Tattoo & Piercing Intake Forms & Client Questionnaires

A client walking into your studio for a small script tattoo on their wrist and a client booking a full-sleeve session that will take thirty hours across six sittings both need to fill out paperwork before you pick up the machine. But the information you need from each is different in ways that a one-size-fits-all waiver does not capture. The script client needs a quick health screening and a consent form. The sleeve client needs a detailed design brief, a medical history deep enough to flag blood thinners and autoimmune conditions, a discussion of healing timelines between sessions, and documentation of the agreed-upon style, reference images, and placement that both of you have signed off on before any ink touches skin.

The Tattoo & Piercing intake form captures the clinical, creative, and legal information that protects both the artist and the client. It starts with the service type — tattoo (new work, cover-up, touch-up, rework) or piercing (earlobe, cartilage, septum, nostril, lip, tongue, navel, dermal, industrial, surface). For tattoos, it documents the design concept with fields for style (traditional American, Japanese, neo-traditional, fine line, black and grey realism, color realism, blackwork, dotwork, watercolor, geometric, tribal, lettering), reference images provided, size in inches, and exact body placement including orientation and whether the design wraps around a limb or crosses a joint.

Medical History That Affects Your Work

Tattooing and piercing are invasive procedures, and certain medical conditions directly affect the safety and outcome of the work. The form includes a thorough medical screening section covering blood-borne pathogens (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV), bleeding disorders (hemophilia, von Willebrand disease), medications that affect bleeding and healing (blood thinners including aspirin, warfarin, heparin, and newer DOACs like apixaban and rivarelbran; immunosuppressants; accutane/isotretinoin, which contraindicates tattooing for six months after discontinuation), diabetes (which impairs wound healing, particularly in extremities), autoimmune conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis), and cardiac conditions requiring antibiotic prophylaxis before piercing.

Skin conditions in the target area change whether and how you proceed. The form documents keloid history — because a client prone to keloid scarring needs to understand that both tattoos and piercings can trigger hypertrophic or keloidal tissue growth. It asks about eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis in or near the placement area, active skin infections, recent sunburn, moles or birthmarks in the tattoo zone, and any prior allergic reactions to adhesive bandages, latex gloves, nickel, or specific ink pigments (red pigment allergies are the most common and can cause reactions months after the tattoo heals).

Age Verification and Consent

Every state regulates the minimum age for tattooing and piercing, and the rules differ. Most states prohibit tattooing anyone under 18 regardless of parental consent. Piercing laws vary — some states allow minors with written parental consent, some require the parent to be physically present, and some restrict which piercings are permitted for minors. The form includes an age verification section with fields for government-issued photo ID type and number, date of birth, and a parental/guardian consent section for piercing clients under 18 where state law permits. This documentation is not just good practice — it is the record that keeps your studio license intact when the health department inspects.

Bloodborne Pathogen Disclosure and Aftercare

Health departments in most jurisdictions require tattoo and piercing studios to provide clients with written bloodborne pathogen information before the procedure. The form includes a standardized disclosure section covering the transmission risks of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV through skin penetration; the studio’s sterilization practices (autoclave use, spore testing frequency, single-use needle policy); and cross-contamination prevention protocols. It also includes a comprehensive aftercare consent section — not generic instructions, but a signed acknowledgment that the client received specific aftercare guidance for their procedure type. Tattoo aftercare (wash with unscented soap, apply thin layer of aftercare ointment, avoid direct sunlight, no submerging in water for two weeks) differs from piercing aftercare (saline soaks, no touching with unwashed hands, no rotating jewelry during healing, no swimming). The form documents which instructions were provided and that the client understood them.

Intake vs. Client Questionnaire

The intake form is your internal studio document. The artist or front desk fills it out during the consultation or walk-in check-in, recording the design specifications, placement confirmation, medical screening results, and ID verification. It includes fields for deposit amount, session scheduling, and artist assignment. The companion client questionnaire is what the client fills out — either on a tablet in the studio or as a PDF sent before their appointment. It covers their medical history, allergies, skin condition disclosures, and design preferences in client-friendly language. It includes signature blocks for informed consent, bloodborne pathogen acknowledgment, aftercare receipt confirmation, and photo release authorization.

Pricing

Each form is $12.99 for the complete set (intake + questionnaire), $9.99 for intake only, or $6.99 for questionnaire only. All PDFs are fillable in Adobe Reader and password-protected against editing.

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