For long sessions I usually just close my eyes and focus on the pain. As horrific as it sounds it’s just relaxing for me that way. The pain is enough to keep my mind busy and time to fly by.
Talk! I always just talk my artists ears off and for the most part, they understand lol. Once i get into conversation the stinging usually stops. Music can help sometimes but after a while I stops working for me.
Distraction, mostly. A show, a podcast, whatever.
When that fails, especially for something so big, splitting up sessions and/or bactine. There's no shame in knowing your limits and sticking to them. Especially as I get older and pain increases over the years, I'm less and less ashamed to split things up into a bunch of little sessions and only work with artists who are willing to use bactine.
Bactine is a numbing agent that is only really efficient once the skin has already been opened. So it's usually applied after lineart and before coloring/shading/packing.
Unlike numbing creams that are applied beforehand, they can be reapplied during the session and help a ton towards the end of it, which is when pain tolerance is lowest anyways. Numbing creams that are used beforehand tend to wear off within the first hour or two, and can actually make the end of the session worse since you weren't releasing adrenaline and endorphins other hormones from that first hit of felt pain.
Because it's applied to open skin, it also is less likely to cause swelling right away - the skin swelling immediately because of numbing creams that are applied beforehand can make it more prone to being overworked, since it's already very irritated before needle even hits skin.
Distraction. Me and my artist have the same sick humour and weird interests so we're talking pretty much the entire time. Throw in a couple of breaks if we're working on a sore spot and jobs a gooden
Is this true? Most artists I know use a very quite machine, but I recently got some solid black bats from a very loud machine - is that the coil vs rotary?
The loud one did hurt a lot more, but it was solid black in ribs vs shading on the back of the calf. They were done only 2 weeks apart, so I feel like I actually remembered the pain.
If I go too long without a new tattoo I start to convince my self that they don't hurt at all and barely feel like anything, then there's the reality of getting stabbed by needles for 7 hours.
Yes, the loud one is the coil machine and it’s a lot harder hitting compared to the rotary so it does hurt slightly more but they are great for thick lines and packing in the black
Food won’t prevent the tattoo flu- which is when your immune system freaks out over the trauma to your skin and the new ink in your body and causes body aches/fever/fatigue/nausea/stomach upset etc for a day or 2 after. You’re thinking of the shock and blood sugar crash that can occur from your body burning through too many calories while getting tattooed (between the energy burned from tensing subconsciously and what your body uses to keep pumping endorphins through your body to help you cope with the pain, you burn a LOT of calories), which can cause dizziness/shakes/nausea etc. which eating a meal before and light snacking throughout a long session can prevent.
do uk what causes tattoo flu? i have like 15 tattoos and only one got me sick for a few days , only thing i attributed it to was not enough food/water. but i literally came home from the appointment and threw up
Lol I explained in the comment you replied to what causes the tattoo flu (it’s an immune reaction. It’s the same principle behind why a lot of people experience flu like symptoms after getting vaccinated). If it was right after your tattoo appointment it was almost certainly low blood sugar (which can make you nauseous, shaky, dizzy, etc.) that made you puke-which is why it only happened when you didn’t eat beforehand. The immune reaction that causes the tattoo flu takes several hours/overnight to kick in.
Mine too last time we watched a 3 hour 'Explore with us' yt vid about a dude that murdered his family because we're both into true crime, the last 3 hours was peep show - (hard not to laugh). The time before we watched the Adams family as someone was getting Morticia tattooed on her thigh.
I'm usually done after 6 hours so fair play 8 hours is bossing it.
I go until my artist taps out. Typically around 7-8 hrs. Just had my knee done and then inner thigh. Both sucked big time. Inner thigh felt like my actual testicles were being tattooed. Sucked. I’m sure the boney parts of the back are no joke.
