FAQ & T&C

Tattoo – 18+

You might already know that it is against the law to tattoo those that are under the age of 18, and so obviously we won’t accept any custom form anyone under 18 years old.

If you are below 25, proof of ID may be asked for.

Piercing – 0

For piercings, we operate a strict policy of no piercing under age 16 WITHOUT parental consent.  If you are under 16 and have the permission of your parent, bring the parent with you when you come in.

We do pierce children’s ear lobes, but lobes only.

Other Restrictions:  You must be 18+ to have your Nipple, Tongue or Genitalia pierced.  This became law in 2018.

Yes probably.  Having a bunch of needles stab you at a rate of 1000 times per second isn’t exactly a pain free journey.  But here’s some things you should know about that:

Is it bearable?  Yes absolutely

Is it worth it?  Yes! Definitely!

Pain threshold varies greatly from person to person, what one person find agonising, someone else might not even notice.  For most people, the sensation is like being scratched by a cat.  It’s more annoying af than painful.

The level of pain varies depending on where on the body your tattoo is placed, the thin skin quite close to bone for example is usually a lot more sensitive than somewhere that’s more fleshy.  Ankle tattoo’s and rib tattoo’s are among the most painful for most folk.

It also depends on your artist and the design, some designs require lots of deep ink work, where as more delicate designs may not.  Some artists are more heavy handed than others, and this is something that you’d be able to see in their style of work before you get tattooed.  If in doubt – just ask!

Hmmmmm…..

Legally Speaking: There is no age restriction on piercing of ears, however it IS required by the law for me to obtain full parental consent to pierce anyone under the age of 16.  There are some age restrictions on piercing other parts of the body, however no sane person is going to come to me to pierce their child’s nipple….. right?

Morally Speaking: Many studio’s refuse to pierce children simply because they just aren’t into that.  And that’s fine.

Personally Speaking: Yes.  I will pierce your child’s ear.

Because I’d rather you bring your child to me, to my sterile environment, where I use single use needles specifically for your child only, use fully sterile equipment, and techniques that I have spent time (and money!) studying and mastering.

I’d rather offer you this clean, professional service and environment to minimise infection, complications and possible lifelong scarring on your baby, then have you go to a high street retailer that uses a piercing gun!

THESE THINGS ARE LETHAL!

Plus their staff get just a day’s training on how to perform a ‘piercing’, using inferior, unclean equipment – if you need more information about that, please visit our ‘Unicorn Blog’ and read the one about why I am a strictly ‘No Gun’ piercer!

Oh… And…

They charge 2-3 times MORE than I do for the job?!  Insane.

DON’T DO IT!

Yes.  Sort of.

Once I have started to tattoo, I have to complete certain ‘sections’ before I quit the session.  Like the outline.

The outline is the place where I start and if I were working on a large piece, the basic outline alone HAS TO be done in the first sitting.  This may take over an hour to complete, depending on the size.  If the outline job was interrupted, the next time you come in to have ‘the second part’ tattooed, the two halves of the design would never line up the same and you’d walk away with a wonky tattoo!  I simply won’t do that!

After that, I can be more flexible with my time and pace to suit your budget.

Tattoos cannot be booked without paying a deposit

This acts as a deposit, a booking fee, and a consultation fee, as well as the full amount of your deposit being taken off the final balance upon successful completion.

It protects us from loss of earnings due to unreasonable cancellations or no-shows, but it also protects you from loosing your appointment to someone else.  Paying a deposit secures your booking.

Deposits are forfeit if you are in breech of the terms & conditions set so please be diligent.

Strictly no alcohol

If you have been or are suspected of having consumed alcohol within 48 hours of your tattoo, we will be unable to complete the job, you will be asked to leave and re-schedule, and your deposit will be lost.

Alcohol thins the blood, therefore making tattooing extremely difficult which could result in bad work.  So we simply don’t allow it.

It also has the potential to alter the state of your personality, which may result in refusal of service and again, your deposit will be lost.

And finally, it invalidates any insurance policies we have in place instantly, which is in place for your safety and protection.

Don’t Haggle with a Tattooist

We operate a professional service and our hourly rates are set.  We value our work accordingly and do not accept bartering as it de-values our work and insults our professionalism.

Talk To Me

If you have questions regarding your procedure, talk to us!  We take care of our customers and pride ourselves on the customer experience.

Tattoo & Piercing Preparation

Before any tattoo or piercing, there are some things that you can do to prepare, some things we’d prefer you didn’t to, and some things you really shouldn’t do!

Again, talk to use, ask questions, but best of all – read our Unicorn Blog!

