8 out of ten

It will test you · #12 of 25

Sternum tattoo pain

Almost nothing sits between the needle and your breastbone. The ache builds slowly, then parks there for the rest of the session.

Pain score 8 / 10
Sensation Deep bone ache
Sitting time 1–2 hrs
Heals in 2–3 weeks
Artist

Split anything bigger than a palm across two sittings. Chest centres punish endurance more than nerves.

How it compares

One step worse Throat 9 One step easier Inner bicep 7

Also a 8: forehead , hip bone , elbow ditch , hand & knuckles , shin , ankle . If you have sat through one of those, this will land in the same territory.

If that is more than you want: the calmest placements on the body are outer thigh (2) , outer forearm (3) and shoulder blade (4) . Same artist, same design, a fraction of the sit.

See all 25 placements on the chart

Estimates, not advice. Every figure on this page is computed from published reference values and standard measures, so your own inputs, equipment and conditions will move it. Nothing here is professional advice — talk to a qualified professional before acting on it.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How painful is a sternum tattoo?

Sternum scores 8 out of 10 — it will test you — which ranks it 12 out of 25 placements counting from the worst down. It sits level with forehead, hip bone, elbow ditch, hand & knuckles, shin, ankle. Scores are a relative scale drawn from people who have sat through them, not a clinical measurement.

Is a sternum tattoo a good first tattoo?

Probably not. At 8 out of 10 this is among the hardest places on the body to sit for, and going in with no idea how you handle a machine is a rough way to find out. Most artists will steer a first-timer somewhere calmer.

How long does a sternum tattoo take to heal?

Expect roughly 2–3 weeks for the surface to settle, with the deeper skin taking longer. Healing time is not the same as pain — some of the calmest placements on the body are the slowest to heal, and plenty of the worst sits close up quickly.

Does a sternum tattoo hurt more than a throat tattoo?

No. Throat scores 9 against Sternum's 8, so it is the harder sit of the two. Both are individual though — your tolerance, the artist, and how big and detailed the piece is move the number more than the placement on its own.