Terms of Service

Charon provides scheduling, communication, and payment technology connecting tattoo clients with independent Artists. Charon is not a party to the agreement between Client and Artist, and does not provide tattoo, body art, or any other personal services.

Charon does not employ, supervise, train, direct, control, endorse, recommend, or guarantee any Artist. Charon does not inspect any premises, and does not verify any Artist's skill, training, experience, health-and-safety practices, sanitation procedures, registration status, or insurance coverage. Charon makes no representation or warranty of any kind regarding any Artist or any services an Artist provides.

Illinois does not issue individual licenses to tattoo artists; it registers body art establishments. Charon does not verify the registration status of any establishment. Clients are solely responsible for satisfying themselves as to any Artist's qualifications, and for confirming that services are performed at a properly registered establishment.

Deposits ("retainers") are set by each Artist and are collected through Charon's payment processor, Stripe, as a direct charge to the Artist's own connected account. The Artist — not Charon — is the merchant of record for your retainer payment. Charon does not hold or custody retainer funds at any point. See the Payment Policy for the full picture.

If you cancel or withdraw a request before paying your retainer, nothing has been charged and there is nothing to refund.

Once you have paid your retainer, it is non-refundable if you cancel — for any reason and at any time, including after the Artist has accepted but before your appointment, or a no-show. The Artist has reserved that date for you and turned away other bookings for it. The one exception is described in Section 5 below: if the Artist reschedules your appointment twice, this non-refundable policy no longer applies and you may cancel for a full refund.

If the Artist cancels or declines your request for any reason, at any time — including after you've paid — you receive a full refund.

Any amount an Artist retains under this policy is compensation for the calendar time reserved and, where applicable, design work already performed — not a penalty or forfeiture. See the full Ghosting & Cancellation Policy.

If your Artist reschedules you. Artists are given flexibility to move a booking's date or time — that alone is never treated as the Artist backing out. But if the same booking gets rescheduled twice, the bargain behind the non-refundable retainer no longer holds: you may cancel at any point after that and receive a full refund, whether or not you choose to accept a further reschedule instead.

If you reschedule yourself. You may move your own confirmed appointment once at no charge. A second move costs $50, and a third costs $100 — the last one available for that booking. These amounts may change; the current ones are always shown before you confirm a move. A paid reschedule doesn't take effect, and you aren't charged, until payment actually clears; if your new time is no longer available by then, you're refunded automatically. Beyond the third move, changing your date means canceling under the standard policy in Section 4.

The 72-hour cutoff. Neither side can move a booking's date or time inside 72 hours of the appointment — this applies equally to you and your Artist. Once that window is reached, the only remaining option is to cancel under the policy in Section 4.

Once an Artist accepts your request, you have 72 hours to pay your retainer before the offer expires and the date becomes available to someone else. If it expires, nothing has been charged — you're welcome to send a new request.

Missing a scheduled, paid appointment without contacting your Artist ("ghosting") may be reported by the Artist. This is distinct from an Artist rescheduling you, which is never treated this way. A confirmed pattern of missed appointments may restrict your ability to book through Charon.

Charon reviews every report individually and makes the final determination — a report alone does not automatically restrict an account, and you'll have the chance to explain your side before any action is taken. Full policy: Ghosting & Cancellation Policy.

You must be 18 or older to create an account or book an appointment through Charon. This is enforced at booking and is not something we can waive — see the Age & Identity Verification Disclosure for how that's confirmed.

Before your appointment, you'll separately agree to an Informed Consent & Health Disclosure and a Liability Waiver with your Artist, and confirm an Aftercare Acknowledgment afterward. These are agreements between you and your Artist — Charon hosts and records them but is not a party to any of them, consistent with Section 1 above.

Text messages about your bookings (confirmations, payment links, reminders, and appointment updates) are sent only if you check the optional text-message box when you create your account or book. Consent is not a condition of creating an account or making a purchase. Message frequency varies, and message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to opt out, or HELP for help. Separately, you can verify your account with a one-time code sent by text message or by email, whichever you prefer; a text code is sent only if you choose it. See the SMS & Email Communications Consent page for the full picture.

Please read this section carefully — it affects your legal rights. You and Charon agree that any dispute arising from these terms or your use of Charon will be resolved through binding individual arbitration, not in court, and not as a class action or representative proceeding. [Full arbitration procedure, applicable rules, and any opt-out mechanism to be drafted by counsel — this section is a placeholder describing the intent, not enforceable language.]

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Charon's total liability to you for any claim arising from these terms or your use of Charon is limited to the greater of the fees you paid to Charon in the 12 months before the claim, or $100. Charon is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including disputes between you and an Artist or the outcome of any tattoo service.

See the standalone Copyright & DMCA Policy for how to file a notice.

Charon may suspend or terminate your account for violation of these terms, fraudulent activity, or abusive behavior toward an Artist. You may close your account at any time by contacting Charon.

These terms are governed by Illinois law. Venue for any dispute not subject to arbitration is Cook County, Illinois.

Charon may update these terms from time to time. Continued use after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

Questions about these terms: chrn.support@gmail.com.