Tattoo

Frequently Asked Questions and guidance

Do you offer private rooms for service?

Yes we do. We have 6 private service rooms available.

How do we start the process of getting a service?

You can make an appointment at www.eastcoastworldwide.com/book .

I tried calling to speak to someone about a service but can't get anyone on the phone. How can I speak to someone?

We're generally pretty busy with clients and often keep our landlines on 'do not disturb'. We don't consult over the phone, and we generally aren't staffed for someone to answer phone calls all day. Our phone system is a great resource for leaving voicemails for staff, however if you wish to speak to someone you've got to book a consultation with them.

Do you offer discounts?

We offer 10% discounts to Active Duty and Retired Military, Police, Fire, and Rescue, and Teachers. Just show an ID.

Is tipping expected?

In short, no. Long before tipping culture became, well, what it is today, tattoo artists and piercers were traditionally tipped. It seems like it has been that way for as long as I can remember (we're talking 1990's). However, we are not believers in tipping as a habit. If you feel that your service was excellent and you choose to show gratitude towards your artist or piercer, then tips are welcome. If you choose not to tip, that is also ok. We feel like that's the way "gratuity" is suppose to be.

Do you have any time for appointments today?

You can go to our booking page to see if any time is available today. We look at the same schedule you'll see, so no need to contact us if it shows we are completely booked.

How soon can I book?

Appointments can be booked with as little as one hour notice.

Do you allow walk-in clients?

Yes, when our schedule permits, we take clients on a first come first serve basis.
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We highly recommend making an appointment on our website. It's easy and it guarantees we will be there for you. Please do not call for availability as we're going to look at the same calendar you have available to you online.

Do I need to make an appointment for each person?

Most services allow you to book multiple people in a single booking.

Can I reschedule or cancel my appointment?

You can, but there is a cancellation fee that differs for each service. That fee is disclosed at the time of booking. If you make an appointment please be sure that you can make it.

If you reschedule an appointment weeks in advance we have some flexibility for you. If you reschedule or cancel within 5 days then a cancellation fee would apply

Why is my credit card needed to book an appointment?

A credit card is required to book an appointment as a guarantee that you'll show up to your appointment. We charge a cancellation fee for our services if you cancel or reschedule on short notice, so a card is required. Our staff does not see your card info and it is safely stored by Stripe.

Eye rolling fact - we actually first starting requiring cards to be charged almost a decade ago. We were the first studio in North Florida that allowed live bookings online, and we found that our competitors were creating fake bookings to fill our calendar and prevent us from being accessible by clients. Once we implemented the credit card requirement that all ceased immediately. It's a petty world out there.

Do you pierce childen's ears?

Yes we do. The minimum age for children is 5 years old for earlobe piercings. We pierce with real needles and doing so near the face of children younger than 5 who aren't mature enough to be still presents hazards to the child.

We do not recommend any freehand piercings for any children under 5, and we absolutely do not recommend going to a place that uses a piercing gun (malls). If you insist on getting a child's ears under 5 pierced we could only recommend a pediatrician.

What is the minimum age for a piercing?

13 and under - earlobes only
14+ - Ear cartilage
15+ - Navel and Nostrils
16+ - All oral / facial piercings
18+ - Any piercing

Any minor under 18 is required by the State of Florida to have their parent/guardian complete a consent form and get it notarized. Minors are not required to have a photo ID when accompanied by a parent/guardian who presents photo ID and is the same whose signature is on the notarized consent form. Minors 16+ can get a piercing without their parents present, however they must have a government photo ID and must still present the same notarized consent form. You can download the form here.

Is jewelry included in the service price?

No. We have too wide a variety of jewelry to do so. We have jewelry that starts as low as $42.99 for a piercing, however we also have gold and genuine diamond pieces that are almost $2000 each.

If you would like to get jewelry pricing you can book a jewelry consultation on a day prior to your piercing.

Do you have tattoos on the wall I can choose from?

We do not - we are not that kind of studio. We are a custom studio and only draw and tattoo custom designs.. If you bring us someone else's artwork we can use it as a reference and design our own, but we will not steal their designs.

