FAQ / POLICIES

Q: Can I get tattooed while pregnant or breast feeding?

A: No artist will tattoo someone who is pregnant, and for the most part won't tattoo anyone who is breastfeeding at least early on due to the increase of risks associated to the tattoo procedure. If you have been breastfeeding for more than 9-11 months and / or have clearance from your physician, then you can feel free to contact our artists for more information. We will not tattoo anyone 3 months post delivery regardless if breast feeding, and recommend waiting at least 6 months after giving birth before getting tattooed as giving birth takes a toll on the body and we just want everyone to be as healthy and comfortable as possible prior to being tattooed :)

Q: If I am feeling unwell day of my appointment, should I still come in?

A: Even pre-pandemic, we always encourage all of our clients to only get tattooed when they're feeling their best. We want to make sure your tattoo experience is as seamless, safe and comfortable as possible - as well as ensure a smooth healing process. Also, we greatly appreciate not risking being infected with any illness you may have at the time ;) If you are feeling under the weather day of appointment, no worries! Please make sure you give us as much notice as possible and we can reschedule your appointment for you. If you show up for your appointment and are noticeably sick, unfortunately you will be turned away and will lose deposit.

Q: Can I bring my children with me to my tattoo appointment?

A: Unfortunately no kids are permitted inside the studio at anytime, no exceptions. Tattoo shop's are strictly for 18 years and up (16+ with parental consent) So no one under the age of 16 should be present in the studio during any tattoo services. With infants and babies in specific, there is increased risk due to nature of the studio, the biohazards, sharps, chemicals and mainly distractions that children may cause to artists trying to work. We please ask that you do not bring your kids with you to your appointment, and if you are unable to secure childcare during your appointment time we will require the appointment to be rescheduled and losing deposit.

Q: Can I bring my partner / friends with me to my appointment?

A: Usually we can make exceptions (depending on length of tattoo appointment / artist you're working with) to allow maximum 1 guest to attend the appointment with you. However, due to COVID regulations and increased risks, we have enacted a strict no guest policy for the next foreseeable future. Any guests that arrive with you will not be permitted in the studio. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Q: Do you require a deposit to book an appointment or draw up a tattoo design?

A: Yes we do. We require a minimum booking fee / non-refundable deposit of $100.00 to book an appointment or have custom artwork drawn up. Booking fees / deposits are non-refundable and come off the final price of your tattoo. The fee can be paid either in person at the shop or by e-transfer. Deposits are held on file for 6 months with no correspondence, and will be held for no more than 1 year total.

Q: If I got previous work done and looking to get it reworked or covered, can that be done?

A: For any cover-ups or reworks, we do require an in person consultation or if virtual, we will need clear photos taken in a well lit space to show what you're looking at covering, and what you're looking to ideally cover it with. Keep in mind, some existing pieces are not realistic to have a smooth coverups executed without laser removal before hand, or the idea for a cover up might not be realistic with the existing design. Our artist will have to work one on one with you to determine the best course of action and take photos of the existing piece to try and create a design that successfully covers the piece, Some cover-up / reworks may require multiple sessions in order to saturate pigment post healing. There is also an increased hourly rate for cover-up work.

Q: Do you offer numbing or can I apply numbing ahead of time?

A: For numbing, you will have to contact your artist directly ahead of time to arrange that and check with them prior to applying any numbing creams prior to appointment. Most numbing creams cause the area to swell up which can pose complications during the tattoo and make it difficult to saturate ink into the skin. We do have Zensa cream on site, as well as use Bactine throughout the tattoo to help relieve some of the pain.

Q: If I am unsure about booking an appointment, can I still have artwork drawn up before hand?

A: Our artists will work with you to help create a custom design without an appointment booked, however; if no tattoo appointment is booked the artwork will require a drawing fee that is to be paid directly to the artist and starts at $100.00 and up depending on how big / detailed the drawing is. All artwork created by artists at Ruby Tattoo Studio still belongs to the artist and cannot be tattooed by another artist.

