'Where Do I Put My Hands?!' The Most Difficult Body Parts to Tattoo | Tattoo Artists React

We often think about which body parts are going to be difficult to get tattooed, but have you ever considered which spots are a pain for tattooers? There are the obvious annoying places (everybody from tattooer to tattooee hates the ribs) but some of the spots are much more surprising. And a few are... unsavory. This is a fun one!
Welcome to Season 16 of Tattoo Artists React!
I bet you thought you were going to have to wait months and months for our next season, didn’t you? Nah, brah, we’re pumping out seasons of Tattoo Artists React faster than “Law & Order” creates spinoffs. This time around we’re going to be asking our artists about the hardest spots on the body to tattoo, which styles they wish would come back into style and more. We’re also going to be showing them some of the craziest mugshots on Earth, hear their craziest client stories and so much more.
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Alisha Gory / alishagory
Anatole / anatolenyc
Anna Gabrielle / curlsjrtattoos
Anthony Christian / anthologytattoos
Bryan Guterrez / bryan.gee
Cam Pohl / campohltattoos
Crys / snayke.tattoo
Deanna Maffeo / deannamaffeo
Genesis / brujadelbloquee
Ghinkos / ghinkos
Isaac Pelayo / isaacpelayo
Jack / jack_deez
Jack Poohvis / jackpoohvis
Jake Gordon / handshakesnaketattoos
Jaz Paulino / gentle_jaz
Jimmy Inks / jimmyinks
Joe Smith / tat2joe777
Johnny Nobody / nobody_tattoos
Lalo Yunda / lalotattoos
Lescrow / lescrowtattoo
Mattia Bretti / mattiabretti
Melody Mitchell / melodytattoos
Michelle Santana / mnsantanatattoo
Nora / nora_ink
Oba Jackson / omoori
Pon / ponnyc
Pony Lawson / ponylawson
Raphael Ortiz / raphaelortiztattoos
Ray / ink.ray
Roly T-Rex / roly_tattoos
Tiffany Perez / tiffanytattooz

[@Nillu89]

I love that Pony explained why it's difficult to tattoo on the ribcage, it makes me appreciate him even more!

[@GothicalDarkAngel]

I admire him. Perhaps falling in love a little. 🤤

[@inked]

Good luck to him 👏👏

[@cutebutevil7387]

The explanation was much appreciated, but damn I'm gonna have to move my tattoo now! I can't do that to an artist. I'm getting a piece of art out of it, they just get a bad back and that's a sucky deal.

[@laqueenawilliams4762]

I had my rib done. A 12 in long. Not bad at all.

[@ellemmenn2930]

Yes great explanation of why you might reconsider a rib tattoo

[@kirrithkerman560]

I could listen to pony Lawson explain the technicalities of different tattoo details for hours...

[@Zi-Gaut]

Then you should check his youtube channel, the guy is incredible

[@NinjaLeafSakura1]

He has a KZbin channel?! That’s so cool!

[@D3c3pTion]

Same 😌

[@LosMuertosNegros]

Out of everybody he captures my attention 100% percent of the time, even more impressive, he keeps my attention through out the conversation. He is so eloquent.

[@no_one_you_know]

@@Zi-Gaut thanks man just subscribed

[@bartho5212]

The “Russian gag” in parenthesis made me laugh so hard.

[@GK-yr8hf]

Does anyone know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo

[@StrawberriCleric]

I just came to say that 😂😂😂

[@imanitatum7491]

I’m a tattoo artist, and my apprentice is doing his first neck piece AS WE SPEAK... poor thang is sweating

[@deuteronomydeeznutz4278]

How did it come out

[@queendiamond770]

Poor guy! Update us though lol

[@signommi6660]

They lying for KZbin clout.. homies profile says they’re 21 living in there van on the road.

[@JonnyVerace]

@@signommi6660 down by the river ??

[@erinbeaud4556]

@@signommi6660 my man, you’re telling me you think it’s unrealistic for a young tattoo artist to be living on the road? Might wanna try leaving your hometown some time.

[@Draisaitl0926]

Johnny Nobody is so jacked and looks so intimidating, then when you hear him talk at the end he sounds so kind and chill LOL

[@adamraz6377]

10:06 "thanks"

[@mxamiss5]

Jacked?

