, a lot of enthusiasts consider personal elements and customizations for a tattoo placed in the lower back.
3. Ear
Who says ears are only for ornamentation through fine jewelry? Many women consider getting their ears, both inner and back of the ears included, tattooed. The pain here is considerable. Yet, as per most folks, it isn’t all that awful, especially while getting inked in the inner ear. An obvious drawback is that the tattoo machine will feel awfully noisy here. So, you really can’t rule out the odd headache. As another plus, the limited surface area of the ears allows one to get inked with the most delicate artwork.
On the other hand, a tattoo behind the ear can be painful. This is a sensitive region where the skin is very thin as this area is also part of your skull. Furthermore, the vibration and noise of the tattoo machine are bound to give you headaches and dizziness. Yet, this has been a popular tattoo placement for quite some time. Another advantage of getting inked here is that you can cover it up if you have long hair.
4. Fingers
The fingers are another placement where you can exhibit small, simple, yet delicate tattoo designs. Girls love delicate designs for their elegance and overall style quotient. Just like henna tattoos have been popular for ages on hands and fingers, permanent tattoos have also followed that trend.
Getting inked on the fingers can be very painful due to the skin being close to the bone. Yet, the pain duration will be short since the designs are small, requiring a shorter session on the tattoo chair. Whether you’re in it for an illusion of a ring, initials of a loved one, or some other meaningful design, you can rest assured a tattoo on or between the fingers is one of the most eye-catching.
5. Inner Wrist
The inner wrist is a popular area to get a tattoo. The wearer feels as though wearing a bracelet. It’s one of the most inked placements among females. Small, delicate elements can be selected for this place. Popular designs include words, flowers, or symbols. Due to many nerve endings and the presence of a bone here, getting inked anywhere along the circumference of the wrist is a painful experience.
Even so, the inner wrist is a popular spot. More so, because it’s also easy to hide with your wristwatch or bangles. Bear in mind, the tattoo should heal completely before you wear your jewelry over it. Moreover, this is a placement area with high exposure to the sun, so you should choose your colors accordingly.
6. Hip
The hip is one of the best tattoo placements for women for expressing their femininity. The ideal design elements are medium-sized symbols or a variety of large designs like swirly floral patterns. The pain level is low due to plenty of thick skin and fat at the hips that provide a safe, fleshy cushioning to the needling process. Leaving aside the hip bone, the rest of the region is a breeze for tattooing large designs. Overall, it’s the perfect spot if you have a low tolerance for pain.
7. Upper Back
Want a tattoo you can cover up for work? The upper back is the ideal location for that purpose. Your beautiful tattoo, no matter how large, will look elegant and bold while you wear those low-neck dresses, a swimsuit, or other back-revealing clothing. Yet, it will be hidden when dressed up in business attire.
Upper back tattoos look great, especially if you’re a woman. Keep in mind though, you’ll have to give it extra care during the healing and aftercare stages. The back is a hard-to-reach spot. Someone will have to give their hand in applying the moisturizer or properly cleaning it during the tattoo peeling and overall healing stages. Also, don’t forget to alter your sleeping position to suit your tattoo while the healing is underway.
8. Back of Neck
The back of the neck is another top choice for women’s tattoos. It’s one of the best placements for smaller designs. The pain level is medium, which means it’s bearable by most women. Given that most designs are small, the moderate pain will last a relatively short duration, which adds to the appeal of getting inked at this spot.
You could have anything you like tattooed at the back of the neck. Some even get beautiful floral patterns that start here and extend down to the ends of the shoulders or the lower back.
Overall, the back of the neck is a cute section that can be hidden with long hair when the need arises. In most cases, you could hide it with a high collared shirt in case your hair is short. This placement is ideally suited for small, simple tattoo designs. This could be a simple symbol or line work.
9. Shoulder
This is another feminine location for a tattoo. Though, it won’t be wrong to claim it’s a masculine location as well. The shoulders, especially when wearing a strapless dress, get accentuated beautifully with a nice tattoo design. You don’t have to bother about it showing during work, you can cover the design by wearing a business shirt or a scarf.
This is a popular spot to showcase large tattoos. The pain level is moderate at the back shoulder blade. The placement is ideal to show off tattoos that symbolize remembrance. A design with an angel is a popular option for this placement.
10. Collarbone
The collarbone is a fantastic location for women to consider for getting their next tattoo. This placement is best for small-sized, trailing floral patterns that may extend from the neck and shoulders. Such designs highlight the feminine figure. What clicks with women most is the prominence with which the collarbone sticks out while wearing most tops or dresses. It’s where the decorative centerpiece — jewelry or tattoo — should, in effect, be.
The pain level will depend on the size and density of the tattoo design and how fleshy you are in your collarbone region. The specific placement will further influence the level of pain felt. A tattoo placed right over the collar bone is bound to hurt badly, compared to one that’s above or beneath it.
The 10 Best Places To Get A Tattoo If You’re A Man
1. Chest
First of all, the chest isn’t a painful spot to ink. Next, the rest goes as far as your imagination takes you. Suppose you have an experienced tattooist by your side. In that case, you can get your chest inked with flawless tribal, filigree, anime, or any other among a plethora of design options available.
Every man that works out his chest, does so to expel his physical masculinity. Most tattoos for the chest help highlight the chest muscle to bring out that masculinity in focus. Another big advantage is that the chest is easy to cover up so that you can go to work worry-free. If you have a hairy chest, you’ll have to ensure you keep the region shaved regularly to get the full effect when your shirt is removed.
