Tattoo aftercare, done properly.
Plus every studio worth visiting.
The honest guide to healing your tattoo — written by people who actually run an Australian aftercare brand. And a directory of reputable studios across all eight states and territories.
Healing your tattoo, day by day.
Most aftercare advice on the internet is either outdated, copied from another blog, or written by someone who’s never tattooed a client. We do this differently.
This guide covers Day 1 through fully healed — the products that actually work in 2026, the mistakes that ruin good ink, and what to do when something looks wrong.
Find a tattoo studio anywhere in Australia.
A growing list of tattoo studios across Australia. Browse by state to find one near you.
The questions everyone Googles.
A tattoo takes about 2–3 weeks to heal on the surface and 2–4 months to fully heal beneath the skin. Larger pieces, joint placements, and pieces with heavy colour saturation sit at the longer end of that range. Read the full timeline →
Most Australian tattoo artists no longer recommend Bepanthen — it’s a nappy rash cream designed for a completely different purpose, and it can trap heat and clog pores during healing. Modern aftercare balms are formulated specifically for tattoo trauma. See what artists actually recommend →
Saniderm (or Second Skin / Tegaderm) is now the default in most professional Australian studios — it heals faster and produces less scabbing than the traditional cling-wrap-and-balm method. Use cling film only if you have an adhesive allergy or the placement won’t hold film. Full guidance here →
Yes — you can shower from the day you get tattooed. The rule is short, lukewarm showers with your back to the water, no submerging the tattoo (no baths, pools, or ocean for 2–3 weeks), and pat dry with a clean paper towel. Step-by-step →
Wait 48 hours for any exercise, and 1–2 weeks for anything that involves heavy sweating, friction against the tattoo, or contact with shared equipment. The risk isn’t strain — it’s bacterial infection from gym surfaces and sweat sitting on healing skin. More on training around a new tattoo →
For the first one to two weeks of healing, a lightweight aftercare cream is the right call — it keeps the skin hydrated without over-occluding. Once the surface has healed, a balm works well for long-term maintenance. We rate Stand Fast Daily Cream as the strongest option on the Australian market See the full comparison of common tattoo aftercare creams →
We’ve put together a growing directory of tattoo studios across all eight states and territories. Browse by state to find one near you. View studios by state →
Built by people who actually do this.
This site is run by the team behind Penguin Tattoo Co, a small-batch Australian-made tattoo aftercare brand based in Perth.
We test every product we recommend on real healing tattoos. We don’t run sponsored reviews. The studios in our directory aren’t paid placements.
The 30-Day Healing Checklist
Free PDF — exactly what to do, day by day, from fresh ink to fully healed.
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