Kiyoharu Tattooer
Booking Information
This page explains how booking works, how sessions are structured, what to expect with pricing, and how larger projects are approached. It is here to make everything as clear and smooth as possible before we get started.
Quick Overview
Key Things to Know
If you only want the main points before reading the rest, these are the most important things to know.
- Large scale tattoos: usually require multiple sessions (see guide below)
- Booking fee: £200 per day secures each appointment
- Designs: not sent beforehand and usually prepared the night before or on the day
- Session times: normally begin around 11:00 and run until roughly 19:30+
- Age requirement: clients must be 18 or older on the day of the appointment
- Replies: response times can vary as Chris manages enquiries personally
Before Booking
Things to Know Before Booking
Large pieces need continuity
Larger projects should ideally be continued within a reasonable timeframe. If too much time passes between sessions, the project may need adjusting so everything still fits the body properly.
The design is made for your body
Each tattoo is designed specifically for your anatomy, flow, and proportions. The goal is not to rush through the process, but to build a piece that heals well and compliments your body’s flow.
Sessions are planned around healing
You can book single days or multiple consecutive days, depending on what works best for you. If there is a break between sessions, there needs to be a minimum of 2 weeks to allow the skin to heal properly. Going back over the area too soon can damage the skin and affect how the tattoo heals. In most cases, 2 days in a row is ideal, as it gets a larger section finished in one go and means only one healing period instead of splitting it into separate stages.
Trust the process
Chris will always guide the design toward something that fits your body well, stands out, and will still look strong years down the line. If something doesn’t feel right or wouldn’t age well, it will always be discussed and adjusted first. The goal is to create a tattoo that both sides are genuinely happy with.
Pricing
Pricing and Rough Time Estimates
Pricing depends on placement, complexity, and how the project is approached, but the general structure is below.
Per hour
Usually used for shorter sessions or placement mapping
Best for larger ongoing work
Amount varied per body part, but its best for ease and peace of mind
For larger projects some clients prefer to settle a set price per body part rather than paying session by session. This can make the process simpler, easier to allocate dates and gives a clearer overall total from the start.
Some clients also prefer to pay in full rather than dealing with payments across multiple sessions. There is no discount attached to this, but it can make the process simpler and easier to manage.
Chris normally works at £1000 per full day session. The guide below gives a rough idea of how many sessions larger pieces usually take.
Typical Time Estimates
Rough Session Guide
Every tattoo is different and the exact time will depend on the design, size, detail, placement, and how the skin takes the ink. Chris works in sessions not specific timings, These estimates are simply a rough guide.
- Full Arm Sleeve: approximately 4 to 5 full day sessions
- Full Leg Sleeve: approximately 5 to 7 full day sessions
- Back Piece: approximately 5 to 6 full day sessions
- Chest Piece: approximately 1 to 2 full day sessions
- Hand Tattoo: around half a day per hand
Large scale projects are usually completed over multiple sessions with healing time in between where needed.
Booking multiple sessions in advance
Chris usually books around four months ahead at a time. For larger projects, many clients choose to secure several dates in advance so the piece can move forward more consistently and avoid long gaps between sessions.
This is done by placing the booking fee for each date. Some clients book one session a month, some prefer two close together, and some space them every two to four weeks depending on healing.
If dates are being discussed beyond the current booking window, the exact appointment cannot always be guaranteed yet, but noting interest early makes it much easier to prioritise those future sessions as soon as new dates open.
Design Process
How Designing Works
Please make sure to send any important reference images, ideas, or written descriptions before the appointment so there is enough direction to work from.
Chris does not send designs beforehand. For larger projects, the design is usually prepared either the night before or finalised on the day so it can be adjusted properly around the body and discussed in person.
This approach allows room to gauge your reaction properly, make changes where needed, and make sure the final design feels right for both sides before tattooing begins.
Sending designs out in advance can often lead to them being shared around, over analysed by other people, or creating pressure to go ahead with something because of outside opinions rather than what you actually want.
At the end of the day, the tattoo is on your body forever. The most important thing is that the design feels right to you, not to anyone else.
Small changes and feedback are always welcome, but the overall structure, composition, and flow are guided by Chris so the final piece works as a complete tattoo rather than a collection of separate ideas.
Session Guide
How Sessions Usually Work
Larger pieces are built carefully over time. The first session usually focuses more on design, fit, and placement, while later sessions have more tattooing from the start.
First Session Explained
Your first session is mainly about setting the foundation of the tattoo properly. This is where the design is finalised, placed, adjusted, and mapped to your body so everything flows as naturally as possible.
Sometimes this needs to be done in person, as things can sit very differently on the body than they do in a photo.
Sessions usually begin around 11:00 and run until roughly 19:30 or later depending on the day.
- Design adjustments if needed
- Time to print and stencil the design
- Careful placement to suit your body shape and natural flow
- A lunch break
- Around 6 hours of tattooing, sometimes a little more depending on how the day flows
This first session creates the base of the whole tattoo to make sure it fits your idea and works with your body shape.
In some cases the design may subtly enhance musculature or guide the eye more naturally across the area.
The first session is about setting the tattoo up properly so everything flows with the body, its easier to change designs before than after we’ve started.
