Updated October 21, 2026
Where paying customers in Rijeka actually come from
People in Rijeka who want a tattoo find artists through word of mouth, online search, and by seeing work on social media and portfolio sites. A person who gets a good tattoo tells friends and family. Someone searching online for 'tattoo artist Rijeka' or 'tetovaca Rijeka' will find results. Locals also walk into studios and look at portfolios on the wall or on a phone.
A city the size of Rijeka - a port city on the Adriatic coast - has enough demand for tattoo work to support multiple artists. The customers are not confined to one neighbourhood. They come from across the city, from surrounding areas, and increasingly from online searches and social media follows. Some will travel to you because of your style or reputation. Others live close by and found you by accident while searching.
University students, working professionals, people in creative industries, port workers, and tourists all get tattoos. There is no single customer type. The mix matters because it means your income does not depend on foot traffic in one location alone - it depends on being findable, doing good work, and building trust.
Setting your first price in a city this size
Price-setting for tattoo work in Rijeka is not guesswork. Start by looking at what other tattoo artists in the city charge. Visit their studios, check their social media, ask friends who have been tattooed locally. This tells you the range - what artists with different styles and experience levels are asking for similar work.
Your first price should reflect three things: your skill level (are you starting out or do you have a portfolio of finished pieces?), the time and materials the work takes, and what the market in Rijeka will bear. If you undercharge to get customers quickly, you lock yourself into low rates for months and train clients to expect low prices. If you overprice, you may get no one.
A reasonable first approach: charge by the hour, by the piece size and complexity, or by a combination. A small, simple piece might be one price; a larger or more detailed design another. When you book your first customers, state your price clearly and discuss what is included. As you complete more work and build examples, you can adjust prices based on demand and your own confidence.
Your first ten customers and what to expect
Your first customers usually come from people you already know or people they refer - friends, family, acquaintances who heard you do tattoos or know you are starting out. These early clients are testing you as much as you are testing your own business rhythm. They are often more forgiving with timing and less demanding than later customers, but they are also your chance to build a portfolio of finished work and learn what goes wrong in your process.
Some of those first ten will change their minds, cancel, or be harder to work with than expected. Some will be ideal - clear about what they want, easy to communicate with, happy with the result, and willing to recommend you. Pay attention to which is which. It teaches you how to screen customers later.
The first months are when most tattoo artists learn that booking systems matter, that clear communication before the session prevents arguments after, that some designs are harder to execute than you thought, and that the same design looks different on different people's skin. Expect to adjust your process, your pricing, or your approach based on real experience, not on what you guessed beforehand.
Money, taxes and paperwork as an independent person in Croatia
If you earn money for tattoo work in Croatia, you must follow the country's tax and business registration rules. Tattooing can be done as a registered sole trader (obrtnik), through a limited company, or in some cases under other arrangements. The rules and obligations depend on how much you earn and what form of business you choose.
Before you take payment for your first tattoo, contact the Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava) or a local accountant to confirm what registration and reporting you need. The answer depends on whether you will be self-employed full-time, part-time, or as a side income. Rules about VAT (PDV in Croatian), income tax, and contributions to the pension and health system are real requirements, not optional.
Payments you receive through Websta for tattoo work are processed through Stripe and paid out to your own bank account. You are responsible for reporting this income to the relevant authorities. Keep records of what you charge, what you earn, and what you spend on materials and equipment - a simple spreadsheet is enough at the start. This matters for your tax return and for understanding whether you are actually making money or just trading time for euros that disappear into costs.
What tends to go wrong in the first months
New tattoo artists in Rijeka often underestimate how long sessions take, double-book themselves, or quote prices that leave no margin for the real cost of needles, ink, and equipment. They take cash, lose track of how much they earned, and struggle to report income at tax time. They agree to designs they should not (a tiny, detailed portrait is almost impossible to do well on small skin), and then have an angry customer when the result disappoints.
Communication fails because the artist and customer had different ideas about the design, size, or placement, and did not confirm details in writing before the session started. Payment goes wrong because there was no agreed method, no receipt, or a customer pays late and the artist does not follow up. Hygiene and equipment issues cause problems if you cut corners to save money at the start.
