How guest spots work
What a guest spot is on InkMap — a tattoo artist working out of another tattoo studio for a set stretch of days — how the artist and studio connect, and where a confirmed spot shows up.
A guest spot is when a tattoo artist works out of another tattoo studio for a set stretch of days — for example, a week at a studio in another city. The artist uses the host studio's space and takes bookings there during the stay, on terms the studio sets.
Guest spots are a tattoo-only part of InkMap. Only tattoo artists can be guests, and only tattoo studios can host them.
Who it's for
Guest spots connect tattoo artists with tattoo studios, and nothing else. A piercer, a permanent makeup artist, a laser practitioner, or a body modification artist can't go on a guest spot, and a studio that isn't a tattoo studio can't host one. This is down to how the feature is built today, not a policy choice — so it's worth knowing before you plan around it.
How the two sides connect
The artist starts it. From a tattoo studio's profile, a tattoo artist taps Guest Request, picks the dates they want, chooses one of the studio's pricing options, writes a short cover letter, and sends the request. The studio then accepts or declines it. Once a studio accepts, the spot is confirmed and the dates are locked in for that stay.
The two sides have their own guides:
- The artist side: Requesting a guest spot and Managing your guest spots.
- The studio side: Welcoming guest artists.
Where a confirmed spot shows up
Once a spot is confirmed, it appears under the Guests section of the artist's profile News tab. Anyone visiting the artist's profile sees their upcoming confirmed spots there, so clients know where the artist will be and when. For more on the News tab, see The News tab.
The money
The host studio sets the money terms — either a flat chair rental or a commission on each tattoo — and the artist picks from what's offered when they request. See Guest spot pricing for how each model works and how the currency is decided.
Booking the artist during a spot
Clients can book the artist during their stay. Those bookings run through the host studio: the dates a client can pick are limited to the guest spot period, and the price is in the host studio's currency. The booking itself works like any other — see the Bookings section for how booking requests and proposals work.
Frequently asked questions
- I'm a piercer — can I do a guest spot?
Not today. Guest spots are tattoo-only on both sides: only tattoo artists can be guests, and only tattoo studios can host.
- Does a guest spot cost the artist anything to set up?
No. Requesting and managing guest spots is free for tattoo artists. There's an optional paid add-on, Guest Spot Reach, that promotes your confirmed spots and brings in client invites — but the core of requesting, tracking, and going on a spot doesn't need it.
See this in action
- Guest Spot ReachThe optional paid add-on that promotes a tattoo artist's confirmed guest spots to nearby users, collects client invites by city, and reports how many people each spot reached.
- Managing your guest spotsWhere a tattoo artist tracks guest spot requests and confirmed stays — the Confirmed, Pending, and Rejected tabs, withdrawing a request, cancelling a confirmed spot, and where confirmed spots appear publicly.
- Requesting a guest spotHow a tattoo artist asks to work out of another tattoo studio — finding the studio, sending the request with dates and a pricing option, and what happens once it's in.
- Welcoming guest artistsHow a tattoo studio hosts visiting tattoo artists — turning on Guest Management, setting your terms, and accepting, declining, or resolving overlapping guest requests.
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