Your Bank Wasn't Built For Your Studio. Vellis Is.
Tattoo and piercing studios face payment account restrictions, banking friction and financial infrastructure challenges that generic providers aren't equipped to handle. Vellis provides payment processing and business banking directly — built for creative studios, high-value custom work and the commercial realities of body art businesses.
No intermediaries. You work directly with Vellis.
A commercially vibrant, creative sector that mainstream financial providers frequently misclassify.
Yet many payment processors still classify tattoo and piercing studios as high-risk without any review of the business.
Your payment infrastructure needs to scale with your studio.
A creative industry this established deserves better than generic banking friction.
The Real Problem
Tattoo and piercing studios are legitimate, regulated businesses — but mainstream payment and banking providers haven't always treated them that way. Here's what that costs you.
Your payment processor restricts your account because of your business category.
Tattoo and piercing studios are classified as high-risk by many mainstream processors — not because of any actual risk in the business, but because of how the category is coded in generic risk systems. Accounts get flagged. Payment processing becomes unstable. And you spend time managing payment infrastructure instead of running your studio.
Collecting deposits for custom work and long bookings is harder than it should be.
Custom tattoo commissions, large-scale projects and specialist piercing appointments often require upfront deposits — both to secure the booking and to cover design and preparation time. But with mainstream providers, collecting these deposits exposes you to dispute risk. A client who changes their mind disputes the pre-charge and your account takes the hit.
High-value custom commissions don't fit standard retail payment frameworks.
Custom tattoo work at the premium end of the market involves high-value, single-transaction billing that looks different to generic retail payment patterns. A €2,000 custom sleeve commission or a specialist piercing consultation triggers flags in systems designed for lower-value, higher-frequency retail — not bespoke creative services.
Multi-studio operations create unnecessary banking complexity.
Tattoo artists and studio owners expanding to multiple locations — or running studios across different markets — face the same banking process every time. Each new entity triggers a new application, a new review and new delays. The creative business you're building deserves infrastructure that grows with it.
What Vellis Provides
Direct payment processing and business banking — built and operated by Vellis for the creative profile, billing model and growth ambitions of tattoo and piercing studios.
Payment processing
Stable, category-aware processing
Accept payments for custom tattoo commissions, standard sessions and piercing services online and in-person, without account restrictions.
Commission deposit collection
Protect custom work revenue with upfront deposit collection that doesn't expose you to unnecessary dispute risk.
High-value transaction support
Process premium custom commissions without processing limits or risk flags.
Multi-currency checkout
Serve international clients and visiting artists in their currency with live market rates.
Pay by Link
Send payment links for deposits, commissions and merchandise from any channel.
Business banking
Accounts built for creative studio revenue models
Custom commission, appointment-based and merchandise transaction profiles assessed by people who understand your business.
Multi-entity structuring
For studio groups or artists operating across several locations.
Fast onboarding
No lengthy compliance reviews that treat your legitimate studio like an unknown risk.
EMI & fintech-backed accounts
Access to Vellis-operated solutions beyond what traditional banks offer.
Dedicated support
Direct access to people who understand creative business operations.
Pain Point to Outcome
What changes when your financial infrastructure actually fits your business.
Your current pain point
Account restricted due to business category
Custom commission deposits creating dispute risk
High-value commissions flagged as unusual
International client friction
Banking complexity when expanding studios
Generic banking not built for creative businesses
What you get with Vellis
Stable processing built for tattoo and piercing studio operations.
Deposit collection that protects your creative work revenue.
Processing built for high-value, bespoke creative transactions.
Multi-currency checkout with live rates and no hidden margins.
Multi-entity account setup, fast-tracked through Vellis directly.
Accounts structured around your studio's actual revenue model.
Why Vellis
Built for creative, commercially active businesses that mainstream providers don't serve well — with the infrastructure to match.
Companies operating directly on Vellis infrastructure.