Second Session Onwards
From the second session onwards, tattooing usually becomes longer and more focused on building the piece itself.
Sessions usually begin around 11:00 and finish around 19:30.
- A lunch break
- Longer focused tattooing time
- Deeper layering, shading, and contrast work
- Building the shape, density, and structure of the piece
- Connecting the sessions together seamlessly
- Around 7 to 8 hours of tattooing depending on how the skin takes ink on the day
Because the stencil and overall layout are already established in the first session, later sessions are much more dedicated to building the tattoo itself.
If multiple days are booked together consecutively, it is often possible to work a little later on the first day as preparation for the following day is already done.
Large Scale Work
Back Pieces and Large Placements
For large placements such as full backs or full torsos, the first session is especially important.
That appointment is usually used to map the design properly so it sits correctly across the body and flows the way it is intended to. On larger areas like the back, even small changes in posture, weight, or muscle can affect how the design fits over time.
This initial mapping session is usually charged as a half day at £600.
A full day can also be booked if you would like to include the mapping and a portion of tattooing on the same day.
It is always best to keep early sessions reasonably close together where possible. If too much time passes between key mapping sessions, the original layout may need adjusting.
The goal is always to make sure the final piece looks natural on the body, not just good on paper.
Large placements need careful mapping first so the final design fits the body properly.
Final Passes
Touch Ups and Final Refinement
Once a full body part is completed and properly healed, Chris will assess how the tattoo has settled and can do a final pass if needed to refine the finished result.
During consecutive sessions, healing will also be assessed as the project goes along. In some cases small areas can be adjusted there and then, or noted for the final pass later if that makes more sense.
This does not mean a separate touch up session after every single appointment. That would not be practical or fair on other clients unless it is genuinely necessary and Chris decides it is needed.
The aim is always to make sure the whole body part heals and finishes as strongly as possible once the project is complete.
Full aftercare information can be found on the aftercare page of the website.
Booking Policy
Booking Fees, Moving Dates, Lateness, and No Shows
A £200 booking fee per day is required to secure an appointment.
This booking fee goes toward the final cost of the tattoo but is non refundable. Any transfer or refund of the booking fee is entirely at the artist’s discretion.
If you need to move your appointment, this is usually not a problem as long as enough notice is given. Ideally, at least 72 hours notice is needed, although the more notice you can give the better.
Moving an appointment once with proper notice is generally not an issue and will not normally require another booking fee.
Where it becomes more difficult is with multiple reschedules, particularly on larger projects booked across several days. When dates are repeatedly moved or cancelled it becomes much harder to fill those spaces, which can lead to lost work and lost time.
In those situations a new booking fee may be required to secure the replacement dates, or an additional £200 may be requested toward the final project cost if it becomes a recurring issue.
Lateness and no shows
If you are running late, please just let Chris know. Slightly later start times are usually manageable as long as there is communication.
If there is no message or update, Chris will usually wait around 30 minutes to 1 hour. After that, the appointment may be treated as a missed booking and the booking fee can be lost.
If you cannot make it, even a message the night before is always far better than not showing up and then trying to sort it afterwards.
Travel and companions
If you are travelling from far away or from abroad, just mention it in advance. Start times can usually be approached reasonably if needed.
You are welcome to bring someone with you, but because studio space can vary depending on the day, it is best to keep this to one guest, or two at most if agreed beforehand.
Genuine emergencies, medical situations, or unavoidable circumstances are always approached reasonably. The aim is simply to keep things fair for both sides and protect the time set aside for the project.
Session Timing
Extra Hours
Sessions normally run until around 19:30.
If both the client and the skin are still comfortable, extra time can sometimes be added after this at £150 per hour.
This depends on how the skin is holding up, energy levels, and how the tattoo is progressing. Some days the skin takes ink perfectly, while other days need more breaks.
Up to 4 additional hours may be possible if it makes sense for both the tattoo and the client. This is always at Chris’s discretion.
Factors that affect how long a tattoo takes
- Placement on the body
- Body shape and build
- Skin type
- Amount of breaks
- Level of detail in the design
- How the skin takes ink on the day
The goal is always to reach the best possible finish rather than rushing the work.
Official Contact
Contact and Safe Payment Information
For all booking enquiries, project discussions, or sending additional reference images, please use the official contact details below.
These are the only contact methods used for bookings. If you ever receive messages from any other email address, account, or payment details that do not match the ones listed here, please double check before sending anything.
Official booking email
hello@kiyoharutattooer.com
Non booking email
kiyoharu_tattooer@hotmail.com
Instagram
@kiyoharu_tattooer
Payment details will only ever be sent through a secure link from the official website, where the available payment options will be shown clearly. If anything looks different from that, please double check before sending payment.
Artist Profile
Meet the Artist
Chris Kiyoharu Hirakawa is a tattoo artist specialising in opaque black and grey realism.
His work focuses on contrast, anatomical flow, and creating designs that sit naturally on the body rather than simply placing images onto skin.
Every piece is created individually with the goal of producing tattoos that feel timeless, balanced, and personal to the client wearing them.
The process is careful, considered, and built around making sure the tattoo not only looks strong on the day, but also heals cleanly and holds up over time.