2. Biceps
When thinking of the most exposed part of the body, the biceps come to mind. If you’re a gym lover, you probably have sizable biceps. You can accordingly get a larger tattoo there to emphasize your bicep entirely. In most cases, depending on the design, you can easily hide your bicep tattoo by wearing a regular, half sleeve shirt. In terms of pain, due to the softer skin, the bicep will be moderately uncomfortable to ink.
3. Ribs
Suppose you have the tolerance to pull through excruciating pain. In that case, you’ll have no trouble getting tattooed with a large motif in your delicate, boney ribcage. This is one of the most attractive tattoo placements if you’re presently in excellent shape. The rib area is an excellent place to tattoo most types of designs. This includes small, delicate patterns to bigger, more dense designs.
No bias, but generally men deal better with tattoo-related pain, which is why men than women more prefer rib tattoos. Women are generally more slender than men, which is why a rib tattoo may hurt them more. A rib tattoo can be large enough to start at the armpit and extend down to the lower abdomen. The same type of variation holds for the potential extent of the width of a ribcage tattoo. If there’s one main reason to opt for a rib tattoo, it’s the diverse range of designs options available.
4. Thigh
Much like with their chests, men work hard to build up their thighs too. The thigh is the ideal placement to show off large tattoos. The pain level is low, which makes this one of the best places to get a tattoo on a man or woman’s body. Men particularly have been getting tattoos on their thighs for centuries, and the trend isn’t likely to slow down.
A tattoo along the thigh can be attractive, sexual, or even mysterious. This specific location is somewhat intimate, which means you can easily hide the tattoo by wearing trousers or longer shorts. You can still consider this popular men’s placement for your next tattoo if you’re a woman. Women find it a place lower in pain than men. This is due to the thicker layer of fat they embody there.
5. Lower Leg
The lower leg, in particular the calf area, and not so much over or behind the knees, is one of the best places to get a tattoo. Lower leg tattoos are popular among both men and women. The overall tendency to get inked there tilts more towards the male gender. This is an area that is suited for canvassing decent-sized tattoo designs. Also, it can easily be concealed under your trousers. The trouble, of course, arises during hotter months, when you have no other alternative than to keep your lower leg tattoos continuously exposed. In terms of pain, expect moderate to high levels during the inking process if you’re getting it on your outer calf as compared to the back of the calf.
6. Back
There’s no larger canvass area on our bodies than the entire back taken together. Among men, entire back tattoos are hugely popular. This is the only location where you can showcase a large, dense, bold design. You can customize a theme and have it inked on your back.
Usually, the most intricate, large back tattoos take multiple, lengthy sessions and involve considerable pain before they’re completed. As with any tattooing task, you should trust only a professional tattoo artist. The experience of the artist, lighting, equipment, and tattoo accessories are all factors that matter in the overall hygiene, safety, and outcome of the design.
7. Head
The head is a tricky space. If you’re okay with forever keeping your head bald and willing to deal with immense pain through the session, you won’t regret this. Besides the excruciating pain, you’re likely to also be affected by the vibration and noise of the tattoo machine. The head is the best placement for large, eye-catching designs of personally important, wise, and intellectual symbolism.
Want to show off? Go for this placement! A tattoo over the head is one of the most visible placements. Whenever choosing a design for your scalp, think in terms of the more simple ones, like the one shown below.
8. Neck
The neck is one of the best places to get a medium-sized tattoo. It’s a prominent placement that can be hidden with a high collar shirt. However, if it’s an all-over design, there are bits you won’t be able to hide. Symbols on the side of your neck are a popular option. Other options include circular patterns that encircle your neck and a necklace type of design that is more suited for a feminine appeal.
An aspect of neck tattoos that you need to be careful about is being comfortable with them as you age. With aging, the skin around the neck wrinkles more prominently as compared to other areas. This could alter the look of your tattoo.
9. Inside forearm
The inside forearm is an extremely popular placement for a tattoo. Think of all the veins running through your inside forearm. Hence, the pain level is moderate to high, so you need to prepare yourself mentally for that. The ideal designs are long, having a medium level of detail. Most designs on the inside forearms hold meanings that signify a direction or guidance for one’s life. The only way to hide a forearm tattoo is by wearing a full-length shirt. As a downside, you’ll have to expose your tattoo in hotter weather whether you like it or not.
10. Upper Arm
The upper arm is the best place for medium to large tattoo designs. Here the pain level ranges from low for the most part to medium. Whether you’re a man or woman, most tattoos meant for the upper arm signify strength. This low-pain canvas is nevertheless suitable for just about any type of design.
If you’re a man having large, muscular arms, a tattooed look is known to charm the opposite sex even more. You’ll have to ensure you are regular at the gym though; a pumped look will keep the design admirable. The popularity of upper arm tattoos holds well for women too. Women can get awesome feminine designs on their upper arms.
Conclusion
Choosing a tattoo design of your liking is super important. What most folks don’t realize is the selection of proper placement for the tattoo is equally important. In this article, you learned about what constitutes a good placement. The top places for a tattoo were selected keeping in view the popularity of these areas, the ease of tattooing there, and how particular designs look at each spot. Also important are your conditions, particularly your work restrictions, your pain tolerance, and the climate you live in.
That said, if you have work restrictions, most of the placements are easy to hide either with clothing, hair, or accessories. Another factor to remember is that areas of your skin that are prone to high sun exposure can result in a fading tattoo. Hopefully, you would have now been able to pick your favorite spot for a tattoo.
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