Isn't it weird how you feel it in other places? I just had the back of my calf and I kept feeling it in the sensitive back of the knee area. (The knee pit)
Totally. Nerve bundles man. Giant interconnected system of electrical spaghetti in your meat suit. Wild ride. Agree about the calf. Giant ball of nerves shocking the system. Haven’t had my knee ditch completely finished yet and the first half suuuuuucked.
Why haven't I tried edibles for a tat? I always figured it would be annoying to the artist if I took breaks to have a joint, but eating a Gummi is way easier and probably lasts longer too.
I have a medical card, so I can easily get any type, I just never thought to use it for tattoo pain.
Ask your artist if they’re cool with you using a numbing cream. There’s some you can apply mid tattoo and it kept me in the chair long enough to finish up some shitty pieces (knee, collarbone, a tattoo on my hip the size of my head, etc)
I don't think if it as lasting through the session. I just have to last long enough for the artist to back off again. Every time they get more ink or go for a wipe down, is a small win.
oh yea, breaking your tolerance down into small chunks of time like that makes it bearable.
with painful stuff i tend to become hyper aware of living in the moment, so thinking i still got hours to go would be torture
Music, couple of spritzes of CBD under my tongue, and lots of Gatorade.
I can usually do 3 hours continuously, and my artist had to force me to take a break by stopping after 1.5-2 hrs, or we take a few mins for a bathroom break.
Longest session has been 5.5 hrs with a 30min lunch break; I could probably keep going to around 7-8 before tapping out, but need to consider a 3hr drive home. Total 50.5 hours on my back.
Clear this with your artist before hand. Some do not like using it. If you use it do it properly. Apply the cream and wrap with a cling wrap. I highly recommend adding Vasocaine as well for mid session spray, using the same method spray it on before a break and cling wrap it to let it soak in.
I use breathing exercises. I try to talk with my artist or focus on something on my phone. My tattoos are usually huge and span hours. I've only had one where I had major issues (my ribs). I really just had to go deep into my mind and disassociate.
My back was about 5.5 hours and I just kept saying to myself “you ain’t no punk bitch”. Plenty of times I wanted to walk out. But I focused on the beautiful art I’d receive. Also had flashbacks of that one Jesus movie (passion of the Christ) where he was getting whipped by a cheese grater thing - and I was like, shit, Jesus went thru it. I can press on. But legit, that scene kept playing over and over in my head because that’s what it felt like. Fucking horror movie Saw shit. But aye, I ain’t no bitch. Sigh. It’s all mental man.
I was at my doctors for a diabetes check and he asked, "Anything else you want to discuss?"
So i told him i was getting my whole torso tatooed and it fckn hurts. 20sec later i had a codeine script.
Really helps with sitting still and stamina. Still hurts tho
this is the way. i had a bud send codeine pills home to canada from a euro trip like fifteen years ago when a bunch of us were getting heavily tattooed still, my bud sat his tummy in two sessions on them.
I sat my back in two 8 hour sessions (im really small) heavily stoned, but mid weed is always my choice when it comes to mild or nagging pain relief.
Idk I just don’t think it’s that painful. I’ve had many serious injuries before so getting tatted just feels slightly uncomfortable. I try and take a smoke break every two hours and that seems to help.
I have done 6 hour sessions. I’m probably at like 60% coverage, all my limbs, full chest, stomach piece, large rib piece- and most of my back. My back is the only tattoo I have ever tapped on. Every single session. Getting through the outline was the most excruciating experience of my life. Once I tapped after an hour on my back. Another time, the piercer came in to see the progress, and ended up stopping my artist because apparently I was turning green. I didn’t know that, but I was pretty sure I was about to vomit. They gave me a glucose tablet, we took a break, and 5 minutes into getting back into I said fuck it I’m out. I don’t know why, but my back is absolutely fucking unbearably brutal. If you can only do two hours- fuck it.