Do I need a consultation for a tattoo?

If you want a reserved spot on our calendar, then yes, we require consultations for all tattoos, big or small.. There are no exceptions.

If you walk in without an appointment you are accomodated only by our availability, first come first serve.

Please do not expect to get a tattoo the same day as your consultation - It's not very likely given how busy we are and scheduling conflicts. If you're coming into town for a limited amount of time, consider booking an online consultation well in advance and get the process going weeks or months before you arrive.

Do you offer online consultations?

Yes, over Zoom.

Take care of your tattoo.

We can guarantee that your tattoo will look awesome when you leave, but if you don't take care of it things can turn sour quick. We can clearly tell who takes care of their tattoo and who doesn't. If you come in to show us your tattoo it can be very clear to us that you did or did not follow our aftercare instructions (don't fib, we know our stuff)! It is wise to let a tattoo heal for at least a month before considering tattooing you again. If you have concerns contact your artist.

Getting a great tattoo is a process.

We view ourselves as leaders in the new generations of tattoo studios and we pride ourselves in ensuring that everything we do is done correctly. We absolutely do not believe in pressuring a client or giving a client a quick tattoo just to make money. Please understand that a good tattoo starts with an idea which is fostered into a drawing and an artistic vision that can be tattooed. Tattoos will require an initial consultation, a drawing process, and then a followup consultation. We believe in general business ethics and want to ensure that your tattoo isn't rushed.

How much is a tattoo?

Tattoo prices vary drastically, from artist to artist. One artist may take 2 hours to do the same tattoo that another artist takes 3 hours to do. Therefore we don't quote tattoos over the internet and require a consultation to discuss pricing. Once we see the design, placement, and understand the scope of work we will be better equipped to give you an estimate.

What is your tattoo process?

Our tattoo process has been been carefully crafted since 2011 to benefit the best possible outcome for our clients and is fully part of our culture at East Coast Worldwide.

Step 1. Initial Consultation - We require consultations for any and all tattoos, big or small. We do this so that both the client and the artist both can meet with each other and discuss the project, and determine if the artist is the right artist for the job. Sometimes there are style differences that just cannot be reconciled and this first meeting is how we determine that.

Step 2. Design - We draw your design and have a second consultation with you to discuss the design and make sure you are satisfied with the drawing. If you are, we schedule your tattoo. If you want it to be reworked, we repeat step 2 until you're happy.

Step 3. Tattoo day - with the design finalized prior to setting the appointment the third step is simply getting the proper paperwork out of the way, getting the stencil sized correctly and placed, and then tattoo process. If it's a single session tattoo, go to step 4.

Step 4. Followup - After about a month we like clients to followup with us regarding their tattoos to check on the healing process and get some pictures for our portfolios.

Be patient during the drawing phase.

We are a custom studio. You can tell us your idea and we'll gladly draw it. Please come prepared to your consultation with all references and ideas gathered in an organized fashion so that we can better prepare ourselves for the drawing process. If you would like to make changes we absolutely will do that do that for you at the time you have scheduled to view your drawing.

We do not tattoo offensive words or images.

While it is perfectly legal to do so we have made a choice not to tattoo any offensive materials on anyone for any reason. Any images or words that express prejudice against any race, religion, ethnicity, etc.... or images that the artist deems to be offensive or obscene will not be tattooed. Again this is a personal choice for you and for us and we will exercise our right to refuse service.

Do you tattoo minors?

Florida Statutes allow anyone ages 16-17 to get tattooed with parental consent. However we have our own policies regarding the tattooing of minors. In general, we don't like to do it and only do so under certain circumstances.

All minors must schedule a consultation with the artist AND the parent/guardian must be present. The artist then discusses the project with the studio, and if the studio and the artist both agree that the project is something we would like to take on, we will schedule a tattoo appointment. All minors must have a signed notarization permission form, government issued photo identification, and their parent/guardian must remain in the building during the entire procedure.

Fingers, Lips, Wrists, and Feet.

