Frequently Asked Questions

At Alter Ego Tattoo Studio, we’re redefining the tattoo experience with transparent, upfront pricing with no hidden surprises.  We create a welcoming atmosphere for our clients and their guests, offering entertainment like. Idea games, cards, comics, and streaming services.  Our focus is delivering exceptional artistry, outstanding customer service, and a fun, memorable experience for everyone who walks through our doors.

While we are searching for our permanent location we are by appointment only.  We are willing to meet with our clients at their convenience 7 days a week and nearly 24 hours a day.  We do require a 48 hour notice at this time due to requirements of our temporary location.

At this time you can call us at (859) 490-8368, email us at (wescuppstattoos@gmail.com), or send us a message through our contact us page.

At this time we are at a temporary location wherein we are by appointment only.  Once we open our permanent location we will be accepting walk-ins!  Please check back at our website or follow us on our instagram, Facebook, or TikTok page to be up to date with when begin accepting walk-ins

Our skilled artists are able to accommodate most any style of tattoo.  We offer color, black and gray, black and gray realism, watercolor, anime and anything else you can think of.  We also offer different types of shading from traditional, stipple, woodcut, and realism shading.  We work with our clients to give them the style of tattoo they envision.

There are several situations where we cannot provide a tattoo.  These include pregnancy, lack of valid identification, an active infection, or sunburn in the area to be tattooed.  Certain medications such as blood thinners may also make tattooing unsafe.  If you have no medical condition or take medication that could affect the tattoo process we recommend consulting your doctor and obtaining clearance before your appointment to ensure it is safe to proceed.

We pride ourselves on providing the most transparent pricing of any other tattoo shop around.  We price per square inch along with other factors such as, is it linework only, is there black and gray shading, color and other stylistic details.  You can use our pricing guide located on our webpage to get a close estimate.  The artists do have some autonomy regarding the final price, however the pricing guide with give a close estimate as to the price when you get the tattoo completed at our shop.

We accept all major credit cards, Cashapp, PayPal, Venmo, and Cash.

Kentucky Law dictates a person must be at least 16 years old with parental/legal custodian consent in order to receive a tattoo.  There are several documents that will be required for the minor to receive their tattoo and these documents must be presented at their appointment.

The minor child and parent/legal guardian needs a valid government issued ID.  This includes a driver’s license, permit, state ID, military ID, or passport.  These are the only accepted forms of ID.  The minor child must also provide a copy of their birth certificate that shows the parent’s name.  If it is a legal guardian, court documentation must be provided that shows a person other than their biological parent has guardianship.  Lastly there is a form that must be notarized.  

The notary form is on our website under the forms section or you can get the form from our shop.  We offer an on site notary service for $15, however you can get the form notarized at a different location prior to your appointment.

There is additional seating in the tattoo booths as well as the lobby for you to bring people with you.  Regarding children, they are not allowed in the tattoo booths due to safety and cleanliness.

Unfortunately, food and drink are not permitted in the tattoo booth itself, however we offer space outside of the tattoo booth to store these items for you to use when wanted.

Pain levels vary based upon several factors. Location on your body, length of time getting tattooed, the type of work being done for the tattoo, but most importantly it varies from person to person based upon their own pain tolerance.  General places that tend to hurt more than others are fingers, feet, ribs, stomach, ditch of the knee, however each person is different and locations that are generally considered to have a higher pain level for some people may be less so for others

Generally you do not want to use numbing cream as the ink may not absorb into your skin as effectively as without the numbing cream.  This can mean the artist may have to go over the tattoo more than once which can lead to potential scarring.  Furthermore, when the numbing wears off it may be more painful at that moment than if you sat through the tattoo without numbing cream.

Yes, scars can be tattooed over however deeper scars will take ink less effectively and may have to get multiple sessions to fully saturate the skin with the ink.

There are several actions you can take to help ensure you have the best possible experience receiving your tattoo.  Make sure your skin is clean prior to your appointment, have a full meal within no more than 4 hours prior to your appointment, be hydrated, do not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and wear comfortable clothing that does not impede access to the tattoo area.

We follow the State of Kentucky’s regulations for tattoo shop cleanliness as required by law. We use individually packaged needles, single use paper towels, single use ink caps, wrap our machines for each client, use non-latex gloves, and wrap and break down all set up’s in between each client.  Furthermore, we use Opticide/Microcide for cleaning in between each set up to ensure a safe environment for each of our clients.

We offer 1 free touch up for most of our tattoos.  Some exceptions are on fingers, palms of hands, and inside the mouth.  It is common that ink falls out in these areas due to wear and tear.  This is always explained to the client prior to receiving the tattoo.  Touch ups may be necessary as the tattoo ages, this can be caused by sun exposure, wind exposure, cuts and scrapes, removing a scab too early, as well as just aging of the skin.  Though our artists do our best to g

The first method is to wrap it in a sterile wrap that needs to stay on for no longer than 3 hours.  After removing the wrap you need to wash the tattoo with unscented antibacterial soap, dab dry with a clean paper towel, then use an unscented lotion and put a thin layer over the tattoo.  You will continue to wash your tattoo at least twice a day being careful not to scrub and apply the lotion three to five times a day or whenever your tattoo is dry for the next 4 to 8 weeks

The second method we offer us to use a type of second skin.  This will go directly on the tattoo and able to stay on yo to 5 days.  It is suggested you take off the wrap in the shower.  You will then follow the previously stated cleaning and lotion instructions.

There are a few things you should avoid immediately after receiving your tattoo.  Direct sunlight, scrubbing or rubbing the tattoo, picking at the scabs, exposure of your tattoo to different types of air particulates, swimming pools or hot tubs, soaking your tattoo, unclean bedsheets, and over cleaning your tattoo.  Environmental factors can cause issues with your tattoo as it is an open wound, make sure to not expose it to things that may cause infection or harm the outcome of the piece.