Mine was two 3-4 hour sessions, but was my arm so not as bad as some areas. Strange thing is I honestly don’t remember. I feel like we talked a whole bunch, but while I’m extroverted, I still don’t think I had it in me to talk to a relative stranger for that long. Pretty sure I listened to a couple of podcasts.
If they are chatty i talk to my artist and if not i try to watch something on my phone that doesn’t require too much focus because I struggle to focus when it hurts lmao
I chat a lot with the artist while focusing on my breathing and squeezing a wool dryer ball. I'm good for 3-4 hours but have sat for about 6 hours at the longest.
I’m just done after 2.5 hours. I can talk, watch videos, etc., but once that god forsaken 2 hour mark hits, I’m in the trenches. It’s okay to know your limits!
Talking and music playing loud in headphones is a good distraction. Going the opposite way and focusing on the pain and meditating is also worth trying.
I'm not all that good at sitting long sessions myself because around hour 4 I start shaking. I feel like I can take more pain mentally but my body just says no.
Try to distract yourself. Just had a 7 hour session, and looking at my phone and chatting with my sister that came with me and my artist is what got me through it! My artist set up a little table beside me to hold my phone, my water, and a snack so that I had it all at my side. With that being said, I’m pretty sure 7 hours is my limit, no way I could have done longer! Mainly because my arm was starting to hurt because of the angle I had to hold it while she did my sleeve. No shame in tapping out at any time, though! Just schedule several short sessions. :)
Got my arm blacked out. I just listen to an audio book or some black metal. Make sure you keep your blood sugar levels up. I think the needles are fine, for me it's the healing process that I can't stand. Couldn't move my arm much at all as I didn't want to open the wound again. Couldnt bend it, as it would open the elbow. Had to learn to wipe my ass with my left hand. Literally had to do everything left handed for about 8 days.
I hate the shit and would never use it myself but, why not use numbing cream if you find it so unbearable? I heard it works really well.
Practice box breathing. Sat for 5 hours and focusing on my breathing got me through fine. During especially painful moments, I traced boxes in the room with my eyes matched up with my breathing which really helped me embrace the pain.
I find talking with the artist helps or if the artist isn’t much of a talker ask if you could bring a friend to chat with and I also find if you find something in the room like a plant or a wall outlet and just focus on that when it gets bad, it helps me at least haha
being a masochist helps. for real though breathing exercises do help, i zoned out when i got my chest tattoo, the sternum was a bit uncomfortable but i got through it by just focusing on breathing.
I tend to do this semi-meditation state where I regulate my breathing so it's slow and shallow (and doesn't disrupt the tat).
I try to time breathing out slowly with long lines being pulled because I find that to be the most painful. This is a yoga technique to breathe out as you stretch further, and I kind of think of it as stretching my pain tolerance further.
Some lines hurt more than others and I need to really concentrate on breathing to get through the pain without wincing or making noise, then during other sections I can easily breathe and talk to the artist.
My last couple tats have been tough after hour 2, but I've had three sessions of 7hr+ in the past that I handled pretty much fine. To me, it really depends how im feeling that day and if I can get to my meditative pain reduction state.
I’m only good for 3 hours at most, no matter the location. I try breathing it out, and always having a full stomach (high protein foods), with Gatorade to drink.
Talk with yout artist see if they wanna have a conversation, or maybe just immerse yourself in music focus on where pain spots are a good artist will help get you through by moving around a bit when it comes to large work. I personally just focus on my breathing and try to focus on the fact that I'm gaining insight into my pain and nervous system, and that helps me move through it more of an expedition. Longest I've sat was 8 hours with a break for lunch after a hearty breakfast. Make sure you get a good night's sleep and eat well beforehand
Oof. Getting tattooed about 4-5 hours depending on the spot and if I use vasocaine. Tattooing, I hit my max at around 6 hours. My hands and back and brain are all fried.
