7 out of ten

Bring a friend · #14 of 25

Nape of neck tattoo pain

The buzz travels straight down your spine, and the machine sitting that close to your ear does half the damage.

Pain score 7 / 10
Sensation Spine buzz
Sitting time 45–90 min
Heals in 2 weeks
Artist

Tie your hair up and bring headphones. Much of this one is auditory.

How it compares

One step worse Sternum 8 One step easier Stomach 6

Also a 7: inner bicep . If you have sat through one of those, this will land in the same territory.

See all 25 placements on the chart

Estimates, not advice. Every figure on this page is computed from published reference values and standard measures, so your own inputs, equipment and conditions will move it. Nothing here is professional advice — talk to a qualified professional before acting on it.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How painful is a nape of neck tattoo?

Nape of neck scores 7 out of 10 — bring a friend — which ranks it 14 out of 25 placements counting from the worst down. It sits level with inner bicep. Scores are a relative scale drawn from people who have sat through them, not a clinical measurement.

Is a nape of neck tattoo a good first tattoo?

It can be. At 7 out of 10 it is a real sit but a manageable one, so it comes down to the size of the design. Keep a first piece here small and you will be fine; a full session is a lot to take on cold.

How long does a nape of neck tattoo take to heal?

Expect roughly 2 weeks for the surface to settle, with the deeper skin taking longer. Healing time is not the same as pain — some of the calmest placements on the body are the slowest to heal, and plenty of the worst sits close up quickly.

Does a nape of neck tattoo hurt more than a sternum tattoo?

No. Sternum scores 8 against Nape of neck's 7, so it is the harder sit of the two. Both are individual though — your tolerance, the artist, and how big and detailed the piece is move the number more than the placement on its own.