Pain tolerance is a funny thing, and different for everyone! There are oh so many factors that can effect the way a person is able to sit for a tattoo. Placement, size of the tat, whether or not you've eaten your wheaties that day, tattoo nerves, and even how much water you drink are all things that can strengthen or weaken your pain tolerance. Its hard to find a balance and ensure that you're feeling your best on tattoo day. The good news is: theres a cream for that! A beautiful invention called numbing cream, loved by tattoo getters everywhere. 

Here at Riverside, we sell Zensa lidocaine cream from Alera skincare and lidocaine cream from Bondi Tattoo Care. We recommend it to people who have a long tattoo session ahead of them, people who are working on a tough spot, and those who just want to minimize the inevitable pain that comes along with the tattoo process. 

Here's how to use it: 

1- Make sure to buy your numbing cream prior to the appointment, the application process will need a few hours to soak in and do its job properly.

2- Put a thick layer of cream onto the area where you're getting tatted 1-2 hours before your appointment. Make sure it's thick enough so that you can't see skin underneath. 

3- Cover it with saran wrap, and theres no need to wash it off, you'll do that once you come in! Of course check warnings on the box/ talk to a doc beforehand if that applies to you. If you follow these steps, your tattoo should be easy breezy with pain at a minimum. 

Thats it thats all! Ask our floor staff to point it out to you if it's something you'd like to add to your tattoo process.