People are paying thousands to go under anesthesia for tattoos. These doctors have concerns. (2025)

Are the days of enduring pain for tattoos over? For those willing to shell out serious cash, they may be.

Tattoo artists say more people are looking to get tattoos while under general anesthesia, a practice that's controversial, new and − if not taken seriously or done under proper medical guidance − dangerous. In January, an influencer reportedly died at the age of 45 after going under general anesthesia for a tattoo in Brazil.

Dr. Tiffany Moon − an anesthesiologist and the author of the forthcoming book "Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection," who also formerly starred on "The Real Housewives of Dallas" − is one medical professional who's sounding the alarm about the trend online. On TikTok, she's called out a viral video, in which a man under general anesthesia for a tattoo did not appear properly intubated − a major concern if he were to stop breathing during the procedure.

Though Moon says there's nothing inherently wrong with using general anesthesia for a tattoo, it's imperative to make sure it's done safely. That means checking that the anesthesiologist is board-certified and that the tattooing happens in a setting with proper medication and equipment available, should there be an emergency.

If those three requirements aren't met, she says, steer clear.

"My concern, as a board-certified anesthesiologist, is how safe is this when it's happening?" Moon says. "If for example, it were happening in an ambulatory surgery setting where there were rescue equipment available, where there was a board-certified anesthesiologist administering the anesthesia, where the patient was being adequately monitored, that's perfectly acceptable."

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The fierce debate around anesthesia for tattoos

Romeo Lacoste, a tattoo artist with The California Dream tattoo shop in Los Angeles, says interest in general anesthesia for tattoos has grown among his high-profile clients in recent years. He started offering tattoos under general anesthesia about a year and half ago.

Lacoste says he only works with reputable anesthesiologists and that his clients take all the same precautions that they would for a surgery, including pre-op appointments and evaluations from doctors. He also says he tattoos clients under general anesthesia in the same operating rooms where surgeries take place.

"I've been working with a lot of celebrities and high net-worth individuals, and they've actually been asking me about this for quite some time," Lacoste says. "We finally found a way to make it happen and connect the dots and work with some of the top anesthesiologists in Los Angeles. The facility that we work with is one of the best of the best, so everything that we do is always top-of-the-line and safety first."

Anesthesia tattoos aren't cheap. For instance, a back tattoo while under general anesthesia, Lacoste says, tends to cost between $30,000 to $35,000, depending on the design. By contrast, back tattoos without general anesthesia usually fall somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000.

Lacoste says general anesthesia is usually used for large, complex tattoos that take several hours a day and multiple days. The anesthesia not only keeps these clients from experiencing pain; it also helps them hold still.

"Imagine going and getting a back tattoo and having to go to a tattoo shop and sit for seven to eight hours, seven to nine times, and feeling all that pain, that discomfort, that time you're spending," Lacoste says.

Still, Lacoste adds, many tattoo enthusiasts hold fast to the belief that a tattoo must be earned by enduring pain.

Lacoste finds this idea outdated.

"Their mentality when it comes to a lot of this stuff, it's like, 'Hey, you need to earn your tattoo if you can't sit through the pain,'" he says. "I've never felt that way. I've always felt that progression is good, and, if you don't progress, you're going to get left behind."

Besides, Lacoste says, people go under medically supervised anesthesia all the time for elective cosmetic surgeries. Why can't they go under for tattoos as well?

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Moon says if someone has the means to go under general anesthesia safely for a tattoo, she sees no issue with it overall. However, she says it's important for people to know that the anesthesia, even when done properly, never comes without risk.

"You absolutely cannot have plastic surgery without anesthesia, whereas, for a tattoo, you can," she says. "For this, you just don't want to. It's more convenient or you'd rather not because of the pain and the time savings."

How to use anesthesia for tattoos the right way

The bottom line, Moon says, is that, if you are going to go under anesthesia for a tattoo, it needs to be treated pretty much the same as if you were having surgery.

She encourages people to find out: "Who is providing the anesthesia? What kind of monitoring is being done on the patient? And what kind of rescue techniques and medications are available? ... If the patient goes into cardiac arrest, is there someone who is trained in ACLS, which is advanced cardiac life support, to properly administer CPR and secure the airway to basically save this patient's life?”

Dr. Steven Gayer, an anesthesiologist in Miami and the former chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care, says before and after care for a tattoo under general anesthesia should also basically be the same as it is for surgery. That means you should see a medical professional before and after your tattoo and have someone you know and trust drive you home.

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"After surgery, you need professional people to monitor your recovery from anesthesia," he says. "And then be escorted home by someone who is a responsible party. You're not going to let this person take a taxi or an Uber or Lyft home."