[@cutebutevil7387]

I think he's cute. He's covered in pretty pictures, what's intimidating about that? 🙂

[@cutebutevil7387]

@@mxamiss5 looks like he works out.

[@inkandglitter]

He is actually a super nice guy

[@Theinkeddancer]

I am happy to say I have both of my armpits tattooed. It was almost painless, but I never thought of the struggle for my artist. Not all heroes wear capes.

[@inked]

Haha. True, very true.

[@crackheadpete4171]

Bro, I epilated my armpits and cried. You’re a fucking beast

[@happyblacklegends]

I wanna get my pits tattooed so badly, I got my finger tattooed, and that was painful but idk

[@User-zk3bs]

@@crackheadpete4171 Yeah most people admit armpit tattoos sucks a lot. People who experience little to no pain are build different xD

[@dareal5401]

My armpit started after doing 6 hours of inner bicep. It felt pretty bad

[@Trintron46]

I got my 2nd tattoo on the right side of my neck from ear to collarbone almost. I sat as still as possible. My artist thanked me multiple times and said he would do any tattoo I wanted in the future since I held still so well. It really does make a huge difference to the artist.

[@GK-yr8hf]

Does anyone know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo

[@JamFlexx]

@@GK-yr8hf prolly tattoo regret related video, i remember him not being crazy abt it

[@GK-yr8hf]

@@JamFlexx i tried to find one but in the only one i can find he only talks about a flower on his leg

[@slinkywhippet]

"...anywhere soft and gelatinous" sent me :D

[@GK-yr8hf]

Does anyone know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo

[@Holly18th]

Ponys analogy about the ribcage was super insightful! I never knew it to be that way but it totally makes sense. Also this season’s cast is so pretty ahhhh genesis, anthony, alisha, & nora!!

[@davidlewis3081]

"We need to get a hobby" Bold of you to assume that getting tattooed isn't a hobby

[@inked]

😂😂😂

[@CarlieQuinn]

My first tattoo was right across my right rib cage. It was really not the worst for me (my spine was) but I certainly did hold my breath while the needle was on me.

[@bricksloth6920]

Agreed, spine is painful af

[@CarlieQuinn]

@@bricksloth6920 especially that little nub right at the top 😵😵‍💫

[@TheClif39648]

I just did 6 hours on my ribs I honestly didn't think it was that bad my spine didn't really bother me either I have a full back piece but my chest around my nipples to me has been my most painful spot

[@misterseba0150]

That's Crazy 😦

[@adambelanger3976]

I already have my left rib done and getting my right side done in 2 days. Wasn't that bad overall. Worst part was on top of my hip bone.

[@WordsFlowMagnetic]

Omg editing on point, as always

[@tommytaylor5889]

"house on haunted hill" those were the right words, just not necessarily in the right order

[@inked]

A for effort 😌

[@nohandlepls]

But isn't that the right order?

[@nohandlepls]

@@tommytaylor5889 there is a movie called house on haunted hill tho. It's an og and way worth seeing and it even has a remake it was so baller back in the day.

[@GK-yr8hf]

@@inked Does anyone know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo

[@GK-yr8hf]

Does anyone know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo

[@notdababy]

Damn it editor, you did it again!

[@amyhoang95]

oba was already so funny the last season he was on, but him and anna together are a damn treasure

[@bayleighc.5843]

Can confirm, ribs are hell. My rib tattoo was 3 straight hours of just gritting my teeth and crushing my friend’s hand.I deal with pain on a constant, daily basis, but that experience was absolutely the worst pain I’ve felt so far.

[@starman6468]

Was it worth it tho?

[@fukenlance]

Got a large rib piece done a bunch of years ago. My artist and I were partying till about 5am the night before and we started at 11am. We were both severely hungover. There was a little bit of time where we both thought we were going to puke. It's one of the coolest pieces I've got on me. Took about 4 hours. Now that I'm a tattoo artist, I feel so bad for having him tattoo me there. Ribs are absolutely miserable to tattoo. Both for client and artist.

[@tiffany3784]

I could listen to Pony fine articulate self talk all day!

[@deswalls9586]

As someone who's first tattoo was the entire right side of my rib cage it is in fact absolutely awful for all in attendance

[@celticecho]

I’ve got tattoos on my ribs. It didn’t occur to me that it would be so hard on the artist and now I feel guilty!! He did a brilliant job too!

