Why I Give a Lifetime Warranty on Every Tattoo

A lifetime warranty on a tattoo isn’t common, but for me it became one of the most natural parts of my work. As an illustrative tattoo artist in Brooklyn, my designs live on people for decades, and I want every single one to age beautifully. Here is why I offer free touch-ups for life—and why it matters so much to me.

Maybe it's the social anxiety, but it is TRULY important to me that my past clients will still love me after a few years. One of my worst nightmares would be to imagine someone pointing at their tattoo and saying “yes, this one I got from Shani and I can't wait to remove it.”

Each tattoo is a walking commercial for future work—another selfish reason, I know. But that's the truth. Today, with how fast the marketing world changes, word of mouth has returned to being my main source of leads. I’m really happy and proud that over the years I gave every client an extra level of care, but surely a fine, high-quality healed piece is the most important part.

As a tattoo recipient myself, having some tattoos that could have gotten a “free touch-up” for (since all my tattoos were done by friends), I know that even if I see something that could potentially get fixed—I’m so lazy to go through another session, and another healing process, and find the time and energy and so on. If someone bothers to go through all this—they deserve it!

It’s a great opportunity to learn. Seeing healed tattoos is one of the best ways to understand how different strokes and methods heal. Many techniques act very differently when fresh versus healed, and it’s impossible to learn how your tattoos age without seeing them, of course.

As I love so many of my clients, a touch-up session is usually mostly a reunion meet-up, to see how they’ve been. We're catching up, taking some photos, and hanging a bit. And let's be honest—many times it will just scratch the client's desire to get a new piece.

At the end of the day, the lifetime warranty is my way of staying connected to the work and to the people who carry it. It keeps the tattoos strong, keeps me learning, and keeps the relationship alive long after the appointment is over. Tell me if you think otherwise.

Oh, also!: out of hundreds of clients that got the "lifetime warranty" by me - I think less than 10 people came to get a touch up.

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