Ask what's in the rent before you agree to the number.
BOOTH RENT
Booth rent at US tattoo shops runs about $550 to $1,600 a month, and it usually covers disposables like gloves, barrier film and razors. Needles, ink and machines are normally yours. In the few threads that list them, front desk, walk-ins and marketing came with percentage deals, not flat rent.
The owner says a number and you say yes. A week in, nobody has said whose job it is to buy the bottle bags. It turns into an argument.
One letter a week, on the business side of tattooing.
Deposits, no-shows, pricing, and getting bookings out of the DMs. Free.
What does booth rent include at a tattoo shop?
Basic disposables, in most of the shops artists describe: gloves, barrier film, paper towels, razors, cleaner and bags. Machines, needles and ink are the artist's. Here's what posters and owners in a few rent threads said:
Where | Rent a month | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
Portland, private studio | $570 | Disposables except needles and ink, plus snacks |
New Jersey, shop near NYC | $1,500 | All disposables |
California, six-artist shop | $1,600 | All supplies except needles, machines, Saniderm and pigment |
Northern Colorado, storefront | $1,300 | Own supplies |
Some studios price the supply list. One NYC studio's rental page (undated) lists $900 a month with limited supplies and $1,100 with full supplies, which includes gloves, wrap, razors, ointment and black ink. That's one studio's price for the tier, not what the supplies cost.
Bags were the fight in the bottle-bag thread, and they're cheap. One commenter priced them at about $3 for 300. The owner side of that thread: at true booth rent the shop owes you only what the agreement lists. That's why the list belongs on paper. The booth rental agreement checklist has a line for it.
A rent number says nothing about who buys the gloves, so ask for the supply list.
Does tattoo booth rent include a front desk, walk-ins or marketing?
Usually not, in the few threads that list them. Commenters judged a split by what the shop gives for its cut: supplies (one commenter's 50/50 shop even covered needles and ink), walk-ins, a front desk, liability insurance, advertising and a name clients look for.
Ink, needles, and machines is normal.
Walk-ins are where renting can cost you: some shops send them to percentage artists first and renters get what's left.
What should you ask before agreeing to tattoo booth rent?
Get the supply list on paper, line by line, with "shop" or "me" next to each:
Which disposables the shop provides: gloves, barrier film, bags, razors, cleaner, paper towels, ointment
Needles, ink and machines: yours, unless the agreement says otherwise
Healing wrap and ointment (one California shop's rent covers all supplies except needles, machines, Saniderm and pigment)
Station, utilities, stencil printer, sharps pickup
Sterilizer service, if the shop runs one. Nobody in these threads brought it up, so ask
Who gets walk-ins and phone leads, and whether renters go last
Whose liability insurance covers you, and a copy of the certificate
How much notice you get before the list changes
Then add what you buy yourself to the rent. Say rent is $1,600 and you spend $300 a month on things a split shop would cover. Rent now beats a 60/40 split at $4,750 gross a month, not $4,000, and beats 50/50 at $3,800, not $3,200. The $300 is an example, so use your own receipts. The rest of the math is in booth rent vs commission.
Anything the owner promised out loud belongs in the agreement.
Quick answers
What does booth rent usually include at a tattoo shop?
Basic disposables: gloves, barrier film, paper towels, razors, cleaner and bags. Needles, ink and machines are normally the artist's.
What should you buy yourself on booth rent?
Needles, ink and machines, plus anything the agreement doesn't list. Add that monthly cost to the rent before you compare it with a split.
Does booth rent include needles and ink?
Usually not. One NYC studio sells a pricier supply tier that adds black ink, so check what the agreement lists.
Does booth rent include a front desk or walk-ins?
Usually not. A few posters list them as part of what a percentage shop gives, and some shops give walk-ins to percentage artists first.
Start with one. Write out the supplies you use in a week, mark each one "shop" or "me," and take the list to the owner before you agree to a number.
Checked October 2026. Based on r/TattooArtists and r/TattooApprentice threads (2024 to 2026), mainly a 24-comment thread on what rent includes and the 2026 rent thread, plus one NYC studio's rental page. It's what artists and owners report, not a survey.
Read next
Tattoo booth rent vs commission: the rent numbers and the break-even to run on your own months.
Tattoo booth rental agreement: a checklist before you sign: every clause to get in writing, supplies included.
Gal, founder of Collabo.ink, the booking app for tattoo artists. For 15 years I booked sessions for dozens of artists, some of them among the best known in the world. Collabo.ink takes your bookings and deposits, so you can focus on what matters: tattooing.
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