[@GothicalDarkAngel]

Daddy??? 🤣 A suggestion to the editor: Use Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood as the background song every time the word ‘Daddy’ comes. 😎 Also, Pony Lawson makes me blush!

[@inked]

Lovely idea, GothicalDarkAngel, but licensing fees cost monies and we don't want to get sued.

[@transparentsoulspul5507]

@@inked Use a cover! 👀

[@lexhdz5803]

how i understand why my tattooer was SO nervous abt my first tattoo being a bug one on the ribs.... luckily for both of us i have a great pain tolerance and picked up a way of breathing that did not interfere wuth his tatooing after a while but man it was hard

[@HaleyJo1992]

I'm stupid proud that I sit well. My tattoo last Saturday crept up the side of my neck and while I was resigning myself to my life choices and my leg was twitching, nothing moved from the waist up. Did have to ask for a few seconds to compose myself near the end, though. Neck sucks. The key is to breathe. For the love of god, keep your breathing easy. Makes all the difference, especially with nausea.

[@kenk250]

i didnt realize how difficult the ribs are for the artist to tattoo. I really appreciated the explanation. Both of my ribs are tattooed & those are my only ones.

[@ryptoll4801]

When I got my lower leg tattooed I kept twitching really a lot. I tried my best to be still but those twitches were completely outside of my control. I kept apologizing to the artist because I could only imagine how annoying that must have been. I'm an artist myself (not a tattoo artist though) so I know how frustrating it is to draw on a surface that keeps moving. For example when riding a car or whatever. I also expected there would be a lot of wiggly lines where I twitched during the tattoo session, and I was prepared to fully accept it if that happened, but I was suprised every line was super neat. Sometimes sitting still actually isn't physically possible. Of course you shouldn't be deliberately wiggling around though.

[@kyla2938]

9:39 he mentioned it was painful to get tattooed where he was lasered. Lazering can occasionally cause a bit of skin damage and scarring. Tattooing scars typically is much more painful than unscarred skin.

[@anthena97]

"Miss thing (aka Maria)" I'm dead

[@enigmah625]

That “ wiggle wiggle wiggle “ took me out 😂😭😫

[@hunterG60k]

The laser thing words by using different wavelengths of light depending on what you want to zap. Also, I love Pony's shirt

[@jimthompson9992]

I had my throat done (I was told I'd cry like a 4 year old girl) and it was not at all bad...for me at least but my artist?? I have a very prominent carotid artery that pulses quite strongly and part of the work was on top of that...he was scared crazy he was going to open it up and I'd bleed to death right in front of him! But we got through it...then I went back 2 more times for additional work in that spot. I'm not sure he'd ever want to do a throat/neck tattoo again after all that! But i like it!

[@Baider808]

My uncle has been a tattoo artist pretty much his entire life and he told me the only place he will not tattoo is the skull. The skin moves too much and it's super sensitive.

[@ImmolationVenus666]

I have a tattoo on my right rib cage, i definitely get that it’s painful for people but for me the outline was the worst, the shading was a bit of a breeze

[@annehelatrix4627]

The editing on these is always superior

[@105hilltop]

“the house on haunted hill” is my favorite netflix series

[@andylover9100]

I’m proud that I sit like a damn rock. My fear of fucking up my own tattoo is so scary I’m frozen 😂

[@dianadailyn7497]

Laughing so hard I cried the whole time🤣🤣🤣

[@hannahleigh6447]

Underboob tattoo is what got me 🤣 it was just so tender and then going towards the ribs, I thought I was gonna die 😂 (I didn’t get a basic chandelier. I got an octopus)

[@ChantalMonette]

I always thought artists hated ribs just because of how painful it is for people to be tattooed there, and that they sit bad, but I never thought about the skin differences and the twisting and turning

[@ruthrobinson2232]

I have a spinal cord injury, and when I had my thigh tattoo, I had to keep apologising to the tattooist. As soon as it got towards the back of my thigh, My leg kept twitching, no matter how hard i tried to stop it!! When I go for my calf tattoo, I’m gonna pre warn the tattooist.

[@piranhasaurusrex]

My butt did that for my back piece! When they got right above the actual butt, it just was twitching uncontrollably! It was horribly odd!

