Guide

Booking a tattoo over several sessions: quotes, deposits and what to put in writing

A bigger piece is really a small project, and it goes better when the plan, the money and the gaps between sessions are written down before the first one.

3 min read · Last checked 22 October 2026 · Sources at the end

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check your terms with your insurer, your council and a qualified adviser for your own situation.

Start with a quote for the whole piece

A sleeve, a back piece or a large cover-up will not fit one sitting. Give the client one written quote for the whole piece, not a price per visit that changes as you go. Say how many sessions you expect, what each price covers, and that the number is your estimate. Say what happens if it takes longer.

For age and ID checks, design approval and consent records, see Tattoo and piercing admin: age checks, designs, deposits and aftercare. They apply to every session.

Deposits for a longer project

Take a deposit when the client accepts the quote, and say in plain words what it is for. Government guidance on fair terms is the test to use. It says non-refundable deposits should only be a small percentage of the total price, and that a cancellation charge must be a genuine estimate of your direct loss. It also says a charge is not fair just because it appears in a contract you wrote.

A simple pattern many artists use is to take the deposit once and take it off the first session. That is a suggestion, not a rule.

What to put in writing

Keep it to one page:

the design, size and placement you agreed, and who approved it and when;
the estimated number of sessions and the price for each, or the total;
the deposit, what it covers and exactly when it would not be refunded;
how much notice you need to move a session, and what happens to a late move;
what happens if the design changes after you have started;
how and when you will tell the client about healing, and who decides when the next session can go ahead.

Government guidance says significant terms should be prominent and easy for a customer to read, so put the deposit and cancellation points near the top.

Healing time between sessions

Do not promise a fixed gap. We could not find an authoritative healing interval for tattoos, so we are not giving one. The council guidance we used says only that the first week or so is normally red and tender, and it credits material from 2013, so check your own council's current advice. Whether an area is ready for more work is a matter for the artist's judgement, so write that into your terms: "the next session goes ahead when I am satisfied the area has healed". Ask your insurer whether they set a minimum gap.

If a client cancels part way

Decide in advance, and write down:

what happens to the deposit if they stop after one session or after three;
whether sessions already done are simply paid for, and the unfinished remainder is not charged;
whether you will finish or tidy a part-completed piece, and at what price.

Government guidance says you must take reasonable steps to reduce your losses, for example by offering the freed slot to someone else, and you should only keep what covers losses you have actually made. If a client disputes a charge, explain how you calculated it.

How we help

With the quotes, projects and invoices extra, you send a quote for the number of sessions, the client accepts it online and pays the deposit (by card if you take cards online, or another way that you record), and you book each session against the piece from your back office. The deposit comes off the first session. The Finisher does not set a healing gap between sessions for you, so that stays your call. See our page for tattoo artists.

Do this next

Write a one-page project agreement using the list above.
Set a deposit that is a small part of the total and say when it would be kept.
Add your healing rule in your own words, and check any minimum gap with your insurer.
Decide what happens to the deposit and the unfinished work if a client stops part way.

Sources

Gov.uk, Unfair terms explained for businesses (last updated 22 July 2026)
Competition and Markets Authority, Cancelling goods or services: guide for consumers (published 2 March 2016)
Torbay Council, tattoo aftercare guidance (credits Public Health England material from June 2013; no update date shown)

Last checked 22 October 2026. General guidance, not legal or tax advice.

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