Two black-gloved hands tattooing a fine line onto a forearm on a white towel, a bracelet on one wrist.
Second Coat

Two tattooists · cover-ups and reworks only · by appointment

We only tattoo over tattoos, and we'll tell you honestly what's possible

Most of what we doCover-ups

A new design that hides the old one

The ex's name, the tribal band from 2003, the one from a holiday you don't remember. We draw something darker and bigger that uses the old lines instead of fighting them. Usually two or three sittings.

From £180 a sitting · consultation £30, taken off the first

A tattoo needle tracing a purple stencil of a new design on skin, a gloved hand steadying it.

Faded or blurredReworks

The same tattoo, brought back

Lines re-drawn, blacks packed, colour that has gone green made blue again. You keep the tattoo you chose; it just looks like the day you got it.

From £120 · most in one sitting

A tattooist in black gloves working on a detailed forearm piece, other tattoos visible on both arms.

When it doesn't fitBlast-overs

Bold new work straight over the top

For when you don't want to hide the old one, just outgrow it. Heavy blackwork laid over a faded piece, so the ghost of it shows through on purpose.

From £200 a sitting

A hand with a loose sketch-style tattoo of a classical face drawn across the back of it.

Ten minutesSmall fixes

The dot, the letter, the line that wandered

A misspelling, a blown line on a small symbol, a gap in a wrist piece. Walk in on a Thursday afternoon and we'll look at it while you wait.

£60 flat · Thursday 2–6, no booking

A wrist with a tiny triangle tattoo held up in a square of sunlight, a hand's shadow on the wall beside it.
What can we cover?

The honest odds

What we usually say at the consultation, before we've drawn anything. Your skin and your tattoo will change it a little, never a lot.

The old tattooCan we cover it?What it usually takes
Thin lines, fadedYes, easily, with almost any designOne or two sittings
Bold lines, some shadingYes, if the new one is about twice the sizeTwo or three sittings
Solid black, largeOnly with darker, bigger work over itThree or more, or laser first
Bright colourUsually, with darker colour and blackTwo or three sittings
On the hands or faceSometimes. We'll tell you straightA consultation first, always
A hand making an OK sign against a white wall, a tiny dot tattoo on the side of one finger.

Before you book

The things people ask in the chair, answered before it.

Consultation first

Twenty minutes, £30, taken off the first sitting. Bring the tattoo, and a few pictures of what you like.

Laser, sometimes

For very dark pieces, two or three lightening sessions elsewhere make a far better cover. We'll say so and give you a name.

Eighteen and over

With ID, every time. No exceptions, including for fixing a tattoo someone should never have given you.

No new work

We don't tattoo bare skin. It keeps the diary for the people who need us, and there are good studios for that.

A black and white close-up of hands tattooing a small flower design onto a leg.
The back of a hand with a bold black eye tattoo and three teardrops, a chain bracelet above it. A hand in low light with a fine rose and leaf tattoo across the back of it. Two forearms with black leafy vine tattoos, held out against a white background.