[@ruthrobinson2232]

@@piranhasaurusrex must be when they hit a particular spot. I was mortified 😂 spent the next 2 hours saying sorry constantly! X

[@doc31176]

The one girl, Bruja, looks like she's playing Lisa Bonet from the 90s. I bet I could google Lisa and find that exact outfit and hairstyle. Literally thought she had recently been to a Halloween party because it seems so close.

[@CatMomAmanda]

I’m not gonna lie… this is probably one of my favorite videos 😂😂😂

[@SebastianGarcia-ky2qk]

I love the pizza dough on the green screen 🤣

[@knowlavonne]

8:55 when your body is receiving pain , is it really instinct for your brain to just be like ," oh yeah...he said sit still okay all good"

[@xx7secondsxx]

7:53..... Coolest gawddamn sunglasses EVER!!!! Jackie-O's! Same Kurdt used to wear!🤘🎸🤘🎸🤘💚🖤💚🖤💚

[@alwaysreadin163]

I never thought neck tattoos would be annoying for artists to do but cause the skin is pretty loose depending on how you pull it/move I can totally see why. Also how would someone sit to get their shoulder blade tattooed? I have an idea for one of mine (I've never been tattooed before) but I'm thinking of starting somewhere smaller first.

[@ndtcssh]

The worst for me was still my chest and that’s why it’s not coloured in yet 😂😂 half way through the beard on Spaulding (inner right lower leg, right side of beard is near the back of my leg) I had to tap out and stretch it into two sittings. But it was all good, wasn’t the first time a beard has hurt me 😂😂

[@erikadowdy686]

Such a great video 💋

[@inked]

Thanks!

[@GK-yr8hf]

@@inked Ye know in which episode Chris showed his Steven seagal tattoo?

[@courtnocase]

Oba has me tickled . Omg 😹😹😹 shout out to inked with more females of color with these videos!

[@gladysv268]

I got my first tattoo and all I could think about was these artists and what they hate so I made sure not to it while getting tattooed😭

[@Ploypln]

Got half a tattoo on my ribs today, had to tap out after half of it and gonna get the rest done in three weeks….do not underestimate rib tattoos yall

[@paulmartinez6217]

My sleeve goes from my inside bicep to the armpit, and that armpit part hurt like fuck!!

[@narutofox180]

Not me watching Ink Master all night last night and watching this today 😔 I got problems

[@massdriverone7583]

Nobody_tattoos is the most soft-spoken and polite hard dude I've ever seen

[@viciousqueen5096]

I got my sternum/underboob area tattooed and I legit forgot how to breathe normally.

[@mirandafoster-lugo2507]

"some people got crazy armpits "

[@UnnTHPS]

Had my ribs tattooed and it was hypnotizingly nice pain, it really was. I hate pain, I do, i have a half fished mushroom right above my knee cuz i could not stand the pain

[@greenrobot5]

I've always wondered if there's anybody with an unfinished tattoo cause they couldn't stand the pain

[@yowshiii3]

LMAO the pizza edits

[@jt_miami4446]

Lmao@ the barbie hands comment!

[@PSYCHOPATH_AT_LARGE]

No pain, no gain

[@shaeweir9882]

"AND I WAS UPSET"

[@satyamdashora2489]

The editor is GOATED

[@CatherineCane]

Love the guy who explained why rib tattoos are hard! I feel bad now tho lol, i have one tattoo and it is on my ribs.

[@esmayawilson436]

My first and only tattoo was on my ribs. My artist was amAZING and it was very bearable

[@spectraamunari9059]

These videos are great

[@corpselizzy]

I originally wanted rib tattoos but later decided not to do them so all im really doing are my arms and legs

[@lucianoanisio430]

its funny how the eye tattooed dude is cute

[@OmgKeppy]

For me, the back of the hand/wrist was more painful then the ribs. Back of the Hand and wrist, to me, felt like i kept getting needles shoved right into my bones the whole damn time and my whole arm would vibrate with the needle cuz the vibrations would travel right through my bones like a car on a highway xD

[@amazingabby25]

Me the inner heel hurt way more than the ribs

[@saralong1878]

I stg im the only person who didn't have issues getting my ribs done lol. I almost fell asleep 😂

[@dashcamcalifornia5003]

Slowly getting done. Got two more sessions for my undersides of my arms

[@ninjasrose1653]

The ribs hurt me the most by far. And I have pretty much had every limb tattooed. Ribs for 5 hours, especially when it's big dark, blackwork. Trust me! Not an easy day.