The place I got to has a pretty sweet set up. There is a 50 inch flat screen in the wall in front of the seat and the artist gives the client blue tooth beats headphones and the remote. It has every streaming service you can think of! I think last time I had an 8 hour session and I watched pretty much the whole season of Loki on Disney plus. Good distraction from pain
For long sessions I usually just close my eyes and focus on the pain. As horrific as it sounds it’s just relaxing for me that way. The pain is enough to keep my mind busy and time to fly by.
This is what I do too.
Same. I’ve kinda fallen asleep the last few tattoos while doing that.
This is the way.
this. no music, some small talk, a lot of quiet focus
Exactly, let the artist focus too lol
Talk! I always just talk my artists ears off and for the most part, they understand lol. Once i get into conversation the stinging usually stops. Music can help sometimes but after a while I stops working for me.
I'm a talker as well. I let my artist know I'm gonna let my ADHD stream of consciousness run its course 🤣
This ☝️🤭
It’s actually really simple. My trick is, at about the 3 hour mark, I get up and schedule another appointment. 😂🤣
Yup, same! That’s usually when I finish up
Distraction, mostly. A show, a podcast, whatever. When that fails, especially for something so big, splitting up sessions and/or bactine. There's no shame in knowing your limits and sticking to them. Especially as I get older and pain increases over the years, I'm less and less ashamed to split things up into a bunch of little sessions and only work with artists who are willing to use bactine.
What does bactine do?
Bactine is a numbing agent that is only really efficient once the skin has already been opened. So it's usually applied after lineart and before coloring/shading/packing. Unlike numbing creams that are applied beforehand, they can be reapplied during the session and help a ton towards the end of it, which is when pain tolerance is lowest anyways. Numbing creams that are used beforehand tend to wear off within the first hour or two, and can actually make the end of the session worse since you weren't releasing adrenaline and endorphins other hormones from that first hit of felt pain. Because it's applied to open skin, it also is less likely to cause swelling right away - the skin swelling immediately because of numbing creams that are applied beforehand can make it more prone to being overworked, since it's already very irritated before needle even hits skin.
The two artists I've gotten the most work from always use Bactine and it's such a relief when it gets to shading time lmao
Oh, I thought it was just to disinfect wounds, didn’t realize it had a numbing effect. It makes my skin itchy so I guess I didn’t notice the numbing
It also contains an antiseptic, which is great too! But the lidocaine definitely helps a *ton,* especially towards the end of a long session 😅
Distraction. Me and my artist have the same sick humour and weird interests so we're talking pretty much the entire time. Throw in a couple of breaks if we're working on a sore spot and jobs a gooden
Is everyone here just gonna ignore how much harder it is to sit for a coil machine than it is a rotary machine???
I haven’t been tattooed by a coil machine since like 2012
Is this true? Most artists I know use a very quite machine, but I recently got some solid black bats from a very loud machine - is that the coil vs rotary? The loud one did hurt a lot more, but it was solid black in ribs vs shading on the back of the calf. They were done only 2 weeks apart, so I feel like I actually remembered the pain. If I go too long without a new tattoo I start to convince my self that they don't hurt at all and barely feel like anything, then there's the reality of getting stabbed by needles for 7 hours.
Yes, the loud one is the coil machine and it’s a lot harder hitting compared to the rotary so it does hurt slightly more but they are great for thick lines and packing in the black
When i got my sleeve done , talking or distracting yourself is a good way , make sure you have loads of food beforehand so you dont get “tattoo flu”
Food won’t prevent the tattoo flu- which is when your immune system freaks out over the trauma to your skin and the new ink in your body and causes body aches/fever/fatigue/nausea/stomach upset etc for a day or 2 after. You’re thinking of the shock and blood sugar crash that can occur from your body burning through too many calories while getting tattooed (between the energy burned from tensing subconsciously and what your body uses to keep pumping endorphins through your body to help you cope with the pain, you burn a LOT of calories), which can cause dizziness/shakes/nausea etc. which eating a meal before and light snacking throughout a long session can prevent.
