30 Irresistible Shoulder Tattoos for Women

Looking for inspiration? Whether this is your first time or your fifty-second, these irresistible shoulder tattoos for women will get your creative juices flowing.
Shopping around for inspiration for shoulder tattoos for women? Exciting times.

Human beings have been adorning their bodies with tattoos for millennia.

They can be anything from status symbols, to religious and cultural symbols, to a form of self-expression.

And it doesn’t look like this popular practice is going anywhere.

This 2019 poll revealed that as many as 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo, a number that’s up from the same research conducted in 2012.

Yep, tat-ularity appears to be only on the rise.

If this form of body art has piqued your interest, one of the first considerations is: where?

Like so many things in life, tattoos are a matter of location, location, location.

If your shoulders are feeling a little bare, it may feel right to get decorating in this area.

In this article: 📝

Do shoulder tattoos hurt?
What are the risks of shoulder tattoos for women?
What is a good first tattoo?
Ideas for shoulder tattoos for women

Do shoulder tattoos hurt?

First, real talk: tattoos hurt.

Anything that involves puncturing your skin with a sharp needle multiple times will.

But we all have different experiences of pain.

And what is excruciating for one person may be but a tickle for others.

When it comes to the shoulder tattoo, there’s actually good news here.

Shoulder tattoos are some of the least painful of all.

While there’s not a lot of research on this, these charts put together from anecdotal evidence showed that the outer shoulders are one of the least painful spots to get inked.

That’s because there are fewer nerve endings in this area, making it less sensitive than other parts of your body.

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What are the risks of shoulder tattoos for women?

Like all tattoos, there are some risks.

As the American Academy of Dermatology tells us, some reactions that might crop up are:

Infection
Allergic reactions
A sun allergy, where your tat reacts to being outdoors
The activation of skin diseases like psoriasis or eczema
Swollen lymph nodes as your skin heals

Getting a tattoo at a reputable parlor will make the process much safer — although you can still have a reaction of some sort.

So it’s important to follow all the aftercare instructions that are given to you.

Only touch your new tattoo with clean hands.

Keep it clean with antibacterial soap.

Keep it moist with cream recommended to you by the tattoo artist.

And avoid too much sun exposure.

And if you’re wondering if you can get a tattoo while pregnant, here’s the lowdown.

What is a good first tattoo?

The shoulder is a great place to start because you can hide your new tat if you like, or display it proudly to the world.

You may want to keep it small and simple to start off with.

And particularly because this is a first, consider something that is very meaningful to you.

That could be a quote, the name of someone you love, or a symbol that matters to you.

Or go for something nature-inspired.

Roses, vines, trees — these all spell freshness.

We’ll take you through some ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

But ultimately, this is such a personal decision. Do what feels right for you.

Ideas for shoulder tattoos for women

Simple shoulder tattoos for females

Here are some ideas for small shoulder tattoos for women:

1. Name it

2. Splash!

3. Infinite wisdom

4. Plant the seed

5. Just winging it

6. Free

7. The answer is blowin’ the wind

8. A word and a rose

9. Out of this world

10. From the heart

Arty shoulder tattoos

11. Banksy’s “The Flower Thrower”

12. Croc heaven

13. Dali’s melting clock from The Persistence of Memory

14. Under the sea

Feminine flower shoulder tattoos

Pick one from the full bouquet of these delightful options.

15. Blossoms and butterflies

16. Garden of Eden

17. Violets are blue

18. Blooming beautiful

19. A feather in your cap

20. Laying it on the line

21. Budding blue

Shoulder blade tattoos for women

Don’t worry. We’ve got your back. Try out these back shoulder tattoos for women.