a friend of mine is getting a tattoo today

But think about your motive and I'm not saying it's wrong, but think about this. Do you really want a tattoo or do you want to prove something? And yes, I have heard it's very painful from people I know that have had it, but that's up to the individual what they think they should do but I wouldn't be pressured. You might want to think about this for a while and see if it's worth it. For what? You know there is a wonderful alternative. Just to see how you would like it and then you don't have to go through the pain and if you don't like it it's not permanent. They even have words that you peel off this little clear top paper and you wet it and it looks just like the real thing when you transfer it onto your skin. And that way you could also change designs, which would be very fun and if you did it that way, no one would even know that you didn't have a real tattoo. 😁😂😂 another thing to think about is, you really don't know how you feel about that tattoo years from now. And if you get tired of it or don't want it anymore then you have to go through the pain of getting it removed. So maybe you might want to just have fun with it with the temporary tattoos and you can change it up anyway you like, which would really be fun. And I bet if the truth were known, your friend might wish she had done the same and not made it so permanent. Hahaha