How Tattoo Pricing Works in Los Angeles
No one can quote a tattoo honestly from a single sentence. What a piece costs depends on things that only become clear once we have talked about the design.
What changes the price: size, placement, the amount of detail and contrast, whether it is a fresh design or a cover-up, and how many sessions the piece needs. A palm-sized piece and a half sleeve are different kinds of work, not the same work at a different scale.
Rates differ between artists. KAZENTATTOO is a studio with several resident artists and visiting guest artists, and each artist has their own rate depending on their specialisation and how far ahead they are booked.
Large projects are planned by session. Sleeves, back and chest pieces and other large-scale work are built across a series of sessions with healing time in between, so you know in advance roughly how many sittings the piece will take.
The consultation is free. Send us your idea, reference images, the placement and a rough size, and we will come back to you with a realistic plan and a price range for your specific project.
The deposit secures your date and goes toward the final price of the tattoo. It is not an extra fee.
Planning Your Visit
Age
We tattoo and pierce adults only - 18 and over, no exceptions. California law makes tattooing anyone under 18 a misdemeanour (Penal Code 653) and the Safe Body Art Act sets the same limit (Health and Safety Code 119302). The state does allow piercing a minor with a parent or guardian present, and bans nipple and genital piercing on minors outright, but our own rule is simply 18 and over.
Consultation
Free. Text us, call the studio, or come in - the front desk answers the practical questions and the artist takes the design ones.
Booking and deposit
A deposit secures your date and comes off the final price. Some artists take walk-ins for small work; large projects are booked with a specific artist and often months ahead. Guest artists from other states and countries work here through the year.
Sessions
A working day usually runs from noon to around 6pm, sometimes 7pm, with breaks; artists set their own pace and their own day.
Touch-ups
A touch-up after healing is free when the artist judges the piece needs one - they will tell you at the end of the session or when you send healed photos.
Languages
Russian, English and Serbian are spoken in the studio.
Finding us
7224 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. Street parking on Melrose, plus a paid all-day lot across the road; the studio has no lot of its own. The entrance is on Melrose with no step, and the restroom is wheelchair accessible. Open 12pm to 8pm, seven days.
Payment
Credit and debit cards, cash, Zelle, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Standards
The studio works under the California Safe Body Art Act and Los Angeles County Public Health rules for body art.
Tattoo Pricing Questions
Is a tattoo priced by the hour or by the piece?
Both approaches exist in the industry. Smaller work is often quoted as a flat price for the piece, while large multi-session projects are more often quoted per session or per day, because the time a piece takes depends on the skin, the placement and how the work heals between sessions.
Why do two artists quote different prices for the same idea?
Because a tattoo is not a product with a fixed cost. The quote reflects the artist's experience and speed, the style, how much of the design has to be drawn custom for your body, the size and placement, and how many sessions the piece needs. The same idea drawn at a different scale, in a different style, on a different part of the body is a different job.
Is a deposit required, and does it count toward the price?
Yes. A deposit secures the date and goes toward the final price of the tattoo.
What should I bring to the consultation to get an accurate quote?
Reference images, the approximate size in centimetres or inches, and the exact placement on your body. If it is a cover-up, a clear, well lit photo of the existing tattoo. The more precise the placement and size, the more precise the quote.