Disclaimer:

For the safety of the artists and clients who are at the studio, please do not come to your appointment sick or if you are still recovering from being sick, even if it is a mild cold. I will send you home if you come to the studio sick. Please reach out to me to reschedule if you aren't feeling well. Thank you.

Please read through these FAQ’s before reaching out. For inquiries not covered here, feel free to email me. I do not make appointments via Instagram DM’s.

How do I book an appointment?

Please, only email me to book an appointment if you're ready to pick a date and make a deposit. Email: annaschafertattoos@gmail.com

Please include the following when emailing me for an appointment:

• A brief description of your request in the header

• The design or description of the tattoo

• Where you want it placed (a photo is always appreciated)

• Approximate size (In inches)

• Choice of appointment dates/times availability

• What your budget is

• Any reference photos you have (please no AI references or designs)

I will then provide you with a quote, and any other pertinent information or questions I may have.

I will not hold any dates or draw any designs until I have a deposit. The deposit is what secures your appointment and your design. I work on a first come first serve basis.

Please note that the amount of time I book us for (ex: 3hrs) may change so please allow enough time during our appointment in case anything changes especially for longer sessions. (Ex: stencil and prep time takes longer than expected, tattoo was larger or smaller than expected, etc)

If you have limited time available during our appointment please let me know before hand so I can accommodate you!

Where are you located?

Pioneer Tattoo

3513 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Paid parking on Lincoln Ave, free parking on Hermitage, Cornelia & side streets off of Cornelia, make sure to read any parking signs.

We have placards to put in your car during baseball season since we are in range of Wrigley Field. This only applies in the evening from 5:00pm-10:00pm.

We are located on the second floor of our building and you will need to buzz in. The buzzer code will be sent to you once I’ve received your deposit.

Can I bring a guest to the appointment?

No. I personally would prefer my clients to come alone since it is very distracting to me to have extra people around if they are not getting tattooed. I also don’t have enough room in my station to accommodate extra guests that are not getting tattooed.

If you are in a specific situation (Ex: traveling from out of town, etc) please let me know so I can try to accommodate for you!

What is your schedule?

I only work Monday-Wednesday at Pioneer Tattoo. My booking start times are 11:00am-5:00pm. Please email me if you need an early evening appointment (4pm or 5pm start time) to see if I can schedule you in. I post my updated availability on Instagram and through my mailing list.

What is your minimum price?

My absolute minimum price is $150 flat.

What is your deposit policy?

All deposits must be paid before the tattoo appointment is scheduled. This deposit secures your appointment slot and will be deducted from the final price of the tattoo. If you are booking multiple days I require a deposit for each day you book. If I don’t receive a deposit from you, then you don’t have an appointment scheduled.

It's important to note that deposits are non-refundable, as it guarantees your commitment and compensates the artist for their time in preparing for your appointment.

• Deposits for Tattoos under $200

  For any tattoos that are estimated to cost under $200, the deposit amount will be half of the owed amount.

• Flat Rate & Hourly Tattoos Deposit

  For tattoos that are offered at a flat rate or a hourly rate, a standard deposit of $100-$200 is required depending on the project.

• Guest Spot Deposits

  If I am guesting at a tattoo studio, the deposit amount will be half of the owed amount.

What is your hourly rate?

My hourly rate is $185/hr.

I charge my hourly rate for larger scale projects that normally take longer than 3-4 hours to complete.

I mostly offer flat rates. Flat rates depend on: the tattoos size, the tattoos placement, and the intricacy of the design.

There are many factors that go into how long a tattoo may take and I aim to be as transparent and accurate as possible with price quotes before your appointment.

If you have a specific budget please let me know and I will try to work within your budget within reason of the scope of the project.

Do you charge a flat day rate?

Yes. I offer a flat day rate of $1,200 for projects that will take me around 6-6.5 hours to tattoo. Usually sessions like this also have a long process of getting the design printed to size and stenciled on.

This is approximately around the same amount of money that would be charged with my hourly rate for a 6-6.5 hour piece, but instead it is a guaranteed flat rate and we don’t have to keep track of time.

What is your rescheduling policy?

