Best Tattoo Placements Guide

Location is everything. You could have a really great-looking tattoo, one with great lines and color, and still be unhappy with it because it was in the wrong spot. A good placement conforms with your anatomy, ages well, and doesn't show at the office. A bad placement stretches and warps the design, hurts like crazy, and is impossible to keep a secret.

This guide breaks down every major body placement. You'll find information on pain, style recommendation, size, healing time, and concealment. Whether you're getting your first piece or are curious about how your sleeve flows into your chest, understanding placement here can keep you from paying the price of a bad decision later.

Upper Body Placements: Arms, Shoulders & Chest

The upper arm is popular for tattoos around the world. It is a flat area with the deltoid and the outside of the bicep, and the pain usually rates a 3-4, which isn't a big deal when getting tattoos. A small minimalist symbol, a large neo-traditional eagle, or an intricate geometric half-sleeve would all look great here. The roundness of the shoulder adds more depth to a circular design, like a mandala or a compass.

The bicep is different. More nerve endings. Slightly thinner skin, close to the lymph nodes. Slightly more sensitive. But it's easy to hide. It's private. Some people prefer that sort of arrangement.

Chest tattoos range from small, detailed pieces on the sternum in fine line or ornamental style to large full chest pieces covering both pecs. The level of pain will differ depending on where you are getting tattooed on the chest. If you’re getting tattooed on the side of the pec, you can expect some pain, maybe around 4 to 5/10. Moving closer to the sternum or clavicle, the pain can spike to between 7 to 9/10 as the skin thins and grinds over the rib bone beneath. Because of its flat, broad canvas, the chest provides an excellent surface for symmetrical tattoo designs, script or large illustrative pieces. However, if the person has breast tissue, expect a bit of stretch or sagging depending on age and weight gain, so talk to your artist about strategic placement.

Lower Body Placements: Legs, Thighs & Feet

That said, there's something special about the thigh that's very, very underrated. It's one of those places where the skin is as flat as it gets on the entire body. There's a lot of room. So you can do any kind of style; you can do realism and get crazy with it, do a huge Japanese piece, or anything that requires more of a flat surface. The pain on the outer thigh is a two, three or four. That's a nice spot. You can cover it at work and there's no one that sees it. You can get portraits done there. The surface of the skin is so flat that the artist is going to be able to include any level of detail. They have to; otherwise it doesn't fit.

Inner thigh is much more sensitive and also a spot that will likely get looser down the road; designs on the thigh will probably need to be altered in order to account for the possible stretching. This goes especially for geometric designs.

Calf tattoos strike a perfect balance, typically rated as moderately uncomfortable (3-5/10), while the ample muscle cushioning protects against sharp pinching. Furthermore, the skin quality is generally excellent, allowing for vibrant color saturation that ages well, particularly on lower calf designs like snakes or daggers. Calf wraparounds also follow the calf's natural curvature effortlessly, making it a great location for designs such as flowers or geometric shapes. In contrast, ankle and foot tattoos are currently surging in popularity, particularly within the fine line and minimalist aesthetic spheres, yet several significant downsides merit consideration. Pain is often intense, rated at 6-8/10 due to the proximity of bony prominences and nerve clusters. The healing period is notably more challenging because the area is constantly in motion and confined within footwear for prolonged periods daily. Finally, ink retention can be unpredictable, especially on the top of the foot, often necessitating touch-ups every 2-3 years or even sooner. Therefore, if you're considering an ankle or foot tattoo, I'd recommend opting for a thicker line work design, as intricate, small, or fine-line details may not last long in these areas.

Torso Placements: Back, Ribs & Stomach

For me, the back is where the magic happens. It is by far the best part of the body to tattoo. A full tattoo covering the back will take 30 or even 60+ hours or more to complete, and is definitely an undertaking. It is the kind of tattoo that most experienced ink enthusiasts seek out, or at the very least try to obtain. Pain: Moderately high 4-5/10 in the upper back/shoulder blade area; high 7-8/10 along the spine (all those nerves). Common tattoos: Upper back panels, designs down the spine, full back Japanese traditional, ornamental back pieces between the shoulder blades. The flat surface provides ample space for any designs to really expand in a way that no other spot could.

So, the question I'm asked the most is, "Can I get them tattooed on my rib?" Short answer is, yes, but I'm giving you 7 to 9/10. Thin skin on bone and every single breath you take, it's like stretching the canvas, and the needle is working its magic. Tough for me to work, tough for you to get it. The pieces are popular, though, and I'm talking vertical writing, florals, all of that fine line is gorgeous on the ribs. Shorter appointments are best, say two to three hours. And expect them to take longer to heal because, again, every time you breathe you're moving the canvas!

A stomach tattoo is like every other tattoo in terms of the pain you will feel, except that there are two major drawbacks for you: the skin on this area is extremely prone to stretching due to things such as weight gain and pregnancy; if you get a geometric tattoo with fine lines in this area, it can be distorted by those skin stretching.

High-Visibility Placements: Hands, Neck & Face

These places, as the industry knows them, are "jobstoppers." That label is slowly passing, but many artists still won't touch your hand, neck, or face unless you're fully covered (and for good reason, aside from your social status). They will wear off really fast! They are high exposure, have fast cell turnover and can sometimes make it harder for an artist to tattoo. Especially fingers; you will get your hand done and need to touch-up after 1-2 years when it fades (it can also break apart as you use your hands).

The behind the ear is often considered a good starting spot for those who want a tattoo you can see and show, but that can be covered with hair. They are small and moderately painful (5 to 6 out of 10). Side of the neck and back-of-neck tattoos have gained popularity in terms of styles (fine line and lettering), but again they can be covered. However, tattoos on the front of the neck and the throat are both one of the most painful placements, as well as one of the most visible, so this one's only for the serious and dedicated tattoo lovers.

Before you get a face tattoo, consult with several different artists. Think about it for six months, not six weeks. Six months.

Choosing the Right Placement for Your Design

Begin with the design, not the placement. A horizontal scene, like a landscape, is a good fit for areas of width such as the forearm and upper back. A vertical design, such as a sword or snake, works well with the length of your spine, calf, or forearm. Mandalas or other circular works look best over curves like the shoulder or kneecap. Since an artist has watched thousands of designs land differently, let them offer up their spatial knowledge during the consultation.

Think long-term before settling on any given spot. Ask yourself where you envision the tattoo in five years. A forearm tattoo should complement your future aspirations of perhaps having a half-sleeve. The placement on a thigh should be able to grow into a full-leg sleeve as you desire. Good artists are more than capable of helping you think ahead and choose tattoo positions in relation to your long-term goal, so you end up with a cohesive collection rather than a scattering of individual, disjointed tattoos. It’s worth taking your life and lifestyle into account as well, as athletes or those who do labor-intensive work should consider how physical movement or abrasion would affect certain parts of the body, and the more conservative in their profession would be well-advised to take into consideration where a tattoo may (or may not) show in their work attire.