Get a Cover Up Tattoo in Bangkok

Can Your Tattoo Be Covered?

Most tattoos can be covered. The ones that can’t are usually very dark, very dense or badly scarred.

There is no fixed rule on size. The darker and more detailed the old tattoo, the darker and more detailed the cover has to be, so the design decides the size. Lighter work covers more easily and can stay smaller. Tattoo ink heals semi-transparent, so the new design has to be darker than the old one, never lighter. Anything lighter will show through as it settles.

A cover-up is built around what is already on your skin, so the design has to work over it. Our team will tell you where you stand before you book, and the design is finalised at the studio, over the actual tattoo, before anything starts.

What Your Old Tattoo Can Become

The designs that cover well are the ones with texture and shadow to hide behind. Japanese work is the strongest option we have, koi, dragons and peonies, because the flow and the dark background do the covering. Phoenixes and birds work for the feather detail, florals for their dark centres, and blackwork covers almost anything by going solid. Fine line, watercolour, light realism, geometric and anything built around open skin will not hold up over old ink.

Send us the direction you want and we will shape it around what is already there. Most people end up with something they would not have thought of themselves. Cover-ups are quoted at our standard hourly rate, with no cover-up premium.

Cover It, Fix It or Build Around It

Covering is the usual answer, a new design worked over the old one so the old one stops reading.

Fixing is often the better answer, and it is the one nobody expects. Plenty of tattoos are not bad, just faded, patchy or unfinished, and reworking the linework and shading can be quicker and cheaper than covering the whole thing. Send us a photo and we will say if yours is a candidate.

Building around it keeps the old tattoo and grows the work outward, so a small piece becomes part of something larger rather than disappearing under it.

We also cover scars, including surgical and mastectomy work.

If Your Tattoo Has Already Been Lasered

Faded ink is easier to cover, and a few laser sessions on dense old work can open up design options that were closed before. It also means waiting, and the skin needs to settle properly between the last session and the tattoo. We do not offer laser at the studio, so if you are weighing it up, here is the honest picture on tattoo removal in Bangkok.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can any tattoo be covered up?

Most can. The ones that cause problems are very dark, very dense or heavily scarred, and even those are often possible if the new design is bold enough. Nobody can answer it properly from a description, so send a clear photo of your existing tattoo and our team will tell you where you stand before you book anything.

How much bigger does the cover-up need to be?

There is no fixed rule, and any studio quoting you a set ratio is guessing. The darker and more detailed the old tattoo, the darker and more detailed the cover has to be, which usually means larger. Lighter or simpler work covers more easily and can stay closer to the original size. The design decides the size.

Can I get a cover up done during my trip to Bangkok?

Usually yes, but it depends entirely on what is being covered. A small cover-up can be a single session of an hour or two. Larger work runs across several days, and those days have to be back to back. Once we stop, the area starts healing and it has to heal fully before anyone can work on it again, which means a break of at least two weeks. Send us a photo before you travel and we will tell you how many days yours needs, so you can build them into the trip properly.

Do cover up tattoos hurt more?

Not because it is a cover-up. Cover-ups are often larger and more heavily shaded than the original, so the session runs longer and the shading can feel more intense, and skin that has been tattooed before does not hurt more for having been tattooed. Most people find the length harder than the sensation.

How do I start, and what photos do you need?

Message us on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook or email, whichever is easiest. Send a clear photo of your existing tattoo in good natural light, plus a couple from different angles so we can see the edges and how dark it actually is. Tell us roughly what you would like to cover it with, or say you are not sure and we will suggest what would work. Our English-speaking team replies within minutes during business hours.