Will we tattoo fingers, lips, and feet? Sure. Will we guarantee that they're going to last and look great? Absolutely not. These areas of the body are extremely susceptible to fading and often will not last. Does that mean you shouldn't get a tattoo in these areas? No, but it is a fair warning of what to expect in these areas. We want to be completely upfront about what the possibilities are.

What is a polish session?

A polish session is a final minor tattoo session of a tattoo in which everything is perfected and highlights can be added. Often this cannot be done during the initial session because your body may swell, become irritated, and the "canvas" becomes distorted. A polish session allows the artist to return to your healed canvas and put in the final touches to make the tattoo stand out and to rework any areas in which your body did not accept ink well.

Not all tattoos require a polish session, but many tattoos can benefit from one. Most polish sessions last about 1/10th of the time it took to do the original tattoo. For instance, if the original tattoo session took 2 hours, a polish session on average may take 15 minutes.

Why is your laser removal quote so much cheaper than everyone else's?

We only have a simple business minded answer - it's not our main source of income so we don't need to overcharge for overhead..

Several years ago we noticed the difficulty in conveying to a client who wanted a cover up tattoo what to lighten up and to have them accurately describe that to their laser removal business. So we spent an arm and a leg and we bought our own. Our original purpose was to assist our artists in working directly with a laser removal tech in house to lighten only the parts of the tattoos that were necessary to facilitate an excellent cover up tattoo.

Now we offer full service laser removal with high quality equipment and trained techs and we're the only tattoo studio in the area that has this in house.

Find a better price and we'll beat it by 10%.

How much is laser tattoo removal?

You can get an instant quote by visiting our Laser Tattoo Removal services page.

Can you fade my tattoo for a cover-up tattoo?

Yes! Most cover-up tattoos are difficult to cover because they require a lot of dark ink to conceal the existing artwork. Often times you end up designing your cover-up tattoo around covering your existing artwork instead of getting something you actually like. Laser tattoo removal is a great tool for lightening a tattoo and creating a cleaner canvas for your tattoo artist to work on. This gives them more flexibility and freedom to achieve the look that you want for your cover-up tattoo. Furthermore, we can connect you with one of our talented cover-up artists after your laser tattoo removal sessions.

Does laser removal hurt?

Laser tattoo removal is commonly compared to a rubber band snapping against the skin. However, treatment is unique for all patients so what might seem tolerable to one person might feel painful for another.

So.... probably, a little - and for just a few minutes.

How does laser tattoo removal work?

Our Trinity laser sends ultra-quick flashes of light energy through the skin to target unwanted ink trapped in your skin’s dermis. The ink particles absorb the light energy, heat up, and shatter into tiny fragmented particles that are small enough for your body’s immune system to naturally remove through your lymphatic system. Multiple treatments are needed to continuously breakdown the ink for faster fading.

How long is the entire laser tattoo removal process?

Laser tattoo removal treatments are spaced a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks apart. This waiting period is necessary to allow your skin enough time to heal before its next treatment. Depending on how many treatments you will need, laser tattoo removal can take anywhere from a couple of months to a year, but the results are well worth the wait.

How many treatments will I need?

The number of treatments needed is dependent on a variety of factors including the age, color, size, and location of the tattoo being treated. Other factors taken into consideration are the types of ink used, the density of ink, any pre-existing scarring, and patient health. Multiple treatments are needed for every patient. The average number of treatments needed is 5 to 10, while patients interested in fading their tattoos may only need 2 to 4 treatments. We also use the PFD Patch to reduce the number of overall treatments needed.

How do you sterilize your instruments?

First of all let's be clear that a majority of the items that are used are for one time use - disposable items - and most of them will come in sterile packaging. Having them come in sterile packaging costs us more, and few studios do this, but for us it's peace of mind and we view it as a professional responsibility to our clients.

Tattoo items are single use and disposable. We do not reprocess any part of the tattoo equipment for reuse. All items are discarded safely after each individual use.

The only items that will be reprocessed and sterilized for a piercing would also be the instruments actually used in the process. Jewelry is never reused, but is sterilized before we use it in a fresh piercing. Needles are never reused and are discarded properly. Many of our piercings are used without tools at all (freehand). For the safety of our clients we have disposable tools that can be used in some piercings.

