Tattoo Prices Zürich — Honest Price Table by Size and Placement

The second most common question in our studio — right after “Does it hurt?” — is: what will my tattoo cost? And as soon as the answer comes, the face that follows is usually somewhere between surprised and doing mental arithmetic. Why is a mini tattoo in Zürich never under CHF 150? Why does a hand-sized piece cost more than a good winter jacket?

This guide answers both. Transparent, no marketing, no hidden extras. By the end you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for — and why cheap tattoos are actually the most expensive option.

The honest price table — Zürich 2026

All prices include design, the session itself, Second Skin bandage and your first touch-up within 6 months. VAT included.

Mini tattoos (up to 5 cm)

• Single-line or very fine fine line: from CHF 150
• Lettering (short word, 1 to 4 letters): from CHF 150
• Mini with light shading: CHF 180 to 220
• Mini in a sensitive area (finger, hand, neck): CHF 180 to 250

Small tattoos (5 to 10 cm)

• Fine line flowers, symbols, silhouettes: CHF 250 to 400
• Longer lettering (a quote, one line): CHF 280 to 400
• Small figurative piece (animal, object): CHF 300 to 450

Medium tattoos (10 to 20 cm)

• Fine line botanical on the forearm: CHF 450 to 700
• Ornamental piece on the upper arm: CHF 500 to 800
• Lettering panel (poem, multiple lines): CHF 500 to 750

Large tattoos (over 20 cm)

• Large composition (back, thigh, full arm): from CHF 800 upward, typically CHF 900 to 1,600 for one session
• Detailed pet portrait (Jon): CHF 600 to 1,200, depending on size and shading depth

Piece price, not hourly rate. Which means: if the session runs two hours longer, you don’t pay more. The reverse also applies — if we finish faster, nothing comes back. We price the piece, not the time.

Price factors — what makes your tattoo more or less expensive

Three things determine the final price, and they’re not the ones most people expect.

1. Size — but not the way you’d think

Size is the biggest factor, but not linear. A 10 cm piece doesn’t cost twice as much as a 5 cm piece — more like one and a half times. Setup, preparation and design have a fixed share that spreads across more surface.

2. Detail density

A fine line botanical arm with very delicate leaves and shading takes significantly more time than the same surface with a simple piece of lettering. Two pieces of the same size can differ by CHF 200 to 400 in price.

3. Body area

Certain areas demand more concentration and are technically harder. Fingers, neck, ribs, inner thigh — these zones carry a small surcharge because the skin moves more and the technique is trickier.

What does not affect the price:

• Colour vs. black-and-grey (both priced the same)
• Whether it’s your first or your tenth tattoo
• Whether you’re a student, tourist or executive
• The time of day or day of the week

Why the minimum is CHF 150

“I just want a tiny star on my ankle, practically nothing, should cost CHF 50.” We hear this sentence often. The honest answer: the star takes ten minutes to tattoo, but everything around it takes two hours and is the same every single time.

What every tattoo in the studio costs — before the first line touches your skin:

• Design time (between 30 minutes and 2 hours beforehand)
• Consultation and fine-tuning
• Sterile station setup (15 to 20 minutes)
• High-quality single-use needles and tubes (CHF 15 to 30 material cost per session)
• Medical gloves, cleaning and disinfection products
• Second Skin bandage (CHF 8 to 15 per piece)
• Studio space and operating costs in Zürich
• Insurance, liability, regulatory compliance

Add to that the invisible work: bookkeeping, answering messages, aftercare support, taxes. That’s not a price inflator — it’s simply the reality of running a serious studio in a city like Zürich.

A tattoo for CHF 50 is mathematically impossible if the studio works legally, pays the artist fairly and meets hygiene standards.

What you actually pay for — beyond the ink

Ink costs a few cents per drop at wholesale. What you pay for is never the ink. You pay for:

Years of training. Aroa, our founder, has been a fine line specialist for over a decade. Every straight line on your skin is the product of tens of thousands of hours of practice. Jon, our pet portrait artist, works in a style very few people worldwide can execute cleanly.

Medical safety. Switzerland has strict hygiene regulations for tattoo studios — autoclave sterilisation, certified disposable materials, regular inspections. All of it costs. All of it protects you.

Liability insurance. Should something go wrong — an allergic reaction, an unexpected healing complication — our professional insurance has you covered. An informal studio without insurance is a personal financial risk for you.

Exclusive design. We don’t work with flash from Pinterest or AI-generated motifs. Every piece is drawn for you, after our consultation, with iterations until it’s right. The piece belongs to you — no one else wears it.

Post-session time. Touch-up, healing questions, WhatsApp support — all of that is already included in your price. If you’re unsure two weeks later whether a spot looks normal: we reply, no extra invoice.

The cheap-tattoo paradox

A CHF 80 tattoo looks thrifty at first glance. The real total cost of a badly done tattoo regularly runs into four figures.

• Cover-up with us (if even possible): CHF 300 to 800 depending on size
• Laser removal (if cover isn’t feasible): CHF 80 to 200 per session, 6 to 12 sessions required — so CHF 500 to 2,400
• Time: between laser treatment and the new tattoo you wait 6 to 12 months

A properly priced tattoo from the start isn’t the expensive option, it’s the economical one. Economical in the sense that you pay once and the piece stays with you for life.

More about what a mini tattoo in our Zürich studio concretely costs and how it works. Concrete examples from the studio there.

Payment plans, vouchers, reality

We don’t offer payment plans. We don’t run special deals or discounts either. That’s a deliberate choice: the price of a tattoo is calculated, not negotiable. Discounts would suggest the original price is artificially inflated — that would be disrespectful to you and to the work.

What we do offer:

• Transparent price quote on WhatsApp before the appointment
• Deposit (CHF 100) at booking, balance on the day
• Cash, Twint or bank transfer — all three options fine
• Vouchers for friends and family, in any amount from CHF 150 up

Price estimate for your project

If you want a realistic ballpark, send us a short WhatsApp message with:

• Rough idea / style (fine line, lettering, mini, pet portrait)
• Approximate size in cm
• Body area
• One or two reference images (if you have them)

Within a few hours you’ll get a price range. Not a binding invoice — that needs the finalised design — but an honest range that we stick to.

Which style fits your budget

If you have a fixed budget in mind, choosing the style helps more than choosing the size.

• CHF 150–250: Mini fine line, short lettering tattoo, single-line silhouette
• CHF 250–450: Hand-sized botanical, quote lettering, fine line tattoo on the wrist
• CHF 450–800: Forearm composition, upper arm fine line, smaller pet portrait by Jon
• CHF 800+: Large composition, full arm, back, detailed pet portrait

Our consistent recommendation: a smaller perfect piece beats a larger budget-reduced one every time. Fine line work lives on precision, and precision needs time — time you pay for with a fair price.

Fair, not cheap

A tattoo isn’t a product you carry home. It’s a decision your body carries for the rest of your life. In Zürich you pay for craft, safety and design — and you pay once.

If you have a concrete idea and want to know where your project lands price-wise, message us on WhatsApp at +41 77 212 07 67 or on Instagram @sinkply.zurich. We usually reply within an hour and are honest, even when a project isn’t the right fit for our studio.