Just reading this I sometimes wish I went with a cheap alternative, I spent 16 sessions each 4 hours on tummy side down to get my piece done and in the end my car was cheaper
You should definitely research price, but also make sure you are really comfortable with review & quality of the artist, not every artist delivers the same style or feel even when you ask for a specific.
I also recommend my friends usually to have someone draw or paint something on the spot they want to get a tattoo so they can have some sort of "grace period" to think it over, some of my friends
have afterwards decided not to get the tattoo because in hindsight they didn't think it was worth the money - and that was not because of the "fake artists" lack of creative skill