When you can sunbathe, swim and go to the sauna with a new tattoo

What we tell our clients: for the first two weeks, no sauna, no swimming and no sunbathing. After two weeks the surface of the skin has usually healed, but deeper down it keeps renewing for another 3-6 weeks. So for the first two weeks keep the tattoo covered with clothing in the sun; after that sunscreen is fine, but deliberate sunbathing is best left until the tattoo has fully healed.

When can I sunbathe after a tattoo?

You can sunbathe once the tattoo has fully healed, usually after 3-6 weeks. For the first two weeks, cover it with loose clothing when you're out in the sun, and don't put sunscreen on it yet. Sunburnt fresh skin takes longer to heal, and the colour can go dull in the very first summer.

If a fresh tattoo does get sunburnt, cool it with cool water, don't peel the skin and carry on with your usual aftercare. If blisters or signs of infection appear, see a doctor. Once it has healed, show it to your artist, who will tell you whether it needs a touch-up.

Does sea water help a tattoo heal?

Many people have heard that salty sea water helps wounds heal. It doesn't help a tattoo. The water in the Gulf of Riga is only slightly salty, and sea water isn't sterile like saline from the pharmacy. It contains bacteria and sand, and after a long swim the scab softens and can come off together with the ink. So the sea waits until the third week.

When can I swim in a pool or lake, or have a bath?

Pool water has chlorine, which dries and irritates the skin, and lakes and rivers have bacteria. When you swim, the tattoo soaks for a long time in any water, and the scab goes soft. The same goes for a bath: don't lie in the water for long. For the first two weeks, don't swim anywhere. A shower is different: a quick wash is fine.

A waterproof plaster or film doesn't make swimming safe in the first weeks either, because on a long swim it comes loose and water gets in.

If the redness around the tattoo spreads, the skin gets hot, the swelling grows instead of going down after the first few days, or you see pus or have a fever, see a doctor. That applies at any point while it heals, not only after swimming. If something just looks odd, feel free to ask your artist.

When can I go to the sauna?

Heat and moisture soften the scab and widen the blood vessels, and the tattoo can start weeping lymph again. A sauna whisk will tear the scab off a fresh tattoo as well. Put off the sauna and hot tub until two weeks have passed.

Can I use a tanning bed?

Stay away from tanning beds until the tattoo has healed. UV light fades a healed tattoo just like the sun does. If you use a tanning bed regularly, cover the tattoo.

When to get tattooed if you have a holiday coming up

If you're heading to the seaside or somewhere warm, the simplest option is to get tattooed after the holiday. You can get tattooed before, if at least three weeks are left before you leave, preferably more. By then most of the healing will be behind you, and you'll be able to swim. Still cover the tattoo with sunscreen or clothing in the sun, because the skin only fully renews after 3-6 weeks.

Don't tan the spot before the session either: most tattoo artists won't tattoo sunburnt or peeling skin. And keep in mind that after 3-6 weeks we want to see the healed tattoo. If it needs a touch-up, we do it, and that's already included in the price. Plan your holiday so that you're in Riga 3-6 weeks after the session and can come in.

If the session isn't booked yet, write to us through the booking form and mention when you're going away.

How to protect a healed tattoo from the sun

Over the years, the sun fades tattoos more than anything else. Black lines turn greyish, and fine details blur over time. Light and bright colours go dull in the sun faster than black.

• Use SPF 30 or higher that also protects against UVA rays. They reach deeper into the skin, where the ink sits.
• Apply it generously: a whole arm, shoulder to hand, needs about a teaspoon of sunscreen.
• Reapply every two hours, and after swimming and towelling off.
• Around midday, it's better to cover the tattoo with clothing.

Once the scab has come off, an ordinary moisturiser is fine for everyday care. Start using sunscreen once two weeks have passed. We've covered washing and creams in the first weeks separately: how to look after your new tattoo.