A 19-year-old from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is warning others to do their research before getting a tattoo overseas, after a trendy design she got on holiday went disastrously wrong.
Millie Nicholls had planned to mark the final day of her family trip to Andalusia, Spain, with a striking new tattoo. Inspired by the Gen Z revival of 1990s tribal tattoos, she chose a full-arm cybersigilism design — a futuristic style featuring sharp, spiky lines and symbols often associated with mysticism and energy.
Initially confident in her decision, Millie said she had reviewed and approved a design sketch presented by the Spanish tattoo artist on his iPad. But things quickly took a turn once the ink session began.
“I was looking away while he tattooed me — it really, really hurt,” Millie recalled. “There was ink all over my hand, so I couldn’t properly see what was happening.”
When the artist paused and wiped her hand clean, Millie was horrified by what she saw: the stencil’s outline of a hand — which had only been intended as a guide — had been tattooed directly onto her skin.
“My mum asked if I’d asked for the line around my hand, and I said no — he’d just done that without asking,” she said.
Despite voicing her concerns, Millie said the artist offered to fix the mistake by adding shading, free of charge. Unfortunately, the shading only made matters worse.
“All I Could Think Was, ‘I Hope It Fades'”
The entire tattoo session took less than an hour. Millie now describes the result as “horrible,” and says she felt too shocked to fully process what had happened until she returned to the UK.
“It looked ridiculous. He had copied the whole reference image, including the outline of the hand. I didn’t even know what to say to him. I was just in shock,” she said.
Although she found a UK-based tattoo artist to partially fix the issue, the teenager admits that a complete solution will require laser tattoo removal — a painful and costly procedure.
“Laser removal hurts more than getting a tattoo. I’ve already been through the pain of getting it done, the pain of seeing how awful it looked, and now I have to go through the pain of getting it removed,” she said.
Millie estimates the process will set her back hundreds of pounds.
A Cautionary Tale for Tattoo Tourists
Millie’s experience highlights the risks of getting inked abroad without proper research. While the Spanish tattoo artist had seemed professional on Instagram, she believes the low cost and rushed appointment — booked just a day in advance — should have raised red flags.
“If a tattoo is €50 or less, that’s a big warning sign,” she said. “It costs artists around that much just for quality equipment and materials. If they’re charging less, they’re probably cutting corners.”
She also urged others to ask for recommendations from locals and ensure clear communication with the artist — especially when language barriers exist.
Despite the ordeal, Millie hopes sharing her story will prevent others from going through the same experience.
“Do your homework. Don’t rush it — even if it’s your last day on holiday,” she said. “I learned the hard way, and now I have to live with the consequences — at least until I can afford to have it removed.”
Related topics: