I Went To Dakota Johnson’s Tattoo Artist For Tiny Hand Tattoos

With Verity now in theaters, Dakota Johnson is everywhere, and so are her minimalist arm tattoos. Johnson’s body art is a long-standing accessory she loves to show off on red carpets. She’s been getting inked since her teenage years, and has even given tattoos to her co-stars.

As a tattoo-loving girl with a similar aesthetic — delicate, fine line designs for the win! — I’ve long coveted Johnson’s ink. So when I found out that one of her go-to artists is based in Brooklyn, where I also live, I immediately booked some tiny hand-poked designs. Here’s the DL on how the appointment went (spoiler alert: I’m in love).

Who Did Dakota Johnson’s Tattoos?

Rosa Bluestone Perr (@bluestonebabe on Instagram) is New York state-licensed tattoo artist who specializes in creating wearable art. Her tattoos, along with handmade jewelry and clothing, explore themes of sensuality and the natural world — think suns and moons, animals, tiny script lettering, and more. In addition to Johnson, Perr has also tattooed Phoebe Bridgers and Noah Kahan, and she’s built a following of more than 45,000 on Instagram from sharing her work.

Perr is responsible for two of Johnson’s most well-known forearm tattoos. One is a circular ring flanked by two crescent moons, and the other is the phrase “love creates love” in Persian.

My Visit To Studio Bluestone

I reached out to Perr over Instagram DM and booked a tattoo appointment about three weeks out, though she also posts last-minute openings on her Instagram stories regularly for anyone who wants to get in ASAP. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted, so I browsed through her flash options — premade designs you can get without any customization — and settled on some star and dot designs, plus a custom 07 to nod to my July 7 birthday.

Perr’s studio is located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and her artistic eye is obvious from the moment you step inside. While I waited for her to wrap up her previous appointment, I perused the handmade jewelry and repurposed vintage clothing for sale in the lobby, and almost walked away with a skeleton ring.

When it was my turn, Perr led me back to her little tattooing area, where we talked about my design selections and workshopped placement together. She was extremely patient as we figured out exactly which stars and dots I wanted on my hand and fingers, and where each would go.

While she worked (FYI, hand-poked tattoos barely hurt at all), we chatted about her life growing up in NYC, how she taught herself to tattoo, and the celebrity clients she’s had over the years. She told me how fun it is to see her designs on red carpets, in magazines, and even in movies like Materialists, where Johnson’s real tattoos were visible. Perr told me the star was “so sweet and gracious” in person.

We were done in about 45 minutes, and Perr sent me home with a collection of bandages to cover the new ink. The appointment cost $425 for five little hand designs — on par with other fine-line work I’ve gotten done in the city.

The most surprising part of the process was how easy these were to heal. I have a medium-sized machine tattoo on my other hand, which was super painful and took a solid month to heal enough to do tasks like washing my hair and washing the dishes. These little guys only needed a few hours (hours!) of healing time before I could resume normal life.

The Verdict: I’m Obsessed

Since getting them earlier this summer, I’ve been staring at my new hand tattoos constantly. I’m so glad I took the plunge. The tattoos blend beautifully with what I already have on my hands and arms, and I love that they look almost like jewelry. I’ll definitely visit Perr again to get more designs, and you can believe I’ll be feeling a kinship with Dakota Johnson from now on.