As a tattooist, you will prepare yourself for all kinds of requests, some of them very common such as people having their children’s names or the badge of their favourite football team inked on their arms. But, just occasionally, you may face a request the like of which you could scarcely have imagined.

There are many epic tales out there of unusual and downright bizarre tattoo requests down the years. The question is, will you be ready when it’s your turn to deal with one?

Among the weirder requests was a list compiled a decade ago by Tattoo Nerd. One customer had the letter A tattooed behind her ear, a strange choice but the result of losing a bet at work that meant she had to get his initial inked on there.

Another lost bet led to someone having a tattoo of a dolphin wearing a sombrero alongside the words: “clearly I have made poor choices”.

Others were somewhat alarming because of exactly which parts of the anatomy they were to be on. In one case, one half of a lesbian couple requested that an imprint of one of her kisses be placed on her lover’s pubic mound, which required shaving the hair away first.

Another odd case was of a man requesting a new tattoo to cover the old one on his penis before he proposed to his girlfriend, a technically difficult thing to do but something the customer was keen on, because his existing tat was his ex-wife’s name. In this case, the artist admitted to “pricing out” the prospective client.

Suffice to say, being a tattooist is not for the squeamish at any time, but even less so in such cases. However, if you are willing to take on such requests, it is a good idea to get some tattoo healing spray in, as certain sensitive locations may need to heal a bit quicker to avoid some embarrassing and awkward situations for your clients.

These kinds of requests may be more common than you think. Another list of odd requests, published by Oola a couple of years ago, included a man who had his boyfriend’s name tattooed on his member, something his partner was not happy about.

In another case, a young man requested the outline of a heart to be tattooed around his urethra just before he proposed to his girlfriend. She was evidently impressed and, after they were married, requested he come back to have it coloured in.

So, yes, you will have some eye-watering tattoos to do, as well as some very odd ones, either due to strange obsessions, lost bets or even, in another case listed by Oola, someone who had lost a leg wanting a tattoo that had been amputated with it recreating on his surviving leg.

At the same time, you may consider it a test of your skill and professionalism, as well as something to smile about in your spare time.

It does make you think though; few people have been more famous for getting tattoos than David Beckham, who seems to have them all over his body. So, how did he get his nickname of Golden Balls? Perhaps Posh, and his tattooist, are the only ones who really know.