POLICIES

No guests (unless approved by artist ahead of time) or children are permitted in the studio during your appointment. Most rooms are too small to accommodate any guests and can pose as distraction for artist.
We require minimum 48 hours notice prior to cancelling, rescheduling or changing appointment. This includes design changes. Any cancellations / changes made within 48 hours will result in loss of deposit.
If you change your tattoo design after placing a deposit, you risk the chance of your artist declining the design change depending on what it is. A deposit is placed to not only secure an appointment slot but to commit to the work that was discussed in consultations / prior to booking in. We understand change of heart might occur, but please check with artist as soon as possible regarding any changes and keep in mind most artists pick and choose which pieces they want to take on so try to keep that in mind before booking in. Any design changes within 48 hours will result in loss of deposit, as well as if the design idea is changed more than once since deposit is placed.
If you book in for a large piece / time slot and change your mind day-of or last minute to a smaller piece that takes significantly less time, your deposit will be used to compensate the loss of time. Please make sure to update your artist on any changes as soon as possible so they are able to fill their schedules accordingly. We always want to ensure our clients are completely happy and comfortable with what is being put on their bodies, but it can be an inconvenience and financial loss to the artist to set aside many hours for you when the idea changes to something smaller last minute, resulting in loss of income for the day.
Clients are required to show up at their appointment time as our artists have a strict schedule in place. Being 15 minutes late or more to your appointment may result in loss of appointment slot and / or deposit. 20 minutes late will be considered no-call, no-show.
All gift certificates / commissions / services and deposits [booking fees] are non-refundable. No exceptions.
Tattoo Gift Certificates are for the services done at the studio, not for any specific artist and are non-refundable. All gift certificates are final sale and cannot be redeemed for cash value. We are not responsible for lost or stolen gift certificates or responsible if the artist you wish to book with no longer works for the studio or doesn't wish to take on your design idea. Please keep this in mind before purchasing gift certificates. If you have a gift certificate you no longer wish to use, we always encourage them to be donated to charitable organizations / fundraisers. Tattoo Gift Certificates are to be used specifically with tattoo services. Taxes (if exceed value of certificate), apparel, products & gratuity are not included so please keep that in mind.
Giveaway / Contest Gift Certificates are non-transferrable between clients and expire in 1 year of date issued. They cannot be redeemed for cash value.
Our studio is now an 18+ space. You must be 18 years of age or older to be tattooed at Ruby Tattoo Studio.
We do not directly copy artwork from other artists, if you wish to have an existing design tattooed, please contact your artist to create a new design based off the concept and keep in mind there will need to be changes made. If you have a commissioned drawing or pre-purchased design from another artist, please provide us with consent from that artist to use their work.
Touch-ups are free within the first 6 months provided aftercare was properly followed. If there are signs of negligence (sun damage, infection, picking, etc.) there will be a touch-up fee. If touch-up is done outside the 6 month mar or if done by another artist, there will also be a fee. Please arrive to your complimentary touch-up appointment, if you cancel within our 48 hour period, no-call no-show or arrive late, the touch-up will no longer be free.
Touch-ups are not a fix for poor practices during the healing phase such as drinking, picking, swimming, sun tanning or fading due to lifestyle such as heavy duty work, excessive exposure to the elements and potential contaminants. It is also not an on-going service to keep your tattoo looking “fresh” They are also not meant to adjust / change aspects of your tattoo - any colour change, additions or adjustments to tattoo will be at cost.
You can mitigate fading with proper after care of your tattoo. Please read the aftercare instructions you are given at the time of your appointment, and call us if you have any questions.
Artwork won't be provided until a day or two before the appointment day or day of (depending on artist) as all of the artists have many appointments to be drawing for in chronological order. This is why it is very important to be as descriptive as possible with your tattoo idea as well as provide ample reference images. Minor revisions can be made to the design, as we don't want to tattoo anything you aren't completely satisfied with - but if there is a requirement for a full redraw, the appointment may need to be rescheduled to a later date. We want to make sure you are as excited about your design as we are, so there is no issue rescheduling to make sure you are 100% confident with what is being tattooed on your body.
No hate speech, harassment, body shaming or bullying will be tolerated in the studio. We strive to create a very safe, inclusive and welcoming space. All artists have the right to refuse to work with a client if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe, and if any poor behavior is exhibited then you may be refused service in the future.
Any tattoos done during fundraiser events will not be eligible for free touch-ups.
Most supplies used during your tattoo are single-use and disposable, meaning they are sterilized and brand new, we use them on you, and then we dispose of them immediately. This includes the needles and cartridge's used to do the tattoo. We never reuse needles.
We will not tattoo anyone who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Please arrive clean to your appointment. That means shower and make sure you aren't emitting body odor as our artists have to work in close proximity and will be touching you.
On body parts that move a great deal or have extra rough or extra thin skin, the healed images are less predictable than on more stable areas of the body. Many tattoo artists refuse to tattoo these areas for this reason. If you choose to proceed with having the following areas tattooed, you understand that the artist cannot be held responsible for fading or uneven healing.
Hand / finger tattoos in specific: we do not offer free touch-ups on hand tattoos as they are more prone to fading due to them being more high-traffic areas.

