Community Guidelines

The short version

STNCL works because people are honest about what they want, honest about what they can do, and decent to each other while they figure out whether it is a fit. These Guidelines are part of the Terms of Service, and breaking them has consequences.

Respect

Talk to people the way you would in a studio. No harassment, threats, stalking, or repeated contact after someone has said no. No slurs or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation. No sexual comments about someone's body, and no sexual content involving placement discussions beyond what the tattoo actually requires.

Skin, scars, stretch marks, weight and body hair come up constantly in tattoo work. Discuss them clinically and kindly, or not at all.

Honesty

Customers: describe the tattoo you actually want, with a budget and timing you can meet. Do not collect quotes with no intention of booking.

Artists: only post tattoos you did yourself. No reposting another artist's work, no AI-generated images presented as tattoos you completed, no borrowed healed photos. Be clear whether a price is fixed, a range, or needs a consultation, and do not claim licenses or verification you do not hold.

Everyone: one account per person, real identity behind it, no impersonating a studio or artist you are not part of.

Content limits

Do not post: hate symbols or gang insignia intended to intimidate; content that sexualises minors in any way; graphic gore unrelated to tattoo work; other people's identifying photos without their permission; contact details or addresses belonging to anyone else; or advertising for unrelated products and services.

Nudity in portfolio images is allowed only where the tattoo requires it, and must be presented professionally.

Photos that show intimate placement, bare skin beyond the tattooed area, or heavy blood and fresh-wound detail must be marked sensitive when you upload them. Sensitive images are blurred until someone chooses to view them and are kept out of browsing rails, the public site and notifications. Deliberately leaving explicit content unmarked is a guidelines violation.

Moderators can mark, unmark or remove any image. An automated check may also flag a photo for review — it only adds a blur and queues the image for a person, and it never removes content or penalises an account on its own.

Keep it on the platform

Use STNCL messages until you have agreed to work together. Do not pressure someone to move to another app or to pay outside the agreed process in order to skip reporting, moderation or reviews. Sharing your studio's own booking details once a customer has selected you is fine; using STNCL purely to harvest contacts is not.

Safety and health

Artists must work in a licensed, hygienic setting and follow local health regulations. Do not offer to tattoo anyone under the legal age, anyone intoxicated, or anyone whose stated medical situation makes the work unsafe. Customers should be truthful about age, allergies, medication and skin conditions.

Never ask someone to lie about their age, and never offer to work around age rules.

Reviews

Reviews are for work actually booked through STNCL. Write about your own experience. Do not buy, trade, threaten or beg for reviews, and do not use a review to publish someone's personal details or to settle an unrelated dispute. Artists may reply once, publicly and professionally.

Reporting and enforcement

Every profile — customer, artist or studio — plus every portfolio image, piece of Flash, Guest Spot, Books Open announcement, studio update, tattoo request, message and review can be reported from the app. Reports reach a moderation queue reviewed by STNCL staff and are not shown to the person you reported.

Depending on severity and history we may warn you, remove content, hide a review, remove verification, limit your ability to send proposals or messages, suspend your account, or close it permanently. Serious cases — threats, sexual content involving minors, working unlicensed on someone — are removed immediately and may be reported to the relevant authorities.

If we act on your account and you think we got it wrong, reply to the notice and ask for a human review.

Contact

Questions about this document can be sent to help@getstncl.com, or raised through the in-app report and support tools.