[@143yaknow]

The fact that I'm aware of how bad I am at being completely still is one of the main reasons I haven't gotten one, my muscles just have a mind of their own man

[@dairyELLE]

Thats why i got my rib cage done first on the side. In hindsight it’s not a great tattoo anymore but I’ve endured that pain so almost everything else will be a piece of cake

[@dayofthecrow7626]

I have both sides of my neck done and that was a cakewalk for me. I want my ribs done but i still have room on my right leg and my left leg so ribs will be the last thing to be tatted. Im working on getting my throat done and I was worried about breathing and swallowing while he tattoos me and my apple moves

[@isabelatencio1451]

okay but why is the girl with the jean jacket so FINE??

[@dbrum1119]

I don't move at all because I want my tattoo to be right

[@haileyjarmon1876]

I got a ribcage tattoo as my first tattoo and god I felt so bad during and after it for my artist because I was breathing so horribly and needed so many breaks 😅 it was supposed to take 4ish hours and ended up taking a bit over 5.

[@noraprendergast8370]

me planning a tattoo on my ribs watching this: 👁👁

[@heshwuan]

Pony is awesome! 'nuff said.

[@alpharail]

"unintelligible butthole conversation" speaks to me on a pretty deep level

[@sydneyice]

I was getting a tattoo on my ankle and my leg twitched, I felt so bad lmao I was sitting there looking at memes and he kept asking if I was ok, and its like yea?

[@Legend27999]

I can confidently say that getting your neck done is probably the WORST pain I personally ever felt

[@user-zx8jq1uq3i]

I’m ALWAYS frozen when I get tattooed bc I just fear that if I move or something the piece will be ruined

[@rect7840]

I have a goal of getting a lot of coverage but I'm just going to go ahead and skip the ribs. I'm okay with places like the elbow ditch but I don't think I could sit through an entire tattoo of that sort of pain.

[@kimbee23]

Sitting can be so easy, and difficult, especially if you don’t know how.

[@MissCaraMint]

Woops. I’m getting my ribs tattooed in like two weeks.

[@CaptVooDooGaming]

Watching this after having to tap out after 5 hours of my armpit flap/shoulder, I don't feel as bad for needing to quit. Lmao I still just feel bad for my artist not being able to finish the background he started

[@mandie492]

Forever sending apologies to my artists that tattoo my calves because it's like trying to tattoo an electrified corpse

[@EMMETproxy]

Tattoos on the ribs take double the time

[@chimestonks]

thats a good question - ive never thought about how you poop if you get a butthole tattoo, like do you just hold it?

[@Benrick_Da1st]

Ink gang we here💯

[@lesliesteele3926]

The worst for me, out of 9, was a quarter sized smiley face inside my heel. Its directly below the inside ankle bone and on a hot bed of nerves. Super soft skin, hurt a ton! Plus he had to pin my foot under his thighs and I was sitting in a weird almost yoga position.

[@Aldoisunhinged]

Got my ribs tattooed in one session. I took a nap during.

[@MusicLover5710]

Sorry if this is a dumb question…. Hear me out because I’ve been thinking about this for a couple years…. Can I be a tattoo artist who only does calligraphy and wording? I suck at drawing :( I’ve practiced all my life and I’m just not good lol but I have great penmanship and my calligraphy is pretty damn good! Would I still be able to be a tattoo artist?

[@tamarafavors8699]

Yes

[@Papichulo-um5ix]

Yes you can

[@cheyennehiggins6919]

My chest piece was so awkward ti get bc it's exactly what pony said. My artist put himself in weird positions to get ink and tattoo my chest/ribs. I love my artist tho he's amazing lol

[@sterling8298]

When I got my last tattoo I saat there like A stone.

[@Joy35]

LMAO me a person whos biggest tattoos are on both sides of my ribs....Opps lol

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

That’s one hell of a strange looking zebra.

[@lasttwhisper]

I purposely dont move so i can get a DEAD arm or no blood flow there and then U Cant feel shitt its numb.

[@bri_madera]

Holy lalo is here

[@ImprovNarwhal]

My worst was my sternum, worse then my rib cage by far