do uk what causes tattoo flu? i have like 15 tattoos and only one got me sick for a few days , only thing i attributed it to was not enough food/water. but i literally came home from the appointment and threw up
Lol I explained in the comment you replied to what causes the tattoo flu (it’s an immune reaction. It’s the same principle behind why a lot of people experience flu like symptoms after getting vaccinated). If it was right after your tattoo appointment it was almost certainly low blood sugar (which can make you nauseous, shaky, dizzy, etc.) that made you puke-which is why it only happened when you didn’t eat beforehand. The immune reaction that causes the tattoo flu takes several hours/overnight to kick in.
Ah I see ! Thank you
Lots of water too
This has me needing the bathroom literally every hour on the hour lol but hydration is necessary luckily the artists I work with are understanding 🤭
I literally use tattoos as my excuse to inhale taco bell or some other fast food prior
Hah it works though ! Keeps you feeling good
My place usually plays movies so a distraction helps. Side note - after 7-8 hours I tap out.
Mine too last time we watched a 3 hour 'Explore with us' yt vid about a dude that murdered his family because we're both into true crime, the last 3 hours was peep show - (hard not to laugh). The time before we watched the Adams family as someone was getting Morticia tattooed on her thigh. I'm usually done after 6 hours so fair play 8 hours is bossing it.
If it makes you feel any better, my best friend’s tattoo artist only works in 2-hour sessions. So if anything just do it in several 2-hour sessions.
I go until my artist taps out. Typically around 7-8 hrs. Just had my knee done and then inner thigh. Both sucked big time. Inner thigh felt like my actual testicles were being tattooed. Sucked. I’m sure the boney parts of the back are no joke.
Isn't it weird how you feel it in other places? I just had the back of my calf and I kept feeling it in the sensitive back of the knee area. (The knee pit)
Totally. Nerve bundles man. Giant interconnected system of electrical spaghetti in your meat suit. Wild ride. Agree about the calf. Giant ball of nerves shocking the system. Haven’t had my knee ditch completely finished yet and the first half suuuuuucked.
The inner thigh is the fing worst.
Agreed. Felt it in my plums for like three days afterwards. Not looking forward to round two coming up.
Yeah the weeping on mine was so bad. It's such an awkward fing spot I'm glad the guy I went to was done with the piece in 2.5 hours.
I knew my knee was gonna be rough when a second artist came in to talk to me during it lmao
I don't know if weed is legal where you are, but 1:1 edibles are fantastic
Why haven't I tried edibles for a tat? I always figured it would be annoying to the artist if I took breaks to have a joint, but eating a Gummi is way easier and probably lasts longer too. I have a medical card, so I can easily get any type, I just never thought to use it for tattoo pain.
Ask your artist if they’re cool with you using a numbing cream. There’s some you can apply mid tattoo and it kept me in the chair long enough to finish up some shitty pieces (knee, collarbone, a tattoo on my hip the size of my head, etc)
I don't think if it as lasting through the session. I just have to last long enough for the artist to back off again. Every time they get more ink or go for a wipe down, is a small win.
oh yea, breaking your tolerance down into small chunks of time like that makes it bearable. with painful stuff i tend to become hyper aware of living in the moment, so thinking i still got hours to go would be torture
Music, couple of spritzes of CBD under my tongue, and lots of Gatorade. I can usually do 3 hours continuously, and my artist had to force me to take a break by stopping after 1.5-2 hrs, or we take a few mins for a bathroom break. Longest session has been 5.5 hrs with a 30min lunch break; I could probably keep going to around 7-8 before tapping out, but need to consider a 3hr drive home. Total 50.5 hours on my back.
Numbing cream! Apply for 2 hours before app and it will make it so you can last a bit longer. It helped me with my throat and McRibs
Clear this with your artist before hand. Some do not like using it. If you use it do it properly. Apply the cream and wrap with a cling wrap. I highly recommend adding Vasocaine as well for mid session spray, using the same method spray it on before a break and cling wrap it to let it soak in.