After a piercing tools are placed in a disinfecting solution for 15 minutes to kill any organisms available on the surface of the tool. This step however doesn't kill anything under the top layer of the tool. This just makes the next steps a bit safer for the person cleaning the instruments.

Next we will scrub the instrument using wire brushes to remove all dirt and rinse thoroughly. Once clean we place into a heated ultrasonic cleaner where we add a solution that contains enzymes that kill living proteins and further disinfects the instruments.

After the ultrasonic cycle ends, we then package the instruments into individually sealed bags and place them into an autoclave which then sterilizes the instruments via heat and steam by heating the instruments to over 131 degrees celsius. At this point the bags remained sealed to keep the instruments from becoming exposed to outside elements and forces. Before a piercing we actually open this bag and place the instrument into an autoclave cassette where we run it unwrapped in the actual sterile field in which we will be piercing from. This means our instruments that are reprocessed are done so TWICE, including once immediately before your piercing.

Our autoclaves are state of the art cassette autoclave called Statim G4 2000 by Scican, and it allows us to sterilize instruments and jewelry unwrapped in 7 minutes, and provides us and our clients the satisfaction of knowing that the cassette we are piercing from and it's contents are sterile.

Are children allowed in your studio?

Yes, but only if the CHILD has an appointment to get their ears pierced. Children under 14 are not allowed in the studio for your consultations or appointments, and may not be in the lobby during your appointment either. We love children, many of us at the studio are parents, however we understand that a studio is no place for children to hang out. We love piercing children's ears, but that's the extent of children being present in our studio.

Please honor our request, as if you bring a child to your appointment you will be asked to leave and you will forfeit your appointment.

Do you sell aftercare?

We do sell aftercare at our studio for both piercings and tattoos. While we are regulated by the state for mentioning specific brands when giving you aftercare instructions, we have stocked what we consider to be the best products for ensuring your tattoo or piercing heals well.

What metals are in your jewelry?

Our jewelry is made of titanium, niobium, 14kt gold, 18kt gold, and a few pieces of surgical steel***.

Most of our options are hypoallergenic, so if you've had issues in the past with inferior jewelry you should not have a problem with ours. *** We only use surgical steel for it's annealing properties that make it easy to bend for custom applications. As the most inferior choice of metals we do not offer it for any basic piercings.

How much is your jewelry?

It varies greatly as we have all different types of clientele. Our jewelry starts at about $42 for a piercing (written 2023) and we have single pieces that are as high as $2000 for a single piece of jewelry. Prices change from our suppliers fairly regularly so pricing may vary slightly from time to time. Most of our jewelry is affordable for the average everyday person.

What types of gems are in your jewelry?

It really depends on the manufacturer, but most of our gems are Swarovski, authentic gems,, and authentic diamonds.

Where is your jewelry made?

Until 2021 we could say that all jewelry was Made in America. However we did pick up a supplier that makes their product in Austrailia with American mined titanium, and that product is limited to "Clickers". So everything but "clickers' are made by American workers using American raw material.

Does your jewelry have a warranty?

Yes it does. All of our jewelry is backed by a lifetime guarantee against manufacturer defects. We also handle the warranty process for you from beginning to end.

Do you repair jewelry?

We do not process repairs on site. We send repairs and warranty work back to the manufacturers for repairs at their facilities. We will also help process repairs and warranty work for any of our manufacturers, whether or not you purchased the jewelry from us.

Can I use my own jewelry?

For an initial piercing you must purchase jewelry from us. Our industry memberships and insurance requires us to keep only traceable metals that have certified mill certificates. That is not something you will be able to provide to us, and therefore we won't know the quality of the material or if the finishes are suitable for initial piercings and healing.

For older and healed piercings we can use your own jewelry, however we will need to sterilize it before hand and there is a fee for that.

Can I order custom jewelry?

Yes we can order custom jewelry from our manufacturers. If there is something we don't have, or if there is a design that you would like to have made unique for you, we can help with that. You can email support@eastcoastworldwide.com to discuss custom jewelry.

