Common Questions From Our Clients
How much do piercings cost?
The piercing fee for the majority of our piercings is $30. A more detailIed list can be found on our appointment scheduling page. The final price will depend on the jewelry you choose. Our basic titanium options start as low as $15-25 for most piercings. We only use titanium and gold jewelry. We do not use "surgical steel" which is not body safe and can contain nickel and other mystery metals that can leech into your body and often cause allergic reactions and severe irritation, as well as inhibit healing, cause bumps, migration, or rejection. We have hundreds of jewelry options to choose from depending on the piercing you are getting.
What are your ID and age requirements?
Most piercings can be done at 13 and up with a parent or legal guardian present to sign the consent form. 5 and up for earlobes. Minors CAN NOT get nipple or genital piercings even with a parent's consent. Dermals, Daiths, and Industrials are limited to 16 and up.
ID requirements:
ADULT: you need one of the following:
Government Issued Photo ID, such as:
Driver License
Learner Permit w/Photo
Military or Military Dependent ID
Green Card
Mexican Consular ID or Similar
Tribal Photo ID cards
Passport
MINOR: Parent or Legal Guardian must be present in the building to sign the consent form. They must remain with with the minor at ALL Times.
UNDER 18 with a custodial PARENT to sign the consent form you need the following :
PARENT must have government issued photo ID
AND
Minor must have EITHER a government issued photo ID with the last name/address matching the parent's or a birth certificate with parent's name as it appears on it.
If their name has changed then documentation showing the change must be shown (marriage certificate, divorce decree etc).
​
UNDER 18 with a LEGAL GUARDIAN to sign the consent form you must have the following:
LEGAL GUARDIAN must have government issued photo ID AND Legal documentation proving Legal Guardianship
AND
Minor must have EITHER a government issued photo ID or a birth certificate.
Legal guardian means someone legally appointed your guardian, not just someone you live with. If you do not have paperwork to prove guardianship we can not let them sign for you.
How do I make an appointment?
The easiest way is to use the Book Now buttons on this site. There's even one at the bottom of this page!
What forms of payment do you accept?
I accept all major debit and credit cards, Apple pay and Gpay through Square, which allows for tap to pay, and cash. I no longer accept Venmo or Cashapp.
Is your shop Accessible and Inclusive?
My studio and restroom are wheelchair accessible, with no stairs or curbs anywhere. All walkways are wide enough for a wheelchair or walker to maneuver. The jewelry displays are all viewable from both standing and seated positions. Parking is allowed directly in front of the door should you need it, and can accommodate a van with a lift or ramp. My piercing table holds 600lbs. I offer sensory friendly appointments upon request as well as always having noise reduction headphones with disposable covers, fidgets, a weighted lap pad, and other relaxation items for you to borrow. We can also provide white noise during your appointment.I have a whiteboard available for nonverbal communication. Our forms are printed on colored paper in dyslexia friendly fonts.We have medical grade air purifiers throughout the studio and I wear an N95 duckbill mask at all times for your safety. I am trained in CPR/First Aid as well as Mental Health First Aid and Harm Reduction. We are LQBTQIA+ affirming and have an optional space for pronouns and chosen name on your forms. If you require accommodations not listed here please don't hesitate to contact me and I am happy to work with you to make my services accessible. I will always do everything possible to make sure everyone knows they are welcome in my space.
Are there piercings you don't perform?
I will not do any piercings that are unsafe or ill suited to your anatomy and will not successfully heal. I never do horizontal tongue or horizontal lip piercings. I do not do surface snchors(a.k.a.dermals) or surface piercings in unsafe areas, tongue webbing or lip webbing, cheek, or any experimental or unsafe piercings. Many piercings are anatomy and age dependant.
Do you accept walk ins?
If time alows, and I do post walk in availability times on social media, but if I start to get too many walk ins I will cut off availability for the day so that the wait times don't get too long, and I don't feel pressured to rush. The only way to ensure service is to book an appointment.
Do you sell aftercare products?
Yes, I carry Steri-Wash Piercing Aftercare Spray. After much research and many trials with my own piercings this is the brand I've come to trust the most.
Do you pierce earlobes on babies?
I'm sorry but I don't pierce earlobes for anyone under 5 and they have to be able to use their specific form of communication to express their desire to get the piercing. I will only pierce a child's lobes if they give enthusiastic consent and I will not pierce them if they express a wish to stop at any point. If I feel they are being pressured, coerced or in any way forced I will not continue. Parents must understand that this sometimes means a child will leave without a piercing or with only one lobe pierced because in my room the child is the only one that can decide what happens to their body. No exceptions. Parents are required to sign the consent form and be in the room with their minor child at all times.
Can my friends watch me get pierced?
Of course! You can bring 1 person into the room with you for moral support provided they can watch quietly so as not to cause a distraction. Children under 12 are not allowed in the piercing room unless they are the ones receiving the piercing or jewelry service. Please bring someone with you to watch your young children while they are waiting in the lobby. If the person receiving the piercing is a minor their parent must remain in the room with them at all times.
Can I record?
You are welcome to take photos before and after but phones must be put away during the piercing procedure as they are very distracting to both piercing artist and client. We appreciate your cooperation in helping maintain a safer environment for everyone.
Can I purchase a gift certificate??
Yes! We offer physical gift certificates you can purchase in the studio or eGift cards you can purchase at this link https://squareup.com/gift/MLYNS8MDD1XVQ/order
Will you pierce me with jewelry I bring in?
No, we do not use outside jewelry as we can not be sure of the quality.
What are your qualifications and experience? How can I be sure it's safe to be pierced by you?
