Deposits are preferred but we can't force you to make a deposit. If you don't put down a deposit and another customer is willing to, we will give you a chance to confirm your spot with a deposit or we will offer it to a client willing to confirm. Deposits are there to protect the artists from no-shows and last-minute cancellations. Deposits lets us know you are serious about getting tattooed. Failure to notify us within 24 hours (unless events are out of your control) or after more than 2 reschedules, this will result in the loss of your deposit and a new deposit is required to secure a new booking.

Here is a handy site that shows all available parking, not including street parking which is expensive if you are in for a large tattoo. Parkopedia

Yes we do walk-ins! This will depend on if an artist is available depending on the type of tattoo you are wanting.

Book directly through our website or socials. (Instagram or Facebook) Send us a message through our contacts page. DM us on our socials. Call us: +64 4 550 4452, during business hours. Email: bookings@taupoutatau.com Come in and see us in store for a free consult during open hours.

Yes you can. The one thing to remember when getting these styles is to insure the artist who is gifting you these patterns fully understands what they are giving you and are not just copying what they see off the internet. At Taupou Tatau our artist are Polynesian or Maori and live or study their craft everyday. Your artist will explain your tattoo to you. Please take note of what you are told on the day. Asking at a later date makes it very hard to explain as they do many tattoos and all are custom designed on the day. The story will be fresh in their minds on the day of your appointment. If you want to write it down that is completely fine so if you are asked what your tattoo means, you have the option to explain if you want to, but these desigs are for you, you don't have to explain why you wear it to anyone.

We use traditional Samoanb patterns but we don’t do traditional hand tapped tattoos ourselves, we do support a Tufuga (traditional Samoan hand tapped tattoos). His contact details are on the next question down. Please be patient with response time, he is a very busy man and will get back to your email asap.

If you are wanting traditional Samoa Tatau (Hand Tapped Tattoos) contact: Please let Su'a know that you were forwarded on to him by us. Tufuga: Su’a Sione Sialaoa Email: hbtatau@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/hbtatau87 For Ta Moko work reach out to: Depending on where you're based and how far you want to travel, both these artists are amazing Moko Artists. Let them know we recommended them so they know how you found them. Wiremu Barriball - Levin https://www.revolutionaotearoa.co.nz/pages/ta-moko-enquiry https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionAotearoaArt Daniel McGrath - Far North of Aotearoa https://www.facebook.com/mokokauri https://mokokauri.co.nz/tamoko

Yes, you will. We understand sometimes things happen that prevent people from turning up, but we are not mind readers. If something out of your control has happened on the day of your tattoo, phone us as soon as you can, and we will try and rebook you. If you need to cancel or move your appointment and give us more than 48 hours’ notice we will keep the deposit as shop credit for you. Failure to notify us within 24 hours or after more than 2 reschedules will result in the loss of your deposit and the need to pay a new one to secure a new booking.

We charge $200 hourly rate for our tattoos. In some case like for our Trad Flash pieces we can offer a flat rate which you will discuss with the artist. There are a lot of factors to consider while pricing a tattoo, size, detail, placement and most importantly how well you sit, these all determine the final cost of the tattoo, it is extremely hard to give an accurate quote due to these factors. For large scale Polynesian or Maori tattoos eg: full sleeves, multiple sessions will be required, these can be done back to back or spread out at least a week apart. Contact us for more information.

Yes we do! We currently offer Laybuy as a payment option. Please let us know when you book in if you would like to use Laybuy for full or partial payment for your tattoo. There is a surcharge for customers using Laybuy, to cover charges Taupou Tatau will incur as a result of offering Laybuy to our customers.

Yes we have Laybuy. There is a surcharge that is added when paying buy Laybuy which we will tell you before payment. Please make sure you verify your Laybuy account before your tattoo appointment. We don't have Afterpay, we did try to get an account with them and yes we know that there are some studios that have Afterpay but we sadly missed the bus on signing up before they changed there policy, Afterpay no longer cover tattoo studios.

