What are sensory aware appointments?

Sensory concerns are different for every person, and each sensory aware appointment starts with communication around your individual sensory needs and concerns.
​Some things that a lot of neurodiverse and sensory sensitive people find distressing in tattoo shops are:
  • Busy-ness: the amount of people in the shop increases the amount of background noise. Extra conversations and extra tattoo machines add onto the already existent sensory of  the tattoo machine YOUR artist is using and any conversation you have with your artist.
  • Music: a lot of traditional tattoo shops play metal or rock music which may be calming to some people but could be overstimulating to others.
  • Touch: there's a lot of touching involved in a tattoo appointment, from disinfection to shaving, putting on the stencil to getting the actual tattoo. It can be very overwhelming.

So how do sensory aware appointments accommodate these needs?
  • Busy-ness: Madii's Sensory Aware Appointments happen on days when there are less artists in the shop and is a genuinely slow day for walk ins. 
  • Music: During Madii's Sensory Aware Appointments, music is collaborated on between Madii and the Client to find a genre or artist that is soothing to the client. Alternatively, headphones are available and are encouraged to bring your favourite pair from home. Ear plugs to limit sound are also available. 
  • Touch: While tattoos require a certain amount of touching, one can be aware of it and limit any excessive touches and be conscientious of how many times they touch the client when doing a stencil, disinfecting, wiping, etc. 

Other accommodations that can be requested:
  • Fidget toys- Madii has a selection of pre packaged fidget toys to choose from.
  • Extra breaks- no judgment if you need to have extra breaks! 
  • Sour candy- this is a grounding tool for many people that brings them back to present moment. 
  • JUST ASK!- If there is another accommodation for sensory needs that you require, please ask and I will evaluate if it is possible!