Hi Lisa, I am sorry you are afraid of needles, and I do not think you are silly at all. They hurt!! that is a rational fear! I do have tattoo's, the pain is NOT the same as a pin prick however.
The only way I can describe it is: It is like someone putting a lighted match to your arm and slowly running it around. It does hurt, but if you can focus on something else, like a computer game or magazine that helps a little.
Henna tats are good, but proper henna takes hours to dry and has to fall off naturally, so you need to be still for ages.
Paint on tats are absolutly fab, In my opinion, they are the best.