Payment Policy
Our shop is cash only with the exception of booking fees. Booking fees may be paid with cash or card (cash preferred), but the remaining balance of your tattoo services and any tip you wish to leave for your artist must be paid with cash on the day of your appointment. Some artists accept payment applications (Zelle, Venmo, etc.) but not all, so please plan to bring cash. We also have ATMs available for use for a small fee in our studio.
Booking Fee Policy
How Much Is the Booking Fee?
To schedule a tattoo at Canvas, we require a non-refundable booking fee. The amount depends on how long your tattoo will take and typically ranges from $75 to $500.
What Does the Fee Cover?
Booking an appointment involves more than just picking a date—it includes administrative tasks, design preparation, and scheduling time. Your booking fee helps cover these costs and will be applied to the final cost of your tattoo.
Is the Booking Fee Refundable or Transferable?
No. The booking fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, no matter the reason, so please consider this when booking your appointment. This includes:
- Illness (including COVID)
- Transportation or travel issues
- Family or personal emergencies
- Schedule conflicts
What If My Artist Leaves Canvas Tattoo?
If the artist you’ve booked with leaves our studio, in this case, you can transfer your booking fee to another artist at Canvas—but it is still non-refundable.
Can I Reschedule My Appointment?
Rescheduling is treated as a cancellation. It’s up to your artist whether you can carry over your booking fee to a new date, or if a new fee will be required to rebook.
Cancellation Policy
We do appreciate notification if you cannot make your scheduled appointment. This allows us the opportunity to attempt to fill the open spot and helps to ensure a living income for our working artists. For missed appointments, your booking fee is paid to the artist to offset a small portion of the income they were scheduled to earn. If you cancel or no-show two times in a row (regardless if you have given a notice each time), all of your future appointments will be erased from the schedule and offered to other clients without any notice.
Touch-up Policy
Touch ups are a complimentary service offered by the artist who originally completes your tattoo. Tattoos generally require a minimum of 4 weeks of healing time before they may be eligible for a touch up and touch ups are given by the original tattooing artist at their own discretion. If the artist feels that a touch up would not benefit the tattoo, they reserve the right to deny a touch up request.
***Complimentary touch-ups are not offered for tattoos on the fingers, palms, feet, face, neck, or behind the ears, due to high skin cell turnover and natural fading in these areas. Even with expert application, these spots often experience more fallout and fading.
In the event that you are tattooed by an artist that later leaves Canvas Tattoo and Art Gallery, Canvas is not liable for providing complimentary touch ups and any work performed by an artist other than the original tattoo artist will be considered a rework and charged accordingly.
All touch up requests must be made within 60 days of the tattoo’s original completion date. Touch up requests made past this 60 day period will also be considered reworks and charged accordingly.
How old do I have to be to get a tattoo in North Carolina?
LEGALLY you MUST be 18 years of age.
If I am under the age of 18 years, but my parents are willing to sign for me, can I get tattooed?
No. This is not allowed by NC Regulations.
Are minors allowed in the shop?
Unless a minor is getting a piercing with parental consent and presence, you must be 18 years of age to be in the shop.
What piercings do you do on minors?
Only piercings on the ear.
What is the minimum age for ear piercings?
4 years old for lobe piercings.
What does it cost to get tattooed?
Shop Minimum
Most shops have a minimum charge for small tattoos (typically those that take 30 minutes or less to complete)
Our minimums are based on the artist’s experience level:
- $150 – Resident artists (3+ years of experience)
- $100 – Junior artists (1-3 years of experience)
- $80 – Apprentices (under close supervision as they build experience—great option for simple designs and budget-friendly tattoos)
These minimums help cover the cost of supplies, setup, and studio time—even for quick tattoos.
Hourly Rate
For larger or more detailed tattoos, we charge an hourly rate, which varies based on the artist’s experience:
-
- $250/hr – Resident artists (3+ years of experience)
- $160/hr – Junior artists (1-3 years of experience)
- $100/hr – Apprentices (under close supervision as they build experience—great option for simple designs and budget-friendly tattoos)
The total number of sessions needed will depend on your design, placement, and how long you’re comfortable sitting during each session.
Full Day Sessions
These are a great option if you want to make major progress in a single sitting.
- Rates range from $1,000 to $2,000 per day, depending on the artist and project.
Full-day sessions typically last 6–8 hours, with breaks as needed. Whether this option is right for you will be discussed during your consultation, based on the size, detail, and placement of your tattoo.
Do I have to have an appointment to get tattooed?
Please call or text the shop at (980) 299-2588 to inquire about our walk-in availability. Generally, we have walk-in availability every day!
Is your studio licensed by the state of North Carolina?
Yes! Canvas Tattoo is fully licensed by the State of North Carolina under the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Environmental Health (Section 15A NCAC 18A .3200). We follow all state laws and are regularly inspected by NC Environmental Health Services.
Our team is Bloodborne Pathogens Certified and renews First Aid certifications annually. We take every possible step to maintain a clean, sterile, and safe environment for our clients and artists.
Here’s what we do to ensure your safety:
- Single-use needles: All needles come pre-sterilized from the manufacturer and are used only once before being properly disposed of.
- Barrier protection: Before each session, we thoroughly wash our hands, wear gloves, and wrap all equipment (tattoo chair, bottles, clip cords, trays, etc.) in barrier film to prevent cross-contamination.
- Medical-grade cleaning: After every tattoo, all surfaces are cleaned using hospital-grade disinfectants like Cavicide, which kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi including HIV, Hepatitis A, B, C, and MRSA.