I have been in the piercing industry since 2004. I have APP (Association of Professional Piercers) Blood Borne Pathogens for Body Piercers and Red Cross CPR and First Aid certifications, as well as Stop the Bleed', "Active Survival' and 'Mental Health First Aid' training. I have additional training from the APP in 'Exposure Control Plans''Sterilization Cycles for Body Piercing Facilities', and 'Inspector Training for Body Piercing Studios.' I also have training from the World Health Organization in: 'Standard Precautions: The role of personal protective equipment' 'Infection Prevention and Control' 'Standard Precautions: Hand hygiene' 'Standard precautions: Injection safety and needle-stick injury management' 'Standard Precautions: Environmental cleaning and disinfection' 'Basic microbiology' 'Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)'
'Decontamination and sterilization of medical devices and equipment' 'Guidance on mask use in the context of COVID-19'
'COVID-19 and work: Staying healthy and safe at work during the COVID pandemic' ,
'Recognizing and managing anaphylaxis' 'Monkeypox: Introductory course"
as well as training on 'Safe usage of autoclaves' 'Disinfectant Usage' from Barbicide. While pursuing my history and psychology degrees, I also took many anatomy, physiology, biology, and microbiology courses so I have extensive knowledge of the human body, microbes, pathogens, and infectious disease.
How should I prepare for my visit?
Get enough sleep. Stay hydrated. Eat a balanced meal within 2 hours of your visit, the closer to your visit the better. Wear loose comfortable clothing. Dress in layers. Bring a beverage and snack in case you get dizzy. Bring something to entertain yourself in case of a wait, especially if you are a walk in. Bring someone for moral support if you'd like. Please don't bring a large group for one person receiving a piercing, we are a small studio and we will only allow one person to go back with you. Bring someone to watch your children, they can not go back with you unless that are the ones being pierced. Bring the proper ID. ID requirements can be found here and on the appointment page. You will not be pierced without it. No exceptions.
How are you managing the COVID pandemic?
I voluntarily suspended my services one week before there was a mandated shut down out of an abundance of caution, and remained closed for the first 6 months of the pandemic because I felt it was prudent to do so. Once I returned to work I followed all CDC and WHO recommendations in order to keep my clients and myself safe. I reduced my hours of operation from 5 days a week to 2 and operated by appointment only to reduce foot traffic and increase social distancing. I suspended under mask services until I was fully vaccinated and the state's COVID metrics decreased sufficiently enough to make it safer for everyone to resume. Once I was fully vaccinated I returned to full operation but continued requiring masks and wearing one myself. I installed HEPA filter air purifiers in both the piercing room and the main shop that are rated for spaces triple the size of the spaces to help reduce both viral particles and other air pollutants. Due to the nature of this business all surfaces have always been cleaned both before and after each client and all tools and jewelry have always been autoclaved to sterilize them before use.
Masks were required for all my clients and their accompanying guests regardless of vaccination status until vaccinations were widely available.
I will continue to wear a mask until the metrics are no longer suggesting it is prudent to do so in order to protect my high risk clients. I also HIGHLY recommend my clients wear masks as well.
I also continually get tested with both PCR and antigen tests for COVID on a regular basis to ensure I am not an asymptomatic carrier.
Should I avoid getting a piercing if I'm on certain medications?
It is always best to consult your doctor about any medication or medical condition before getting pierced. However there are some medications that come with known risks if you get pierced while you are taking them, such as chemotherapy drugs, oral steroids, and other immunosuppressants, accutane, and blood thinners. These are not the only medications that can cause risks though and you should consult your doctor about any medication you are on before getting pierced, and let your piercer know about your medications and health conditions before your procedure.
What brands of jewelry do you carry?
We carry many brands, among them Neometal, Modern Mood, People's Jewelry of California, Regalia Gold Jewelry, and Tawapa. We are always happy to special order a piece for you if you are looking for something specific.
I'm unhappy with my piercing or something is wrong with my jewelry i just received from you, what should I do??
Your satisfaction is extremely important to us. If your piercing is not to your satisfaction please let us know as soon as possible and we will work with you to fix the issue. If you remove the piercing before contacting us there is nothing we can do to rectify the issue, we must see why you are unhappy with it. If your jewelry somehow malfunctions after we've recently installed it, contact us as soon as it malfunctions, if you contact us weeks or months later we will not be able to replace it for you.
How do I know I'm safe getting pierced by you?u?
I go above and beyond the highest industry protocols for sanitation, sterilization, and aseptic technique. I use only top quality materials such as implant grade titanium and gold from brands like Neometal, Tawapa, Modern Mood, People's Jewelry, Khrysos, Cascade, Odyssea, Body Gems, Body Circle, and Regalia to ensure you have the safest experience possible. All tools, and jewelry are sterilized before use and my needles are single use silicone coated tri-beveled. All gauze, cotton swabs, skin prep, disinfectant wipes, single use skin markers, etc that will touch your body before, during, or after your procedure are individually packaged sterile items, not pulled from a container of hundreds of unsterile items open to the emvironment that can be contaminated. I am one of the handful of piercers in NC that uses individually packaged sterile gloves to perform your piercing instead of non-sterile exam gloves pulled from an exposed open box. Many of my tools are sterile single use disposable tools. Any surgical steel reusable tools that I do repurpose go through a multistep disinfection process including soaking in detergent, hand scrubbing with detergent, rinsing, an ultrasonic cycle with enzymatic cleaner, rinsing, a soak in a disinfectant liquid, rinsing, bagging, and an autoclave sterilization cycle using pressure, heat and steam to sterilize. I use 2 state of the art autoclaves, an Enbio S purchased new in April 2022 and a Tuttnauer purchased new in November 2020 that are spore tested regularly. All surfaces in the studio are cleaned and disinfected multiple times a day. I have multiple medical grade air purifiers throughout the studio.
Have more questions? Message me today! All messages will be returned within 48 hours.