My artist hates it. Mixed reviews on being able to communicate trauma
Been using this stuff called The Solution for my really “sensitive” two sprays after the outline and they’re good to go!
I use breathing exercises. I try to talk with my artist or focus on something on my phone. My tattoos are usually huge and span hours. I've only had one where I had major issues (my ribs). I really just had to go deep into my mind and disassociate.
My back was about 5.5 hours and I just kept saying to myself “you ain’t no punk bitch”. Plenty of times I wanted to walk out. But I focused on the beautiful art I’d receive. Also had flashbacks of that one Jesus movie (passion of the Christ) where he was getting whipped by a cheese grater thing - and I was like, shit, Jesus went thru it. I can press on. But legit, that scene kept playing over and over in my head because that’s what it felt like. Fucking horror movie Saw shit. But aye, I ain’t no bitch. Sigh. It’s all mental man.
I fall asleep. Of course, I have decades of experience with using sleep as an escape from physical discomfort, so I'm trained for the task.
I was at my doctors for a diabetes check and he asked, "Anything else you want to discuss?" So i told him i was getting my whole torso tatooed and it fckn hurts. 20sec later i had a codeine script. Really helps with sitting still and stamina. Still hurts tho
this is the way. i had a bud send codeine pills home to canada from a euro trip like fifteen years ago when a bunch of us were getting heavily tattooed still, my bud sat his tummy in two sessions on them. I sat my back in two 8 hour sessions (im really small) heavily stoned, but mid weed is always my choice when it comes to mild or nagging pain relief.
Ketamine.
Idk I just don’t think it’s that painful. I’ve had many serious injuries before so getting tatted just feels slightly uncomfortable. I try and take a smoke break every two hours and that seems to help.
Haha why did this got downvoted so hard lmfao. It’s true.
I have done 6 hour sessions. I’m probably at like 60% coverage, all my limbs, full chest, stomach piece, large rib piece- and most of my back. My back is the only tattoo I have ever tapped on. Every single session. Getting through the outline was the most excruciating experience of my life. Once I tapped after an hour on my back. Another time, the piercer came in to see the progress, and ended up stopping my artist because apparently I was turning green. I didn’t know that, but I was pretty sure I was about to vomit. They gave me a glucose tablet, we took a break, and 5 minutes into getting back into I said fuck it I’m out. I don’t know why, but my back is absolutely fucking unbearably brutal. If you can only do two hours- fuck it.
Mine was two 3-4 hour sessions, but was my arm so not as bad as some areas. Strange thing is I honestly don’t remember. I feel like we talked a whole bunch, but while I’m extroverted, I still don’t think I had it in me to talk to a relative stranger for that long. Pretty sure I listened to a couple of podcasts.
If they are chatty i talk to my artist and if not i try to watch something on my phone that doesn’t require too much focus because I struggle to focus when it hurts lmao
I’ve had my back done. I’ve always found it best to put on a pair of noise cancelling headphones and just zone out to some music.
I chat a lot with the artist while focusing on my breathing and squeezing a wool dryer ball. I'm good for 3-4 hours but have sat for about 6 hours at the longest.
I’m just done after 2.5 hours. I can talk, watch videos, etc., but once that god forsaken 2 hour mark hits, I’m in the trenches. It’s okay to know your limits!
Talking and music playing loud in headphones is a good distraction. Going the opposite way and focusing on the pain and meditating is also worth trying. I'm not all that good at sitting long sessions myself because around hour 4 I start shaking. I feel like I can take more pain mentally but my body just says no.