Do you ship jewelery?

Yes we ship to the US. We do not have an online store so pieces must be ordered through email at support@eastcoastworldwide.com

Plan ahead.

You should be eating well and hydrating yourself before you come in for your service. You SHOULD NOT be getting sunburned or drinking alcohol and you SHOULD be doing everything you can to prepare your body for your service.. These things really do matter.

No children.

A studio is no place for children. Not only is it a boring adult place, but your children will distract either you, your artist, or both - None of which is good for you or us.. Please make arrangements beforehand for childcare.

No alcohol.

Alcohol can only lead to problems in the studio. Not only can it make your service more difficult, but we need to make sure that we are both on the same page about the details of your service.

No food or drink in the service area.

Under no circumstance should you bring any kind of food at all into the tattoo areas or piercing areas. Absolutely no exceptions on this one. Any drinks you bring (non alcoholic) must be in a plastic bottle with a lid. This is not only a rule but a law and one we agree with. It greatly reduces the risk of contamination and helps enhance all of our clients tattoo experience. Please don't ask to bring food or drink into these areas as we don't want to have to tell you no but we absolutely will.

Bring a friend, but not all of them.

Going back to the reasons of no children, a crowd can be equally distracting. You can bring one friend for support, two if you absolutely must, though we prefer you didn't. Our space is limited. We only allow one guest at a time in the tattooing area with you.

We offer fair prices.

Our time is valuable. So are the skills that we have, and it took us many years of blood, sweat, and tears to gain them. When you ask us for a price and we give it to you, it is taboo to argue or bargain the price with the us. It's as if you're telling us you don't think we're worth the price we're asking. Our prices are fair and it's not cheap to provide you with everything you and the artist need for any of our services. If you have a budget you're trying to stay within be upfront with your artist before you ask them for a price. If they can fit it in your budget they will tell you. If not, they may suggest alternatives that will fit into your budget.

Stay out of the service areas unless asked.

We have a comfortable waiting area with amenities. Hanging out there until invited into a service area helps preserve the cleanliness and integrity of our service areas. We do have cool artwork throughout our hallways and lobby - you can feel free to travel through the lobby and visit the artwork.

Be on time and prepared for an appointment.

Although are a custom studio and will draw your idea, we cannot create a tattoo idea for you. You should have an idea of what you want before you make an appointment. When you do decide on something and make an appointment, you should definitely show up for your appointment. Regardless of why you can't show up, whether it's personal reasons, a sunburn, or a hangover, you will be charged a cancellation fee. We set aside our time and turned other clients away during your appointment slot and if you leave us hanging, we are the ones who lose.

We are professionals - listen to us.

We know what will or will not work in tattooing, piercing, and laser removal. Sometimes exactly what you want will not work as well as you think.. We have YOUR best interest in mind. We take pride in our work and want to make sure that you receive the best possible service. It enhances our reputation when you're asked where you got that awesome tattoo or piercing. Keeping that in mind, when a certain design or jewelry will not work well, we will tell you. It's in your best interest to listen to the professionals if you want awesome results.

Julian Kelley

Accepts small to large projects

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Ages 16+

Online Consultations

Apprentice

Eugene Gamit

Accepts small projects

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Ages 16+

Online Consultations

Apprentice

Julia Lemeshko

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Online Consultations

Apprentice

Julian Kelley

Accepts small to large projects

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Ages 16+

Online Consultations

Apprentice

Eugene Gamit

Accepts small projects

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Ages 16+

Online Consultations

Apprentice

Julia Lemeshko

In Person Consultations

Online Consultations

Services Minors

Online Consultations

Apprentice

$59

$69

$79

$129

We think of a great tattoo as a process, not an event.

TATTOO DO'S AND DONT'S

Meet Our Staff performing this Service

Taking care of your piercing is vital to your health and the health of your piercing.

Everyone has a right to know what to expect and what their rights are as someone getting pierced. Here is your piercee's bill of rights.

Frequently Asked Questions and guidance

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