Ok i am scheduled to start work on my quarter sleeve on Thursday. I have 3 major functions that I want to attend and feel 100% for this weekend. I have heard that the arm is nothing pain wise compared to other parts of the body. With my lower back piece, I did have a pretty rough recovery the first few days, probably because i am a pansy haha. I was just hoping that someone could give me some input on the amount of pain I can expect the first couple of days following my first 1/4 sleeve session. Thanks for your input!

depends where on the arm. upper arm the bicep area tends to hurt, elbow hurts like hell, wrist burns like hell and inner middle of your arm hurts like crazy and takes long to heal.. so does the elbow. but over all arms dont hurt that much

Krazy pretty much nailed it.

If you're starting low and working high and your new ink is going to be wrapped around from, lets say your wrist to just below your elbow, here's what to expect.

Pain...near the wrist, close to bones..a few shots of SoCo there.
* The inside of arm, at the forearm, get a feel for your buzz..maybe another shot or two.
All the rest...you'll be fine.

Healing....do your aftercare as instructed and this whole area will heal up pretty fast and without much muss or fuss.
*I do not encourage the use of alcohol or drugs before or during tattoos. The SoCo here is being used as a metaphor. Strictly for educational purposes only.

yup also depends how much you get in one sitting. i had from my wrist to just elbow done and the forearm was fine didnt hurt at all. wrist burnt a bit and further up the inside arm hurt a bit too. took 5 hours in total and swelled up for about 2 days but nothing major and healed completly in normal time for me around 2 weeks, id deff book 2 or 3 days off work though if you are having it in 1 sitting

Expect the area to be tender to the touch and some swelling for about 3 days. If you have ever had a decent sunburn, then you know what you are in for. Depending on how long you sit the day of the work, you may be perfectly fine or totally exhausted afterwards. While the pain is not bad, getting inked does take a bit out of you. Even mild pain over an extended period of time will get your body into a fight or flight response...ie you will be dumping adrenaline and burning up sugar stores at a pretty good rate. Once you come down, you might feel shakey, light headed and irritable. Eat a good, well balanced meal and get some sleep. Its the only cure. Having a good meal before your session and some healthy snacks during will go a long ways to easing this condition.

Good luck.

I found the worst spots are the inside of the upper part of your arm and near the elbow to be honest with you though the one thing most people fail to mention is that when it gets bad enough your body produces a natural sort of high that relieves the pain