It is no secret that getting a tattoo can be extremely painful.
And although some people enjoy the feeling of a needle piercing their skin, even the biggest tattoo fanatics say certain areas of the body are unbearable to get inked.
With this in mind, we asked some tattoo enthusiasts to describe their most painful sessions in the parlour.
From a man who compared the needle to being scraped with metal to a firefighter who endured getting a design etched into his penis – see their answers below.
Tristan Weigelt
Tattoo apprentice Tristan Weigelt has spent over five years covering 95% of his body in tatts.
The 25-year-old, who is based in Copenhagen, has splashed out £40,000 on the body art and has been under the needle for 260 hours.
Tattoo apprentice Tristan Weigelt is based in Copenhagen (Image: @tristan_weigelt/Instagram)
And despite being addicted to the process, he described the times that were almost too painful to sit through.
He told the Daily Star: “My face and the back of my head were without doubt the most painful experience, both during and after.
“It was six full day sessions taking between five and six hours and the pain was probably an eight out of 10.
“It’s like being scraped with a metal brush.”
Aimee Smith
Aimee Smith is known in her hometown of Oakham, East Mids, as “the girl with the tattoos” because she has over 40 of them.
The 23-year-old alternative model wants to cover her whole body one day and she says that the therapeutic process is addictive.
Alternative model Aimee Smith is based in the East Midlands (Image: @amiee_inked/Instagram)
But there was one brutal needle session that became too much to handle.
She said it was a tribal tattoo from her collarbone to her chin.
Aimee explained: “Surprisingly that was the worst. It was a really long sitting and towards the end the pain was excruciating to the point where my eyes were watering and I had to stop. It wasn’t a massive piece but it was a sitting that took its toll on me.
“Arms and legs are more fatty areas but the way you have to position your throat back, after a while being uncomfortable really kicks in with the pain as well.
“The pressure too because you’re constantly wanting to cough when having it done or you have to swallow. It’s not as straightforward as a normal tattoo where you can just sit there without needing a break or have to move.”
Nikki Chu
Transgender model Nikki Chu has one of the most fascinating stories to tell when it comes to tattoos.
That’s because she got 90% of her body covered in them to cover scars from a brutal university initiation.
Her first tattoo was a phoenix to cover up a scar on her chest after the barbaric ritual (Image: Nikki Chu)
She was beaten and burned as a student during a hazing ritual in the Philippines.
Nikki now has a full body suit symbolising the Yakuzas, a Japanese criminal organisation.
Describing the most agonising sessions, she said: “When I got my lower butt cheeks tattooed that was very painful.
”The lips too were bloody as well and with the ribcage is an area I had a hard time with. That was quite painful too.”
Andreas Stauffiger
Volunteer firefighter Andreas Stauffiger says his extreme tattoos have helped him to learn to withstand more pain.
He has over 60 pieces costing a total of £23,000 and he got his first tatt after his 18th birthday.
Tattoo obsessive Andreas Stauffiger is aiming for full body suit (Image: sweet_and_fire/Instagram)
And he said the most painful area was his “glans” – his penis.
He said: “The most absolutely painful tattoo I got was the glans. The second one was the palm…
“It’s not the body part that decides how painful the tattoo is.
“It’s more about your current condition – in terms of stress, sleep, hunger – that causes it. “
And the tattoo addict added: “Pain is trainable, some people think my pain tolerance is very high, but that’s not true.I learned to handle pain.”
Celine Rose
The influencer got her first tattoo at 17 (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Fashion model Celine Rose has been getting inked ever since she was a teenager.
The BDSM shop saleswoman has dramatic tattoo designs stretching up her neck, across her chest, down one arm and on her stomach, butt and legs.
Revealing the most uncomfortable sitting, she said: “The most painful ink was the palm of my hands – I was almost crying!”
Celine now has ambitions of covering herself from head to two in colourful art.
The 26-year-old walking work of art has 16,000 followers on Instagram where she shares her ink progress.
Remy
He first got piercings on his face before getting a tattoo (Image: @ephemeral_remy)
Canadian chef Remy has spent a fortune on his body work and estimates he’s forked out as much as £75,000 on tattoos.
His extreme tattoo journey started in 2009 and his eye-popping appearance has earned him 184,000 Instagram followers.
Talking about his most painful tattoos, he recalled: “Maybe the inside of the bum, or the deeper regions of the inner thighs, those areas are fairly sensitive.”
His whole body is now covered aside from parts of his face, ears, soles of his feet and some areas of his palm.
And advising others who are considering getting tattoos, he added: “I would say not to be in a hurry.
“The journey is the funnest part.
“And if you do this as a marathon rather than a sprint you’ll have a lot better time, and make better memories.”
