Your Guide to Tattoo and Piercing Insurance

As a tattoo artist, you spend your time dreaming up beautiful designs to make your clients happy. You create art and then take that extra step of commemorating it on your client’s skin. Each time you tattoo someone, you’re celebrating a milestone or a memory with them.

Tattoo and piercing insurance deal with those unexpected situations that you wouldn’t expect in normal circumstances. You could have a claim from a client that has an allergic reaction to the pigment or the substances you use to prepare the skin. The insurance policy would also deal with an accidental injury during the tattoo application if there’s a malfunction in the equipment.

You may be dealing with picky clients who are not satisfied with their tattoos. You could fight such a claim, but it would be very costly.

Piercing artists have the same issues as tattoo artists. You could be dealing with picky clients that are not happy with your work. They can bring a lawsuit against you if they choose. 

There is a greater chance of infections and complications with piercings, including viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. Clients may be sensitive to the body jewelry, which can lead to swelling and scarring. In severe cases, blood may collect or clot in the tissue because of the piercing.

In many cases, tattoo studios invite renowned guest tattoo and piercing artists to their studio to work for a week or two. These can act as a draw for clients who want to get a tattoo or piercing with these specialists.

Guest artists run into the same problems as regular tattoo or piercing artists. You want to make sure that your tattoo and piercing insurance policy covers temporary guest artists.

As a guest artist, you can get a separate insurance policy so that you know you’re protected. You don’t want to rely on third-party insurance because you don’t know what activities and what amounts are covered.

General liability insurance will protect your studio from third-party claims as a result of negligence. You will also be protected from accidental injury on your premises, like slip and falls, or injury caused by malfunctions. Remember that employee injuries are generally not covered under general liability insurance but under separate workers' compensation insurance.

Cyber liability is becoming more important these days with increased cybercrimes. 78% of Canadian businesses experienced at least one cyber-attack within 12 months. Cyber liability protects your data from hacks, ransomware, and other cyber risks. It covers the costs of notifying customers about the breach, legal fees, and fines.

Commercial property insurance covers any property that’s lost or damaged in a fire, water damage, theft, or vandalism. In these unexpected events, you want to make sure that your property is protected. This includes your equipment like tattoo guns, ink, and body jewelry. Your office furniture will also be covered.

Make sure you read the fine print to understand what events you’re covered in. For example, earthquakes are generally not covered under a basic policy and need to be added on separately.

You have spent time and effort building up your business from scratch. Like any business, it can be subject to theft and other crimes. Crime insurance covers situations where your employee is embezzling or stealing from you. It also covers the theft of your equipment.

Your equipment is the most important part of your business. You can’t run your business without any equipment. You want to make sure that you are protected in case your equipment breaks down. Depending on your coverage, you can get the cost of repairing your equipment back.

In some policies, the insurer will replace your equipment with the same or similar product. There will be restrictions on how many times your equipment will be replaced in a year. Keep in mind that normal wear and tear are generally not covered under these policies.

As a tattoo or piercing artist, you are taking charge of making a permanent impact on someone’s body. Sometimes errors can happen. These simple errors can end up costing you a lot of time and money.

With professional liability insurance, you can be covered for malpractice and negligence claims. You’ll be protected if you are accused of injuring a client, making errors, or not completing the work as per client instructions.

Incorrect or misspelled tattoos can leave you with angry customers who will sue. Professional liability insurance will cover the cost of legal fees and settlements.

Piercing minors can be a higher risk. There is specific coverage you can get to protect yourself from lawsuits when piercing minors. You can get limited coverage if your work is limited to piercing ears, nose, and navel for minors. On the other hand, you can get extended coverage for eyebrows and tongue as well.

Similar risks apply if you’re tattooing minors. If you make a mistake or cause injury to minors while tattooing them, you will have to deal with higher damages claims. In this case, insurance that covers the tattooing of minors can protect you and your business.

If your business includes tattoo removal, then you should consider tattoo removal insurance. Clients can get injured or scarred during the tattoo removal process. There's a risk of bleeding, infection, and scarring.

Some clients can be extra sensitive or have an allergic reaction. You want to make sure you’re protected in these cases.

Many people enjoy the ease of getting permanent makeup like a tint on their lips, permanent eyeliner or eyebrows. Any damage or injuries to the face can deeply impact your client’s life. They will sue you for much higher damages. Permanent makeup cosmetics insurance will protect you in these unexpected situations.

Another common type of coverage for tattoo and piercing artists is for communicable and infectious diseases. If your clients contract a blood-borne illness or communicable disease because of their tattoo or piercing, they can sue you for medical costs. Defending yourself against these claims can be expensive and time-consuming.

You can save money on tattoo and piercing insurance by shopping around. By comparing the rates offered by different companies, you can pick the premium that’s best for you.

You can also consider how much coverage you would like. Most companies offer tattoo and piercing coverage from $100,000 to $2 million. Choosing the right amount of coverage for your needs can reduce your premiums.

Increasing your deductibles can also reduce your premiums. These are amounts you have to pay out of pocket, so consider your options carefully. 

Another way to save money is to make sure you're only getting coverage for the services you need, rather than all of the optional coverage.