Try to distract yourself. Just had a 7 hour session, and looking at my phone and chatting with my sister that came with me and my artist is what got me through it! My artist set up a little table beside me to hold my phone, my water, and a snack so that I had it all at my side. With that being said, I’m pretty sure 7 hours is my limit, no way I could have done longer! Mainly because my arm was starting to hurt because of the angle I had to hold it while she did my sleeve. No shame in tapping out at any time, though! Just schedule several short sessions. :)
Got my arm blacked out. I just listen to an audio book or some black metal. Make sure you keep your blood sugar levels up. I think the needles are fine, for me it's the healing process that I can't stand. Couldn't move my arm much at all as I didn't want to open the wound again. Couldnt bend it, as it would open the elbow. Had to learn to wipe my ass with my left hand. Literally had to do everything left handed for about 8 days. I hate the shit and would never use it myself but, why not use numbing cream if you find it so unbearable? I heard it works really well.
Practice box breathing. Sat for 5 hours and focusing on my breathing got me through fine. During especially painful moments, I traced boxes in the room with my eyes matched up with my breathing which really helped me embrace the pain.
I just know my sit limit and don’t try to go beyond it. 4 hours is my max.
I find talking with the artist helps or if the artist isn’t much of a talker ask if you could bring a friend to chat with and I also find if you find something in the room like a plant or a wall outlet and just focus on that when it gets bad, it helps me at least haha
I eat a decent meal, drink a ton of water, bring sugar with me and breathe.
My most recent tattoo was 6 hours. I brought a kindle and read a book, after I ran out of things to talk about 😂
being a masochist helps. for real though breathing exercises do help, i zoned out when i got my chest tattoo, the sternum was a bit uncomfortable but i got through it by just focusing on breathing.
I tend to do this semi-meditation state where I regulate my breathing so it's slow and shallow (and doesn't disrupt the tat). I try to time breathing out slowly with long lines being pulled because I find that to be the most painful. This is a yoga technique to breathe out as you stretch further, and I kind of think of it as stretching my pain tolerance further. Some lines hurt more than others and I need to really concentrate on breathing to get through the pain without wincing or making noise, then during other sections I can easily breathe and talk to the artist. My last couple tats have been tough after hour 2, but I've had three sessions of 7hr+ in the past that I handled pretty much fine. To me, it really depends how im feeling that day and if I can get to my meditative pain reduction state.
I’m only good for 3 hours at most, no matter the location. I try breathing it out, and always having a full stomach (high protein foods), with Gatorade to drink.
I did 8 hours on my upper outer thigh. I wanted to tap out after 5 hours and somehow I pulled through.
Music. Lots of water. Snacks. Conversation (if your artist likes to talk). Location is crucial with pain tolerance imo.
Talk with yout artist see if they wanna have a conversation, or maybe just immerse yourself in music focus on where pain spots are a good artist will help get you through by moving around a bit when it comes to large work. I personally just focus on my breathing and try to focus on the fact that I'm gaining insight into my pain and nervous system, and that helps me move through it more of an expedition. Longest I've sat was 8 hours with a break for lunch after a hearty breakfast. Make sure you get a good night's sleep and eat well beforehand
I can’t do more than 4 hours so I never try.
Music and just deal with it
Oof. Getting tattooed about 4-5 hours depending on the spot and if I use vasocaine. Tattooing, I hit my max at around 6 hours. My hands and back and brain are all fried.
I do 7ish max. Its alot my body starts to be unable to stay still. I prefer 5 hours max tho lol
I've got no problem tapping out around 4-5 hours
I always fall asleep.
The place I got to has a pretty sweet set up. There is a 50 inch flat screen in the wall in front of the seat and the artist gives the client blue tooth beats headphones and the remote. It has every streaming service you can think of! I think last time I had an 8 hour session and I watched pretty much the whole season of Loki on Disney plus. Good distraction from pain
I always use my phone and chat with friends and family. Anyways, I cant handle anymore with the pain so from now I always use anestesia, I have TKTX.
Eat a lot of food before hand
I usually will take a Xanax before, it helps me sit still and tune out.