In this article, we’ll take a look at the client side of tattoo chairs. These are the chairs the person receiving the tattoo sits in, as opposed to the chair the tattoo artist sits in while performing their craft.

There are many different types of tattoo chairs out there on the market, from the all purpose tattoo chair that could also double as a massage, barber, or stylist chair, to the flat tattoo chair that one lies on, to a sit up chair that you sit in to expose the back, shoulders, and arms for easy tattooing.

What are some of the nicer, nifty features offered in a good tattoo chair? Let’s take a look at some things artists appreciate in the tattoo chair for the clients.

1. Adjustable Head Support.
Like going to the dentist, massage therapist, or hair styling, if you’re sitting in a chair for awhile and need to have your head back, you need a good way to support for it. The answer is adjustable head support, so that no matter the height of the client, their head can comfortably rest. The truth is one size does NOT fit all when it comes to the tattoo chair, and having one with adjustable head support reflects this fact.

2. Stable, Rubber Footing and a Locking Mechanism for Safety.
These items all relate to making sure the tattoo chair doesn’t move. One can only imagine the nightmare it could be if a table continually shifted around in a wobbily fashion, or – far, far worse! – collapsed while a client was on it! Having a tattoo chair with rubber footing provides a way to make the overall chair more stable. The locking mechanism in this case refers to chairs that are collapsible or foldable. Having a lock to switch on and off in order for the foldable mechanisms to work is a great way to make sure the chair stays stable.

3. Collapsible or Foldable Parts.
A tattoo chair for the client is a decent sized piece of furniture. A good chair is also not a lightweight piece of junk! This means a tattoo chair with parts that either collapse, come apart, or fold up make it much easier to transport. Just be sure the parts are entirely secure when set up or else this benefit poses a risk (such as the chair falling apart, moving, or collapsing. See number two above!)

4. Tattoo Chair Padding That is Waterproof, Oil Resistant, and Sweat Resistant.
A chair that feels oily and sweaty is going to disgust someone getting a tattoo. Rightfully, no one wants to lie for hours getting a painful tattoo in a sticky chair, even if its their own sweat! This means you’ll want to look for a chair that advertises one its benefits as providing cushioning that is oil resistant and water resistant. One type of material that provides these qualities is PU Leather, and many chairs use it for just this reason.

Bonus: Many artists love having the ability to completely rotate and adjust the chair as necessary. Check out this article on hydraulic tattoo chairs for more information!

So far, all these articles we have written about on tattoo chairs are mostly written from the perspective of the client. By this I mean we’ve talked about making the chair adjustable and comfortable and so on for the benefit of the person receiving the tattoo. (Also, for the artist in the sense of being able to easily access the tattooed area.)

But what is the artist doing? Standing there bent over, tattoo machine in hand, giving a tattoo, being careful not to trip over the power supply cable?

I think not. They’ve got a chair of their own. In fact, when someone uses the term tattoo chair, this actually refers to two different types of tattoo chairs.

First, we’ve got the tattoo chair we’ve mostly addressed in our other articles – the one for the client. Usually a hydraulic tattoo chair but not always.

Secondly, we’ve got the tattoo chair for the artist. They’ve got to sit on something, too!

Not surprisingly, these tattoo furniture pieces are referred to as a tattoo client chair and a tattoo artist chair, respectively.

The chair the tattoo artist sits on resembles the types of chairs used by professional drummer and massage therapists. Typically this means an adjustable stool made. Usually it’s got a comfortable mesh black seat, silver metal body, and 4 black wheels. The chair may or may not have any backing to it. Often the artist will work slightly at an angle, and so a back is not used.

As mentioned, it’s adjustable, and this is an mandatory feature, otherwise it could be horribly uncomfortable for the artist over the years using a chair that’s not ergonomically correct. This means it’s adjustable not only in the sense of height adjustment, but is mobile (wheels) and the seat itself swivels, moving side to side as the tattoo artist shifts his or her body weight.

Of the two, the client tattoo chair is far more of an investment (i.e. costs more!) because of the more materials and features a quality tattoo client chair must have. This can be anywhere from a couple hundred dollars on up into a thousand or more dollars. On the other hand, the tattoo artist chair is considerably (and thankfully) cheaper, costing anywhere from $50 to $100 from most tattoo furniture supply or general furniture companies.