Least Painful place to Get a Tattoo – If you’re thinking of getting a tattoo, you might be wondering where on your body is the least painful to get inked. This is a tricky question because it depends on pain tolerance, the placement of the tattoo, and how the tattoo is designed and executed.
Areas that are well padded with fat, have tight skin, and have few nerve endings tend to be the least painful areas of your body to get inked.
The Back
The back supports the weight of the body and allows movement while protecting vital organs and nerve structures. The spine is made up of 33 bones called vertebrae that stack together to form a spinal canal.
The bones are attached to each other by bone knobs, called facets, which overlap each other to form facet joints. These allow the spine to bend and turn.
The skin in the back of the neck is thin and has a lot of sensitive nerve endings. It also doesn’t have much padding in the way of muscle or fat, making it incredibly painful to get tattooed on (7-9).
The Thighs
While spots like the ribs and throat are generally very painful, in reality, every person you meet with a tattoo will likely give you a different answer as to what hurts most.
The thighs are one of the least painful areas to get a tattoo on the whole body. This is because our thighs are thicker with more padding in the form of muscle and fat, making them less sensitive to friction and pain than other parts of our body.
The thigh also has the added benefit of having some major nerves that don’t see much movement or contact with external forces, which can make it easier to heal.
The Ribs
If you are considering a tattoo but aren’t sure if you want to face the pain, the ribs can be one of the least painful options. This is because the ribs are covered in soft, thin skin and have very little muscle or fat to cushion them.
This makes the ribs an extremely sensitive area, especially for females. This is why it’s also often recommended that women not get tattooed on their rib cages, as it can be painful and uncomfortable to heal.
The head of a rib is wedge shaped and has two articular facets for articulation with its numerically corresponding vertebra. The neck connects the head with the body of the rib, and a roughed tubercle marks the joint where it meets the body. The tubercle articulates with the transverse process of the corresponding vertebra and a costotransverse ligament attaches to it laterally.
The Under Bust
The under bust is not only a crucial measurement for making modern bras fit but also a pretty popular tattoo spot. It’s also the best place to get your needle in a groove.
The most impressive thing about the under bust is that it actually looks good and is relatively pain free to boot. To take the best under bust measurement possible, wrap your hand in a sleeve and pull a tape measure around your ribcage just under your breasts. As a side note, the best way to go about this is to have a friend or partner help you out. Alternatively, you can do this with the aid of a well placed mirror.
The Elbow
The elbow is one of the least painful areas to get a tattoo. It’s filled with a lot of skin and muscle, so it’s less sensitive to pain.
The ribs, on the other hand, are a very painful area to have tattooed. This is because they’re covered with a thin layer of skin with almost no fat and muscle padding.
Plus, they’re also very bony areas and have major nerve endings. They’re also prone to rubbing against clothing and shoes, which can make them very uncomfortable to heal from a tattoo.
The Front of the Neck
Everybody’s body is different and the pain experienced while getting a tattoo depends on the individual. It’s also a factor of the design and size of the tattoo.
The neck, in general, is not a very painful place to get a tattoo. It has less muscle mass and thinner skin than the back, which can make it hurt less.
However, the front of the neck can be quite painful to get a tattoo on because there are many sensitive nerve endings in this area and no padding in the form or muscle or fat to cushion the needle strokes. That can make it feel like you’re being “drilled” by the tattoo artist!