Be on time for your appointment or if you are running late call us on 045504452 and let us now, if you are more than 30mins late we will look to fill your spot, all we need is to be updated, we understand that things arise that are out of your control. It's best if you've had a good night’s sleep and eaten something substantial before getting tattooed. The healthier you feel the better the experience will be. Do not shave the area that is getting tattooed in case of irritation which may affect your tattoo on the day. We will do that for you. If you want to wax, please do say a minimum of 3 days prior to your appointment.

Our age policy is over 18, if you are under 18 you will need parental consent your parent MUST be present with you in person, you will need to fill out a parental consent form and you will both need photo ID.

Absolutely, if you have a design, you already have designed yourself or for you then bring it in with you, if it is exactly what you want, we can make a stencil directly from your design if it is fit for tattooing or we can re draw it for you, so it is perfect. If it is a design of the internet by another artist, we recommend making changes to it so its is customised for you and not something that who know how many other people around the world has on their body.

Don’t panic, we specialise in custom tattoos. Come in for a free consultation or contact us with your ideas and our team will do our best to bring your idea to life. Our Polynesian designs will be custom designed for you directly on your skin on the day of your appointment so it flows with your unique shape, come in and have a chat with one of our artists, they will be able to draw your design for you, if you have reference pictures that is always good to help us know what you like and want your tattoo to look like but we also have lots of reference books we can look through together and get your idea out of your head onto paper and onto your skin.

Consultations are free of charge. You may pop in during our open hours without an appointment or book a consultation by telephone, in person, by email, on our online booking service or on any of our social media platforms, as we need to check the diary with you in real time, we are busy and quite often by the time emails have been replied to spaces have already gone. Consultations are free of charge and have no obligation.

Yes, you are more than welcome to bring support. We have a strong family vibe in store and want you to feel at home and comfortable. We don’t want to limit your numbers but keep in mind you artist will need space to work and each of our artists have a certain space to work in so please keep that in mind when you invite others to join you.

Our artists specialize in a variety of tattooing styles from Trad, Polynesia, Fine line, Lettering, and more we can adapt to most others styles also. You're welcome to send examples of the style you have in mind, we'll let you know if we can do it or recommend an artist to reach out to. Don’t be shy to enquire! We do try to stay away from Photo Realisum as its not a specialty of our team but depending on the level of Realisim we may be able to help you with your tattoo.

We are based in central Wellington City. You’ll find us on Level 1 of the James Smith Corner building. Head to the corner of Cuba and Manners St. Entrance to the building is between Platypus Shoes and Sterling Sports, when you’ve passed Rebel Sports take a sharp left up the stairs to the first level, turn right and listen for the music or laughter 😊

Available payment options instore: Cash Eftpos Laybuy Deposits are payable via internet banking or instore and your account will be credited and go towards the balance of your tattoo on your appointment date.

We aren’t going to sugar coat it, yes tattoos hurt, but pain is subjective. Everyone feels pain differently. Don’t listen to your friends about their experience cos how they feel pain in different areas, may be completely different to you. Yes, there are body parts that are can be more tender than others, but we can discuss that with you. At the end of the day, it’s not how tough you are that will get you through your tattoo, it’s your mental strength. Remember pain is weakness leaving your body! Plus, we pride ourselves in making your tattoo experience comfortable and memorable as possible and if all else fails, we have some super tasty candy on the house, to help take your mind off things.

Your artist will explain exactly how to look after your tattoo. If you do forget don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to reconfirm with you. The main thing to remember is that your tattoo is bascially an open wound, soap and water are your best friends. Keeping your tattoo clean will minimise risk of infection. When it comes to applying ointment or an aftercare cream, the key is not to saturate the surface of the skin, you want to apply a thin layer so your skin can still breathe, the ointment is just to rehydrate your skin so it doesn't get to dry from washing and reduce cracking when your tattoos starts to scab over, scabbing will depend on the tattoo you have gotten. Fineline tattoos heal much quicker and in some cases wont scab. Don’t submerge your tattoo under water while the skin is still healing so no swimming in the ocean or pools or baths (showers are best). No picking or scratching your tattoo and no direct sunlight while healing. To ensure your tattoo stays as fresh looking as possible please practice good sun blocking your tattoo as the sun can fade and age your tattoo faster.