Rescheduling your appointment is totally fine and understandable. Sometimes things come up and life happens. Rescheduling your appointment is free unless under these circumstances below to protect & be paid for my time:

• If you need to reschedule your appointment, it needs to be done at least three days prior to your appointment in order to avoid the rescheduling fee. If you reschedule within three days of your appointment or if you are more than 20 minutes late to an appointment with communication, you will be required to pay a $50 rescheduling fee.

• If you reschedule your appointment within 24 hours of our scheduled appointment, this will forfeit your deposit, and you will need to pay another deposit to re-book your appointment if you want to reschedule.

• If you reschedule your appointment within 3 days of our appointment more than 2 times, this will forfeit your deposit, and if you choose to reschedule you will need to pay another deposit to re-book your appointment.

• If you need to reschedule your appointment, it needs to be rescheduled within two weeks from the date you are requesting a reschedule. If you do not have your appointment rescheduled within two weeks of the request to reschedule you will forfeit your deposit.

  Note: the appointment does not need to fall within those two weeks.

What is your cancellation policy?

• If you cancel your appointment, and don’t reschedule, this forfeits your deposit.

• If you choose to book another appointment with me in the future, you will need to pay another deposit to book your appointment.

• If you reschedule your appointment within 24 hours of our scheduled appointment, this will forfeit your deposit, and you will need to pay another deposit to re-book your appointment if you want to reschedule.

• If you are more than 20 minutes late to an appointment without communication, you will be considered a no call no show. This results in a forfeit of your deposit and if you want to re-book you will be required to submit a new deposit.

• If you show up to your appointment and due to circumstances on your part, we don’t tattoo during our appointment, this will result in a forfeit of your deposit. This is to accommodate for my time that was set aside for our appointment.

  (Ex: You end up not wanting to get tattooed anymore, you had to leave before we started tattooing, if you show up to our appointment sick, etc)

What types of payment do you accept?

Deposits:

• I only accept Zelle & Venmo for deposit payments.

Day Of:

• I only accept Zelle, Venmo, or cash on the day of the appointment so please plan accordingly. We do not have an ATM at the studio. There is a chase bank down the street from the studio.

Should I tip you on top of my tattoo payment?

Tipping is appreciated but not necessary. If it is not within your means, do not feel obligated to tip :)

If you decide to tip I prefer cash!

Do you do custom work?

Yes! Feel free to email me with your ideas for custom work.

I charge $50 for custom designs on top of the initial quote for the tattoo. This will be included in the price of your tattoo.

If you need a complete re-draw of your design, another $50 will be required for the new custom design to accommodate my time. The $50 must be paid before the new design is made. A complete re-draw is different than adjustments/tweaks to original design, those are of course free. A complete re-draw is when we completely scrap the original design I made for you and start a completely new design from scratch.

You will see the drafts of the design as well as the final design before the appointment.

When can I expect to see the custom design?

You could get a draft sent to you the day after you book your appointment with me, or you could get it 2 days before the scheduled appointment. It all depends on when I have time to draw customs and how many I have to do. Don’t worry, you will see the design at least two days before the appointment in case you need any tweaks or revisions. My goal is to have the design completed and approved before our scheduled appointment. Please do not email me asking to see if I’ve started on the design yet.

Can I use numbing cream?

No. I prefer that you don’t use a numbing cream prior to our appointment. Numbing creams can change the texture of your skin, making it harder to tattoo and saturate ink, leading to a longer session. There is also the possibility that it can cause an allergic reaction depending on what ingredients are in that specific product, leading to you not being able to get tattooed at all that day. The products on the market are not well regulated, and have many ingredients in them that can potentially cause issues. The less products on your skin while tattooing the better.

We do have Bactine Spray that I can use on your tattoo once your skin is broken if you do not have any lidocaine allergies. It has 4% lidocaine in it and it will help with the pain & swelling and does not cause any change in texture to your skin.

Should I shave before the appointment?

Generally, I would prefer to shave you at the appointment to ensure there’s no cuts or nicks prior to the appointment. If you’re unsure whether or not you should shave/trim before the appointment feel free to email me!

What should I wear to our appointment?

Please wear something comfortable where we can access the area we need to tattoo.

(Ex: for the back wear an open back top, or a shirt that can be put on in reverse like a flannel or a zip up. For the leg wear shorts, a skirt, or a tie-able bikini bottom depending on how high up we’re tattooing on the leg.)

