Tattoo Prices Bangkok

By the BKK INK Team · Bangkok, since 2009 · Updated September 2026

We charge by time, not by piece. Every session starts with 1,000 THB for materials and hygiene: single-use needles, cartridges, gloves, barriers and the vegan inks we work with. The tattooing itself is 3,000 THB per hour, billed in 10-minute steps of 500 THB, so a mini tattoo that takes two minutes stays at 1,000 THB and a piece that takes ninety minutes costs 5,500 THB.

Before anything is inked, your artist estimates the time and we agree on a maximum price. If the work runs longer than planned, the cap protects you. We moved to this model because per-piece pricing made small tattoos too expensive for clients and left our artists underpaid on large projects that stretched over extra days. The full reasoning is in our article on time-based pricing.

These ranges cover most of what we tattoo. They assume a prepared design and standard placement. Your exact cap is confirmed at the free consultation.

Large projects are booked as several sessions of four to six hours, with at least two weeks between sittings for the skin to heal. A full sleeve or back piece typically spans four to ten sessions over a few months.

Fine work that takes minutes rather than hours starts low. Dense, detailed work that needs a full first hour starts at the price of that hour.

From 1,000 THB: Sak Yant (a five-line Hah Taew is 2,500 THB), Fine Line, Small tattoos and Lettering (a short fine-line script on the wrist is around 1,500 THB).

From 4,000 THB: Realistic, Portrait, Japanese, Neo-Thai, Neo-Traditional, New School, Old School and Blackwork.

Because we bill by time, the price follows the hours, and five things drive the hours.

• Size. A palm-sized piece and a half-sleeve are different days of work, not different percentages.
• Detail density. A photorealistic portrait with skin texture takes far longer than a bold outline of the same size.
• Colour. Saturated colour packing adds passes and time compared with black and grey.
• Placement. Ribs, hands, feet and necks are slower to work and need more breaks.
• Sessions. Anything above a few hours is split into sittings, each with its own material fee.

None of these change the hourly rate. They change the estimate, which is why we look at your reference and your body placement before we quote a cap.

The price of a piece of art has always varied, the way the price of a phone or a car varies with what is inside it, and tattooing is no exception. In Thailand you can find tattoos that are very cheap and tattoos that are very expensive, sometimes on the same street. We sit in neither camp. We believe our price is a fair one for what you receive, and we would rather explain it than hide it.

The artists. Our twelve specialists have brought home 57 international convention awards, including the only 1st prize a Thai studio has ever won at the Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, 1st prizes at the Singapore Ink Show and Best of Show at the Artistic Ink Festival two years running, in 2025 and 2026. That level of skill is billed at 3,000 THB per hour, whichever artist you book.

The materials. Single-use needles and cartridges, modern rotary machines, and vegan inks from Eternal Ink and Dynamic Color. The 1,000 THB material fee covers exactly this.

The standard. When we applied for an operating licence in 2009, the authorities told us no such licence existed for tattoo studios: the trade was registered under other activities. It took several weeks of discussion before one was issued. As far as we know, it was the first ever granted to a tattoo studio in Thailand. In the months that followed, tattooists from other provinces began calling to ask how we had done it. Our artists hold the hygiene and sanitation certifications required to tattoo at European conventions.

The service. A free consultation, a team that speaks English, French and Thai, aftercare soap included with every tattoo, a second-skin protective film applied whenever the placement allows, and free touch-ups for two years. The studio is open every day from 12 PM to 11 PM, right at the end of Khaosan Road.

• A free consultation and an original design, prepared in advance or drawn freehand on skin
• Single-use needles and cartridges, vegan Eternal and Dynamic inks
• Hygiene and sanitation standards certified for European conventions
• Aftercare soap to take home, and a second-skin film when the placement allows it
• Free touch-ups for two years, except on hands and feet, where skin naturally rejects more ink
• Consultation and aftercare in English, French or Thai

A deposit secures your date and counts toward the final price. It starts at 1,000 THB for small pieces and goes up to 3,000 THB per planned day for large multi-session projects. We accept cash in Thai baht, Wise, Revolut and PromptPay QR. There is no card terminal in the studio, so plan your payment method before your session.

A mini tattoo starts at 1,000 THB. Most small pieces land between 2,500 and 7,000 THB, a medium A5 piece between 8,000 and 15,000 THB, and a half-sleeve between 25,000 and 50,000 THB. Every price is 1,000 THB of materials plus 3,000 THB per hour, with a maximum agreed before we start.

Per hour, in 10-minute steps, with a price cap agreed in advance. You get the fairness of time-based billing and the certainty of a maximum. If the artist finishes faster than estimated, you pay less.

Yes. All twelve artists, including our founder Ball BKK, work at 3,000 THB per hour. You choose your artist for their style, not for their price tag.

From 1,000 THB for small pieces up to 3,000 THB per planned day for large projects. The deposit is deducted from your final price.

No, there is no card terminal. We accept cash in Thai baht, Wise, Revolut and PromptPay QR, which most Thai banking apps and many travel apps support.

Yes, for two years after your session, except on hands and feet. Skin in those areas sheds and rejects ink faster, so touch-ups there are quoted separately. This is a property of the skin, not of the work.

Price usually follows time and materials. Faster work, older or reused equipment and fewer safety steps cost less to deliver. We do not price against other shops. We price the standard we have kept since 2009, and we put the full breakdown on this page so you can compare it yourself.