Strictly no alcohol – If you have been or are suspected of having consumed alcohol within 48 hours of your tattoo, we will be unable to complete the job, you will be asked to leave and re-schedule, and your deposit will be lost without exceptions.

Alcohol thins the blood, therefore making tattooing extremely difficult to nigh on impossible which could result in bad work.  So we simply don’t allow it.

It also has the potential to alter the state of your personality, which may result in refusal of service and again, your deposit will be lost.

And more importantly, it invalidates any insurance policies we have effective and immediately.  Not cool.  These things are supposed to be in place for your safety and protection.

48 Hours Notice

Is required for tattoo work cancellations, or your deposit is forfeited.

Less than this means that I don’t have enough time to find someone else to take your appointment, and so I loose out on several hours pay for the day.

With 48 hours notice or more, that gives me reasonable time to re-schedule your appointment and find replacement work.

Fair?

48 Hour Notice

Piercings are paid for in full in advance.

However if you have to cancel your appointment with less than 48 hours notice, a small cancellation fee of £5 will be incurred.

48 Hours notice or more does not affect your payment.

It’s extremely rare that I’d ever have to cancel on someone, but things do happen, I have a child after all!

In the rre circumstances when I may have to cancel your appointment, every effort will be made to get hold of you and I’ll try all possible means!

Your deposit will not be affected, and I will try to arrange a new appointment with you as soon as possible that’s mutually agreeable.

If for some reason we are not able to re-arrange your appointment, or if you cannot wait for another date, I will of course return your deposit in full.

Piercing

Full payment in advance using the buttons on our booking page.

Additional piercings can be paid for on the day.

We accept Bank Transfer, Paypal, Card on site or cash in person.

Tattoo

Tattoos cannot be booked without first paying the non refundable £25 deposit via the website to secure your appointment.

Final balance can be paid on the day.

We accept Bank Transfer, Paypal, Card on site or cash in person.

You can also pay per hour with tattoo after your first sitting.

This can be done via the website using Bank Transfer or Paypal, OR you can pay in advance in person with either cash or card.

Lateness happens.  We understand.  And we try to be as flexible as we can.

However serious lateness has an ongoing impact for the rest of the working day, and very often work cannot be completed in the time left once lateness has been taken out.  And trust me – you DON’T want to rush a Tattoo Artist or Piercer!

Our Policies On Lateness:

TATTOO – You have a 15 minute ‘window’ to be late.

Obviously we don’t recommend that you are late!  It’s your body – it’s always best to give as much time to the artist as possible, so that she can  stab you to the best of her un-rushed abilities!

If you are going to be a bit late, we’d love it if you could at least give us a call so that I can spend the time prepping, or getting a coffee whilst I have the chance!

If you are more than 15 minutes late, this will result in your appointment being cancelled, and loss of deposit.

Believe me, I don’t like loosing out on several hours of pay!  I can’t fill that time with someone else, and I can’t do a 3 hour tattoo in just 2 so sadly, we can’t bend the rules here!

PIERCING – Similar to the above only you have just a FIVE MINUTE window, as the entire procedure is usually under 30 minutes long, we really can’t accept anyone under 5 minutes late.

Over 5 minutes will result in loss of deposit, and most likely a need to reschedule your appointment.

Under legal advice outlined by the FSB, we operate a code of ‘Zero Tolerance’.

We exercise the right to refuse service to anyone displaying ill behaviour towards staff or other customers.

We deem ill behaviour to be violence of any kind, abuse of any kind ( but particularly physical, verbal, sexist and racist), Aggression, Insults and general bad attitudes.

We work hard to uphold a polite, professional, warm and friendly environment and pride ourselves on customer experience and as such we will not tolerate any of the above behaviours.

Such behaviours will result in loss of deposit, you will be asked to leave or ejected from the property, and in extreme circumstances we will not hesitate to call local officials, and possible refusal of future service.

During any time of uncertainty, such as extreme weather or acts of God for example, we make it our mission to get in touch with you to inform you of any changes to your appointment.

However it is also your responsibility to get in touch with us also.

If you’re unsure if your booking will go ahead for some reason, please do contact us – it’s better to be a bit over the top then loose out!

There’s nothing better than a fresh, well executed tattoo and it’s at it’s very best once it’s done healing and still sharp.

However the finished look and future proofing of your tattoo also depends on how well you take care of it!

Here’s some best practises to ensure crisp, clean, well healed work that stays future proof…

KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN!

Wash your hands thoroughly before and after you clean your tattoo to reduce the risk of serious infection.

Remove the dressing within 1-3 hours and wash with warm water and non-fragranced, antibacterial soap.

