A young Aussie has revealed the eye-watering amount of money he has spent on tattoos.
Tattoo artist Cain Simmons questioned his client James about how much he has paid for his tattoos outside Sydney‘s Broadway Tattoo and Body Piercing shop.
‘Say all up, from $30 to $35 grand. It’s a lot, but you’ve got to pay that s**t to get good quality tattoos,’ the 21-year-old said.
He also advised anyone considering getting a tattoo to ‘pay up’ instead of travelling to Bali for a cheaper alternative.
Sydneysider James (pictured) said he has spent between $30,000 and $35,000 on tattoos
‘Instead of going to Bali and getting faded tattoos that last two years, no point. Pay the money, and that’s it,’ he said.
The inked-up Aussie explained he has sleeve tattoos on both his arms, tattoos on his right leg, his back, his chest and even his neck.
James said it took about two years to get all the work done, and he plans on getting more of his body tattooed.
‘My arm sleeves, my chest and my whole back, I completed in pretty much a year and a half,’ he said.
‘Before that, I did my leg and all my other little tattoos – that was probably six months, not even. So, two years to do all my tattoos. Just smash them out, get them all done, and you’re sweet.
‘I’m doing the inside of my chest today with Cain, and then I’m going to smash my left and then I’m pretty much done.’
The 21-year-old has tattoos on his neck, chest, back and right leg, as well as sleeve tattoos on both his arms, and plans on getting more
Simmons explained the pair have become good mates.
‘One and a half years ago, James came to me with no tattoos on his upper body and said… I want to get tatted up,’ Simmons wrote.
‘Little did I know then that what he meant was he wanted to get full covered by the time he’s 25.
‘Who would have thought we would have come this far, from a client to a brotherhood.’
But Aussies were shocked by the steep price the young man spent on his tattoos, with many claiming he should have saved the money instead.
‘Waste of money bro, that’s a house deposit,’ one person commented.
Another claimed he would be ‘mega rich’ if he had invested the $35,000.
Others slammed the young man for criticising the quality of tattoo work in Bali compared to Australia.
‘Bali has some pretty good studios. Some are even Australian-owned,’ one wrote.
‘Lol my Bali sleeve took 10 hours my Aussie sleeve took 3 days, Bali sleeve looks better! Both the same age and Aussie sleeve has faded more,’ another commented.
‘Bali tattoos and artists are way better than Aus. I got a shin tattoo in Bali with colour about year ago. No fade. Got my arm done in Aus and is faded,’ a third chimed in.
There are many factors that can influence the price of a tattoo including the artist’s experience, the size, design complexity, time to complete and where on the body the tattoo is placed.
Tattoo artist Cain Simmons (pictured), who is also known as Hurricane Ink, shared a series of videos outside the Broadway Tattoo and Body Piercing shop of his client James
On average, a small tattoo can cost anywhere between $100 to $300, while medium tattoos start at about $700.
Those looking or a larger or more intricately designed tattoo can expect to spend about $1,500.
Labour costs are also a factor, with junior tattooists charging about $85 an hour and mid-level tattooists $130 an hour.
Highly experienced tattooists charge about $190 to $250 an hour.