DEPOSITS [BOOKING FEE] + ART FEE

Deposits [booking fees] are required to book an appointment or have an artist produce any artwork.

All deposits [booking fees] are non-refundable so please keep that in mind with booking.
The deposit is meant to secure an appointment, and comes off the final price of the tattoo.
If you are having multi-session / sleeve work done, then the deposit can continue to carry to your following appointments.

FOR APPOINTMENTS BOOKED IN DECEMBER: There is a strict blackout period for rescheduling / cancelling during the holiday season. Any appointment booked in the month of December will be subject to mandatory deposit that will be lost if any cancellations or reschedules occur regardless of notice. Please be mindful of that when booking tattoo appointments during holiday months.

We understand that things might come up, so if you need to reschedule your tattoo appointment please make sure to give us more than 48 hours of notice and we will gladly reschedule your appointment and carry your deposit over, as long as the rescheduled date is within a year of original appointment date. Any reschedules or last minute design changes made within 48 hours or if you choose to cancel your appointment altogether regardless of notice, your deposit [booking fee] will be forfeit.

Deposits [booking fees] cannot be transferred to another artist or client, no exceptions. In the rare case that your specific artist no longer works at Ruby Tattoo Studio, your deposit is placed with the studio and may be transferred to another artist to do the tattoo unless the deposit placed was for a specific piece of pre-drawn flash from that artist or no artists are able to accommodate that request.

If you happen to be arriving late to your appointment, please call us to let us know. Being late 15 minutes or more (especially with no notice) could result in loss of appointment slot and forfeiture of deposit.

Any appointments that are marked no-show, no-call (fail to arrive to appointment or provide any notice) will result in automatic forfeiture / loss of deposit, require 50%-100% payment upfront for next appointment or even risk being refused to be booked in with that artist again. If it happens more then once, we will refuse to work with you in the future altogether. Our artist have already invested many hours on your behalf, so any no shows will not be appreciated.

If a cancellation or reschedule is made with more than 48 hours notice, we will keep your deposit on-hold for 6 months without any correspondence. If we do not receive any contact from client to reschedule the appointment in that 6 month period, your deposit will be lost and a new one will need to be placed in order to be booked in again. We will hold deposits in general for no longer than 1 year.

During wintertime months, we are lenient when it comes to rescheduling within 48-hours if weather is bad. We want to ensure our clients & staff are as safe as possible at all times, so if you feel unsafe making the trip to the studio due to poor weather conditions, do not hesitate to contact us!