Pat dry with a clean paper towel, rather than a bathroom towel, so that you don’t get fabric fibers stuck to your new ink!

Apply a thin layer of your chosen aftercare product.  We can recommend several tattoo industry specific products, but the general go-to option is to use Bepanthen – because it’s cheap, effective and can be purchase anywhere.

Yah it’s a nappy rash cream.  But if it’s good enough for the greatest tattoo artists in the country then it’s good enough for me!  And I always carry some in stock if you forget on the day.

If you accidently go overboard, remove the excess with a clean, dry paper towel.

Repeat twice a day to swerve dryness.

WARNING:

As your tattoo heals, it will begin to dry and form a scaley like layer of scabbing.  It will most likely itch like hell and drive you mad, but DO NOT pick, scratch or scrub off any scabbing.  Just repeat the above and wait it out.  It will heal in 7-10 days.

Wearing clean, loose, breathable clothing helps.

DO NOT expose your new ink to the sun (or sunbeds), submerging in water like hot tubs, swimming pools, lakes, rivers etc… showering is ok.

Tight, restrictive clothing will irritate the wound and hinder the healing.

Although it takes just 7-10 days to heal, feel free to continue to use your chosen tattoo aftercare product as a moisturizer.

Once healed, if you must go in the sun, ALWAYS use a high SPF sunblock on your tattoo.

Sun damage ages tattoos, as does using a sunbed.  So if you are heavily invested in your ink, you may want to think about reducing your sun exposure in general.   Staying hydrated AND moisturized also promotes good skin health and slow the aging process.

And Finally…

Listen to your artist, not your friends.

Although friends are generally full of the best intentions, they are not educated professionals!  Your tattoo artist IS!

Don’t let your friends tell you that it’s ok to use Vaseline on a fresh tattoo for example!  (This is the most common one).  THEY ARE WRONG.

Basic Piercing Aftercare:

The first step to healing is to be healthy!

Happy, healthy bodies make for happy, healthy piercings!  Good personal hygiene and a stress free life, complimented by a nutritious diet with proper hydration will enable your body to heal faster.  Showering daily and using saline irrigation will reduce chances of an infection and minimize irritation.

General Piercing Aftercare:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before cleaning or even touching any piercing.  Use sterile packaged saline solution (salt water) by spraying the solution onto a gauze pad, then gently apply the gauze to the piercing.  You can also apply a very small amount of pressure to help saturate the entire area.  Do this 1-3 times daily.

Saline helps keep the area hydrated and allows the blood vessels to open up, essentially giving the piercing more oxygen and promote the healing process.

Oral Piercing Aftercare:

Important!:  Buy a new toothbrush (or a new head for an electric brush).

For all lip and cheek piercings (excluding vertical labret), use an antiseptic, non alcoholic mouthwash at least 5 times a day (definitely after each meal!).  Rinse for 30-60 seconds, then immediately rinse again with water for a few seconds.

For the outside of the piercing, follow the general piercing aftercare instructions above.

DO NOT fiddle or play around with the jewellery as it can damage the tissue and cause tearing.

When eating, opt for soft, easy to chew or even liquid foods for the first few days until the piercing feels comfortable.

Oral piercings may take 8 weeks to 6 months to heal fully.

Avoid smoking or vaping for at least a week after an oral piercing.

Due to the swelling of a new oral piercing,  it will feel awkward and you may feel the need to almost re-learn how to use your tongue!  However do try to eat, drink and talk as normally as possible.

And finally….

Never over-handle your piercing!  Try to touch it as little as possible to reduce the risk of infection and other complications.

Avoid chemicals.  A fresh piercing is an open wound, so avoid rubbing alcohol,  hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, Neosporin, Antiseptics (other than the suggested mouth wash), Anti-Bacterial soaps and any other chemicals inside the mouth.

DO NOT use ointments, oil, lotions, creams, hair sprays, dyes, or make-up ON or NEAR the piercing site.

NO swimming or submerging.  Avoid lakes, poole, hot tubs, bath tubs, rivers, oceans, creeks, ponds or mud puddles!

Waterproof bandages don’t always work as protection against contamination.  So it it worth the risk?

Avoid tight or restrictive clothing at the piercing site, breathable cotton fabrics are best.

Avoid sleeping ON your piercing for the whole of the healing period, particularly so if you’ve had ear cartilage piercing!

DO NOT use tanning beds or false tans during healing, heat and chemicals both aggravate healing tissues.

Avoid other people’s body fluids.

DO NOT remove your jewellery for any reason during the healing period.  If the jewellery does come out, return to us immediately for assistance as we can usually rectify this quicker, easier and cleaner than someone trying to themselves!