Industries served, from regulated to high-risk.
Global
Coverage across multiple jurisdictions and currencies.
You work directly with Vellis — no intermediaries, no black boxes. From your first consultation to your live account, every step is handled by Vellis. You always know who owns your setup, who to call, and what happens next.
We run three tattoo studios and had constant issues with payment processors classifying us as high-risk. Vellis onboarded us without any of that — and our deposit collection process is now completely smooth.
Studio Owner, Custom Tattoo Group
Who We Work With
Vellis directly serves tattoo and piercing businesses at every stage of growth.
Tattoo studios
Managing custom commissions, appointment deposits and client payment plans.
Piercing studios and specialist body art businesses
Handling high-value specialist work and international clients.
Multi-artist studios and collectives
Running shared payment and banking infrastructure across several artists.
Premium tattoo artists
Managing bespoke commission billing for high-value custom work.
How It Works
From first conversation to live infrastructure — handled directly by Vellis, start to finish.
Tell us about your business
Share your studio structure, service model, commission billing approach and growth plans. A real conversation with a Vellis specialist who understands creative business operations.
We build the right setup for you
Vellis designs a payment and banking configuration tailored to your commission model, client base and growth stage.
Go live on Vellis infrastructure
Onboarding is guided by Vellis end-to-end. Once live, you operate directly on our infrastructure — with a dedicated point of contact, full visibility over your setup, and no middlemen in the chain.
Stop letting payment infrastructure get in the way of your creative business.
Your studio deserves financial infrastructure that works as professionally as your art. 500+ businesses already operate directly on Vellis.
FAQ
Tattoo & Piercing Studios
Vellis is a direct provider — not a broker, not a referral service. We provide payment processing and business banking directly to your business. No intermediaries, no black boxes. You always know who owns your setup, who to contact, and how your payments and accounts are structured.
Yes — it's common. Mainstream processors classify tattoo and piercing studios as high-risk by default without reviewing the actual business. A previous refusal doesn't disqualify you. The only exception is if your business has been placed on a MATCH list.
Yes. Vellis operates globally, across any country that is not OFAC listed.
Yes. From a solo tattoo artist to a multi-location studio group, the solution we build is always tailored to your structure and growth stage.
Mainstream processors classify tattoo and piercing studios as high-risk without reviewing the actual business. Vellis processes payments through infrastructure built for creative businesses. Your profile is assessed properly from the start. The only case where it would be difficult for us to help is if your business has been placed on a MATCH list.
Yes. Vellis supports deposit collection as part of your setup — protecting your custom work revenue without creating dispute exposure. We handle the setup so it works reliably from day one.
Yes. Vellis infrastructure is built for high-value, bespoke transaction profiles — your commission billing pattern is understood and expected, not flagged as unusual.
When a chargeback occurs, you have a direct point of contact at Vellis — not a generic support queue. We review the case with you and manage the process on your behalf.
Yes. Vellis accounts are built for creative studio operations. Your revenue model — commissions, deposits, merchandise — is understood and expected, not treated as an anomaly.
Yes. As long as the country is not OFAC listed, Vellis structures your accounts across locations from a single point of contact.
A Vellis account is structured around your studio — your commission model, entity structure and growth plans. In practice: fewer unexpected reviews, faster resolution, and direct access to Vellis.
A real conversation — not a sales pitch. Format and timing are flexible: call, video or email, based on your preference. A Vellis specialist will ask about your studio structure, services, billing model, current payment and banking setup, and growth plans. From there, you get a clear picture of what we'd recommend and what the process looks like. No pressure, no jargon, no commitment required.
For most businesses, the process is done within a couple of weeks. After your consultation, we give you a clear timeline based on your specific structure and jurisdiction — with no surprises mid-application.
Standard business documentation. For studios operating in jurisdictions with specific body art licensing requirements, we'll confirm exactly what's needed. Vellis gives you a complete document list upfront.