For areas that are a bit more revealing, or if you would prefer more privacy, I have pasties at the studio to wear, and we have privacy curtains & screens that I can put up so no one else can see.

Do you offer touch-ups?

Of course! I want to ensure that you’re getting the tattoo that you paid for. Sometimes pieces heal a little light or patchy due to many reasons, mostly being the area was tattooed too lightly, which is an easy fix with a touch-up appointment. Nothing to be alarmed about.

After the tattoo is fully healed (2-4 weeks), your first touch-up is free within the first two months if you are only coming in for a touch up appointment. If you come in for another tattoo appointment and a tattoo I’ve already done needs some touch ups, I’ll do it at our next appointment.

I will send you a follow up email 1 month after your tattoo was done to check in and see how it healed and if you need any touch-ups. If you’re unsure if your tattoo needs a touch-up or not, feel free to send me a photo of the tattoo and I can tell you if it needs one or not.‍ ‍

Do you work with color?

No. I only tattoo with black and grey palettes, with an occasional exception to red ink depending on the project.

Do you tattoo other artists designs?

No. I am only tattooing my own designs. All of my available designs are posted in my Instagram highlights. I post new designs once a month. I also do custom work in my own style.

The only exception is if the client has purchased a tattoo ticket from another artist, having permission for me to tattoo another artists design. If this is the case please email me to further discuss.

What is the difference between your tattoo designs and flash?

My tattoo designs that are available are one and done designs. Once someone claims it, I will not tattoo that exact design ever again. I can create something custom that is similar if you really liked one design but I won’t repeat it.

My flash pieces are available for anyone at anytime and can/will be repeated on multiple people.

All of my current available designs can be found in my Instagram highlights labeled “Flash” & “Tat Designs”

Do you do coverups or blast overs?

My work is generally not well suited for coverups. Feel free to reach out so we can discuss the specifics over email.

If it’s not within my scope of work I can recommend artists who I think will do a fantastic job with your coverup.

Removal is also a great option if you want your piece lightened or removed completely. I recommend Removery; they do free consultations.

What is the difference between a coverup and a blast over?

Neither is better than the other, it’s all preference based on what look you’re going for and what your goal is for putting a design over an existing tattoo.

• The goal in mind with a cover up project generally is to completely conceal and cover the old design with a new design where you can’t see or barely see the old design at all.

• A blast over is when you layer a new tattoo over an existing tattoo without the intention to completely cover or conceal the existing tattoo. You generally will be able to see both designs, new and existing, with a blast over.

How long should I wait before working out with a new tattoo?

It’s recommended to wait at least 2-3 days to do LIGHT exercising. If you are doing high intensity workouts/lifting it is recommended to wait until the outside of your skin is finished healing. This will help prevent any type of infection. If you do workout, make sure to clean your tattoo afterwards to also help prevent any infections.

Can I swim with a fresh tattoo?

Nope! Do not submerge your fresh tattoo in water while its healing (Bath, Swimming, Hot Tub, Sauna, etc.)

Showering is completely fine.

Try not to use super hot water for the first week after getting your tattoo!

Can I still get tattooed if I’m sun-burnt?

Nope! Even if it’s sun-kissed. Please don’t expose yourself to the sun for at least two weeks before your tattoo appointment. I can’t tattoo over healing skin and we would need to reschedule if you come in with sun exposure so please be careful!

Do you refuse tattooing certain placements?

I don’t tattoo the rib cage, genitals, or inside the mouth.

Can you tattoo over scars?

Most of the time, yes. The scar must be fully healed (at least 1 year). If you’re interested in tattooing over scars, we can discuss further over email.

Can I bring my pet/children to the appointment?

No. The only people allowed in the studio are the people getting tattooed and no one under the age of 18.

What can I expect from signing up for your mailing list?

Every month on the 15th I send out a mailing list with all of my new designs, flash designs, any updates, and my current availability! This is early access to all this information before I post it to Instagram! So you have a chance to claim a new design/date before anyone on Instagram sees it!

Do you ever do giveaways?

Yes! I do a tattoo giveaway every time 1,000 people follow me on Instagram.

The giveaway prize is 1 tattoo while picking a design from my “Flash” highlight on my Instagram, needing to be completed in 1 session. This is not for custom work, or One & Done designs.

Details will be in the caption on the post on Instagram when I make the giveaway announcement.