The other common mistake is treating it as a hobby income and not building a real system - no booking calendar, no price list, no way for people to find you easily or pay you reliably. This means every customer requires a long back-and-forth conversation instead of a simple booking. When you get busy, this system breaks down because you cannot keep track of who booked what or when.
Using a Websta profile to present your work and take bookings
A Websta profile for tattoo artists in Rijeka is a simple website that shows your services, prices, photos of finished work, and lets customers book and pay online. It solves several problems at once: it gives you a permanent place to send people who ask about your work, it appears in search results when someone types 'tattoo artist Rijeka', and it handles payment processing so money goes to your bank account without you managing cash or card transfers.
You control your own prices on the profile. You upload photos of your best work, write descriptions of the services you offer (full sleeve, small piece, cover-up, etc.), and customers can book time slots that work for you. Payment is processed through Stripe, a payment processor that handles the transaction securely and pays out to your account.
A profile also gives people a way to contact you with questions before they book, and it creates a record - the booking confirmation, the date, the service - that helps you stay organized. Over time, it becomes a portfolio and a proof of your work that you can show to new customers or use when you want to raise your prices.
Building a real income takes time
Earning money as a tattoo artist in Rijeka is real work, not a get-rich scheme. Your income depends on how many customers you book, how much you charge, how many hours you work, and how reliably you deliver good results. The first month might bring two or three customers. The second month might bring four. By month six, if you have done good work and word spreads, you might have a waiting list. Or you might still have three or four bookings a month - it depends on your skill, your prices, your location, your ability to be found, and factors you cannot fully control.
Starting as a side income alongside another job is realistic because it gives you time to build your customer base and learn your own process without the pressure to earn a full living from day one. As demand grows and you become more efficient, you can decide whether to go full-time. Some artists never want to - they like the stability of another job and tattoo work as extra income. Others build it into their main work.
The key is to start with a real system: clear prices, a way for people to find you and book, reliable payment handling, and honest record-keeping. A Websta profile handles most of this. The rest depends on your own skill, consistency, and willingness to learn from the customers you get.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to register as a business in Croatia before I start tattooing for money?
- Yes. Tattooing for payment requires proper registration and tax compliance in Croatia. Contact the Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava) or an accountant to confirm what registration you need before you take your first payment. The requirements depend on whether you work part-time or full-time and how much you earn.
- How much should I charge for a tattoo in Rijeka as a beginner?
- Look at what other tattoo artists in Rijeka currently charge - visit studios, check their social media, and ask people who have been tattooed locally. Your first price should be based on your skill level, the time and materials required, and what the market in Rijeka will accept. Underpricing gets you customers quickly but locks you into low rates; overpricing may get you none. Start with a clear hourly rate or per-piece pricing and adjust as you gain experience and examples.
- How do I get my first customers as a new tattoo artist in Rijeka?
- Your first customers usually come from people who already know you or friends of people you know. Tell everyone you know that you are tattooing. Build a portfolio on social media and a website. As you complete more work, word of mouth grows. Online presence - a Websta profile, Instagram, or your own website - makes it easier for people searching 'tattoo artist Rijeka' to find you. Early customers are often more forgiving and willing to refer friends.
- What happens if I use Websta to take tattoo bookings and payments?
- You set your own prices and services on your Websta profile. Customers can see your photos, book available time slots, and pay online. Payments are processed through Stripe and paid out to your own bank account. You receive booking confirmations that help you stay organized. You control everything - your prices, your availability, your photos, and your service descriptions. You are responsible for reporting all income to the tax authorities.
- Can I do tattoo work as a side income while I keep another job?
- Yes. Many people start tattooing part-time while working another job. This gives you time to build your customer base, learn your process, and earn extra money without the pressure to make a full living from tattooing immediately. As demand grows, you can decide whether to go full-time. Check with the tax authorities about reporting requirements for part-time self-employment income in Croatia.
About the numbers
Counts in this guide were read from the Websta catalogue when the text was written and are refreshed above from the live catalogue. Part of the catalogue was built from the public business register and is marked as such on each profile.