- Autoclave sterilization: All reusable instruments go through an autoclave—an advanced sterilization device. Our autoclave is independently certified, regularly maintained, and tested monthly with two separate spore testing systems to ensure complete sterilization.
- In-house testing: Our spore testing is done in-house for rapid response and maximum control.
- Artist health screenings: All of our artists are tested for MRSA, HIV, and Hepatitis before they ever perform services.
We go above and beyond what’s required by law to make sure you’re getting tattooed in the cleanest, safest space possible.
How do you provide a sterile tattoo procedure?
Needles arrive sterilized from the manufacturer. After a needle is opened and used on a client it is disposed of after a single-use.
Before tattooing, we begin by washing our hands. Then wearing gloves, we will wrap all equipment (ie. tattoo chair, bottles, clip cords, metal trays, etc) with barrier film to ensure our area is clean. When done tattooing we use a medical grade cleaner, such as Cavacide, to clean all surfaces. This cleaner kills all bacterial, viral, and fungal microorganisms such as AIDS, HIV, Hep A, B, C, MRSA, etc.
We use an autoclave sterilization device on the bottle and ancillary instruments utilized during the tattooing procedure. Our autoclave is independently certified and runs automatic programs designed for each load. It utilizes an indicator light, which results confirm that the cycle was successfully completed resulting in complete sterilization. We log the cycle in our autoclave log book and mark each sterilized pouch with the sterilization date. We regularly clean and maintain our autoclave and spore test it monthly with two separate testing procedures utilizing a testing control to validate the procedure. This is a step above what is required by the NC Code and is done to ensure your safety. Our spore testing process is done in-house, in our very own studio, so we can ensure the quickest action if any test would indicate a failure. Before tattooing, we set up our station wearing gloves, and wrap all equipment (ie. tattoo chair, bottles, clip cords, metal trays, etc) with barrier film to make sure we keep our area clean. When done tattooing we use a medical-grade cleaner, such as Cavacide, to clean off all surfaces. This cleaner kills all bacterial, viral, and fungal microorganisms such as AIDS, HIV, Hep A, B, C, MRSA, etc. All of our artists are required to be tested for MRSA, HIV, and Hepatitis before performing any service at Canvas Tattoo to ensure your health and safety.
We have set in place practices and equipment to make sure you’re in the cleanest possible environment, protecting both you and our artists and ensuring a safe environment for our future clients.
Are walk-ins allowed?
Walk-in appointments are welcome!
How can I book an appointment?
Schedule a consultation with an artist, pay a booking fee, and schedule the needed appointments depending on the size of your tattoo. In certain circumstances, the consultation may not be necessary. You can email us at info@canvastattoos.com or text us at (980)299-2588 with a description of the tattoo you’d like, including placement on the body, sizing, if you’d like color, and any reference images you may have to determine the necessity of a consultation.
What can I expect to happen at my consultation?
Our consultations are free of charge. You will sit down with your artist to discuss your tattoo idea. We will brainstorm, look at some reference pictures, and trace out the body part where the tattoo is going so we can take flow into consideration. We will take notes on color preferences and what the tattoo symbolizes for you. After your consultation, you may book your tattoo appointment with our front desk for the date and time agreed upon with your artist.
How can I best prepare for my tattoo?
Make sure you get a full 8-hours of sleep the night before and drink plenty of water. You want to be well-rested and hydrated to make the tattoo process go well for you. Avoid alcohol, and anything containing niacin in it 24 hours prior to getting tattooed. You will want to eat a larger meal 1-2 hours before your session to avoid feeling lightheaded. You can bring snacks or drinks, but we do provide candy, snacks, and drinks to keep your blood sugar where it needs to be. This happens when you experience a decrease in blood sugar levels during the tattoo process because your body is reacting to the pain via surges of adrenaline.
Can I take a pain pill or consume alcohol before getting tattooed to relax?
No. Consuming alcohol or taking pills of any kind can thin the blood and make it hard for the artist to do the best job possible. This can also lead to excessive scabbing during the healing process. It is illegal for us to tattoo someone who is under the influence. Also, any and all prescriptions MUST be disclosed to your artist to make sure your prescription will not have an adverse effect on your tattoo.
Can I use a numbing product before I come in for my tattoo?
Our artists request that you do not use any type of numbing product prior to coming to your tattoo. If you are concerned about pain, please speak with your artist before applying anything that could affect the healing process. Our artists are well-versed in numbing products and can answer any questions you have prior to beginning your tattoo.
Can I obtain a tattoo if I am pregnant or breastfeeding?
No. The main concern is an infection, which is why it is not advisable to get a tattoo when you are expecting a baby or breastfeeding. Little information is available about the safety of skin dyes used for tattooing during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It is possible that the chemicals in the dye may affect the development of the baby and an increase in exposure to blood-borne pathogens. While it is unlikely that tattoo ink will get into your milk supply, there is not enough data available for us to permit tattooing during this time.
Can I have an allergic reaction?
Although not common, allergic reactions can happen. We only use organic inks and most of the other products we use on the skin are all-natural or vegan. We ask each client about allergies before we begin the tattoo. It is important to be honest with your artist so they can use a different product if needed in order to avoid a reaction. Our preferred healing product is Saniderm, and the adhesive can cause a rare and minor reaction to your skin that can cause slight irritation and red spots, which will simply pass once the product is removed.
Do you sell gift cards?
Yes, eGift cards are available for purchase in person or over the phone!