Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dirtmcgirt]

I have been working with an artist on a design that is around a 3/4 sleeve. It doesn't have alot of different colors but has some significant detail. I was thinking of Tattoo Korea and have read that they negotiate the price. Around what price (in won) do you think is reasonable? Also, is there different qualities of ink that they use depending on what the price of the tattoo is? or do they just have one on hand. Is 2-3 sessions possible to complete the piece? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

Dirt

[West Coast Tatterdemalion]

Negotiate is a pretty euphemism. What they basically do is ask you first how much you are willing to play and then work a number that is advantageous to them. The onus is on them to make you(the customer) happy. As a result, I went elsewhere.

A 3/4 sleeve will easily be over a million won(depending on the detail of course). Remember, this is Korea and tattooing here is illegal(unless done by a doctor) and there aren't a massive amount of places like back home, so you'll pay a hefty price here. If you are looking for back home prices, you won't find them in Korea.

As far as the quality of ink commensurate with the price, it is possible. What you should do is research what inks they use and then when you get to the shop, make sure that they are using the particular ink that you chose. Quality of inks vary quite a bit, so make sure and do your research.

Without seeing the design, I couldn't estimate how long the piece would take. I had a smaller piece(not near a 3/4 sleeve and not ultra detailed) and it took a good 3.5 hours to finish.

Good luck and know that there are other tattoo shops in Korea. T

[dirtmcgirt]

Thanks WCT, appreciate the response. I am expecting to pay and my budget is around 1 - 1.5 million, more then that and I would go elsewhere. I wanted to get San Lee to do my design since a guy I met said she was great.

What made you leave Tattoo Korea, if you don't mind me asking. The price?

Other then Tattoo Korea and San Lee I have no idea about other artists in Korea. If you have any suggestions please let me know, would like to check out other options in case TK sucks. Thanks for the info

Dirt

[countovmontrose]

I just got a piece here
http://www.sunrattattoo.com/?mid=contact

the price was established after he had an idea of what I wanted and the guy is really nice and professional.

[West Coast Tatterdemalion]

Tattoo Korea does seem to do good work. And Lee is cool. My beef is not with their quality of work. It is with their business and how they treat their customers. These guys aren't the brightest business people out there. First off, they want you to name the price. Uh, no. Homie don't play that. I am the freaking customer and the burden is on you to make me want to spend money at your place. I show you the piece I want, I tell you the size and you, in turn, tell me how much it costs. And that's the way that it's always been at every tattoo place back home and in Korea..with the exception of Tattoo Korea. This crap they pull about, "So, how much are you willing to pay" is a joke. They use this as leverage and a way to squeeze more out of you. They also think that since you come all the way to their studio, go through their little security door, wait around, get the stencil..they think you'll cave and that is why they will name the price at that time.. They think that you wouldn't possibly go through all that and not get a tattoo. My other problems with the place are 1) it is very small and cramped. Not enough chairs for people. They get a lot of military. I guess that is the bulk of their business. But people are walking around all the time and I'll bet the tattoo artists have been bumped by the customers while working on a client. 2) Poor preview of the tattoo. Most of the places now can superimpose an image of the tattoo on your body on the computer. This place doesn't do it. 3) You have to wait, wait and wait some more. My appointment was at 3 pm, I believe and I easily had to wait for an hour before they got to me. Why even have appointments? 4) They don't say anything about touch-ups. Once you get the tat, hey, that's it. You're on your own.

It may seem like nitpicky things, but if I am going to pay for something, I expect the quality to be there. I can easily go to the next joint up the street, so as a customer, you'd best learn to cater a little. That my my first and last experience at this place. I later found a couple of other places which were more professional and didn't try to make me name the price. LOL. Again, I have nothing against their work, but I don't agree with their business philosophy(not that they have one anyway).

[dirtmcgirt]

Point taken WCT, since I have been in Korea I just assume business practices to be......well Korean style. So the waiting around and the non follow ups is what I kind of expect. I never knew about the superimposing which would be really cool, too bad they don't do it. I have an artist at my school who is drawing the image out first so if I really don't like what is going on at TK then I can pretty easily just leave and see what another shop can do. Do you have any suggestions on another place that has great quality? Thanks for your help, cheers.

Dirt

[jlb]

[markymark]

if your looking for a tattoo in korea and you already have an idea what you want I can highly recommend two places:

www.tattooism.net

www.inkerscrew.com

I work with both of these places and I can assure you they will not ask you how much you want to pay. With that being said, I would like to say that a good tattoo artist is worth good money and if your looking for a deal, you will probably get a bad tattoo.
for a 3/4 sleeve I would not be comfortable paying less than 1M won

let me know if you have more questions