If you have a complaint, we kindly ask that you follow our complaints procedure below:

Our Complaints Procedure:

Please contact us in writing, explaining your issue as clearly and reasonably as possible.  Please provide proof of booking or payment as well as attached images if required.

You may contact us via email to:  hello@unicornstabs.com, or postal mail to Sammie Bertoni | Unicorn Stabs | 61 Bridge Street | Kington | HR5 3DJ.

We will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as possible with the interest of resolving the issue.

If a resolution is not reached, we have further protocol in order to escalate the matter, which we will advise to you personally.

Unicorn Stabs understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website, www.unicornstabs.com (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of this Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Site. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using Our Site immediately.

1. Definitions and Interpretation
In this Policy the following terms shall have the following meanings:

“Cookie” means a small text file placed on your computer or device by Our Site when you visit certain parts of Our Site and/or when you use certain features of Our Site. Details of the Cookies used by Our Site are set out in Part 14, below; and

“Cookie Law” means the relevant parts of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003

2. Information About Us
Our Site is owned and operated by Unicorn Stabs.

Data Protection Officer: Sammie Bertoni
Email address: hello@unicornstabs.com

3. What Does This Policy Cover?
This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of Our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

4. What is Personal Data?
Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.
Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

5. What Are My Rights?
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:
a) The right to be informed about Our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Policy should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details in Part 15.
b) The right to access the personal data we hold about you. Part 13 will tell you how to do this.
c) The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact us using the details in Part 15 to find out more.
d) The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have. Please contact us using the details in Part 15 to find out more.
e) The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.
f) The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
g) The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
h) Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.
For more information about Our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in Part 15.
Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
If you have any cause for complaint about Our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

6. What Data Do We Collect?
Depending upon your use of Our Site, we may collect some or all of the following personal and non-personal data (please also see Part 14 on Our use of Cookies and similar technologies):
• Name;
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• IP address;
• Web browser type and version;
• Operating system;
• A list of URLs starting with a referring site, your activity on Our Site, and the site you exit to.

7. How Do You Use My Personal Data?
Under the GDPR, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for Our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to Our use of your personal data, or because it is in Our legitimate business interests to use it. Your personal data will be used for one of the following purposes:
• Supplying Our services to you. Your personal details are required in order for us to enter into a contract with you.
• Personalising and tailoring our services for you.
• Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you.
• Supplying you with information by email that you have opted-in to (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time).
• Analysing your use of Our Site and gathering feedback to enable us to continually improve Our Site and your user experience.

With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your personal data for marketing purposes, which may include contacting you by email, telephone, text message or post with information, news, and offers on Our services. You will not be sent any unlawful marketing or spam. We will always work to fully protect your rights and comply with Our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and you will always have the opportunity to opt-out.

8. How Long Will You Keep My Personal Data?
We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected.

9. How and Where Do You Store or Transfer My Personal Data?
We will only store or transfer your personal data in the UK. This means that it will be fully protected under the GDPR.

10. Do You Share My Personal Data?
We will not share any of your personal data with any third parties for any purposes, subject to one important exception.
In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

11. How Can I Control My Personal Data?
11.1 In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in Part 5, when you submit personal data via Our Site, you may be given options to restrict Our use of your personal data. In particular, we aim to give you strong controls on Our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in Our emails and at the point of providing your details).
11.2 You may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service (“the TPS”), the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (“the CTPS”), and the Mailing Preference Service (“the MPS”). These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receiving.

12. Can I Withhold Information?
You may access Our Site without providing any personal data at all.
You may restrict Our use of Cookies. For more information, see Part 14.

13. How Can I Access My Personal Data?
If you want to know what personal data we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request”.
All subject access requests should be made in writing and sent to the email or postal addresses shown in Part 15.
There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover Our administrative costs in responding.
We will respond to your subject access request one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of Our progress.

14. How Do You Use Cookies?
Our Site may place and access certain first-party Cookies on your computer or device. First-party Cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve Our services. We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and respected at all times.
All Cookies used by and on Our Site are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.
Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of Our Site may not function fully or as intended.
Certain features of Our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. These Cookies are shown in the table below. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings, but please be aware that Our Site may not work properly if you do so. We OR have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.
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The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) Cookies to gather the required information. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst Our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of Our Site, it does enable us to continually improve Our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.
In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all Cookies or only third-party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies, but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.
You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.
It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.

15. How Do I Contact You?
To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following details (for the attention of Sammie):
Email address: hello@unicornstabs.com

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change Our business in a way that affects personal data protection.
Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.