When you arrive for your piercing appointment, we start off by checking your anatomy to ensure that you are built for the piercing that you are requesting. For certain piercings such as the industrial, tongue, frenulum, navel, multiple piercing projects, and some genital piercings, some people do not have the proper anatomy to support and heal the piercing. This is something that we will check right away and if you are not suited for the piercing, we will explain why and offer alternative options.

Once we determine that your anatomy is suited for the piercing you are requesting, you will then be shown all of the possible jewelry options. Each piercing has a lot of options that you can start with, as we want you to pick something that you will be happy wearing through the entire healing time. If there are certain options that might work better for your particular anatomy, we will also offer input about the shape or style of jewelry that might look the best, heal well, fit your anatomy, etc.

During the jewelry selection is when we will also give you pricing for the piece(s) you like. Unlike many places that offer piercing, we offer a large variety of options, so we separate the piercing fee from the jewelry to give you the opportunity to pick your favorite piece of jewelry. Even with piercings that have to be started with a longer post for potential swelling, a decorative top can still be chosen, as you are able to keep your same top and just get a shorter post once the piercing is healed.

After you have picked out your jewelry and have been given a total for what the piercing and your selected jewelry will cost, we will have you fill out a consent form. We will need to make a copy of your photo identification (please see the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website for more information about identification requirements for adults and minors) on your consent form, for insurance purposes. The consent form will have a section for you to fill out for your basic contact information and will include questions that will help us determine there are no contraindications for the piercing (i.e. some sports and jobs do not allow visible piercings, and receiving a piercing before travel and/or medical procedures might be discouraged).

When you first enter the piercing room, all supplies needed for your procedure will be set up and ready for sterilization. The piercer will show you the Statim autoclave cassette, as you see it in this photo, and will explain the sterilization process to you. All tools, jewelry, needle(s), cotton swabs, and gauze, will be sterilized in front of you so that you can be certain that everything used for your procedure was properly sterilized.

An integrator strip (what you see in the photo at the top right) will be shown to you and the piercer will explain that a black line will appear through the middle section during the sterilization process. If the inside of the autoclave achieves the proper temperature and pressure for the correct amount of time, the black line will end up in the "PASS" area of the integrator strip. The piercer will have you write your initials on the integrator strip before the autoclave load is started. This is so you will know it is your integrator strip when you see it immediately before your piercing procedure.

The piercer will be performing the cleaning and marking for your piercing while the autoclave is sterilizing the items needed for your piercing procedure. We will be sterilizing your items in an "Unwrapped" cycle, which means that we intend on using the items immediately upon opening the autoclave cassette. The autoclave cycle will be finishing around the same time that you have approved your mark(s) and the piercing is ready to begin. The Statim autoclave cassette will be opened in front of you and you will be shown the integrator strip with your initials on it, so you will be able to see that the black line is in the "PASS" area and that all of the items for your piercing procedure have met conditions for sterilization.

Now that the items needed for the piercing procedure are sterilizing, the sterilization cycle number will be documented on your consent form and sterilization log, and the piercer will wash their hands in front of you immediately before donning gloves.

After putting on the first set of gloves, all pre-procedure packages will be opened, with care being taken not to actually touch the contents of the packages. This is when we open the prep pack, which contains disposable items that might be needed for marking, including the gentian violet that we use with a sterile toothpick for a safe and disposable option for marking. We will also open skin prep products and a water based lubricant. While we typically prep the piercing area with alcohol prep pads followed by a povidone-iodine swabstick, we do also have CHG prep pads available for clients with iodine allergies/sensitivities.

Once all packages are open, we remove that first set of gloves and don a second set of gloves that will be used for the actual cleaning and marking of the piercing area. The area is initially cleaned with an alcohol pad, then marked with the gentian violet and sterile toothpick. Once marked, you will have the opportunity to check out the mark(s) and discuss placement. (Note: some piercings are very anatomy dependent and the piercing needs to be done in a particular placement.)

After the mark(s) have been finalized, the piercing area will be prepped with iodine, or for clients allergic/sensitive to iodine, CHG prep pads will be used instead. As mentioned in the "Sterilization Process" section previous to this section, the Statim autoclave cycle will be done right about now and the autoclave cassette will be opened in front of you. The piercer will show you the integrator strip, so you will know that your items are sterilized, and the piercing will begin.

Sterile gloves will be used for the actual piercing procedure to ensure that all sterilized items remain sterile for the piercing procedure. The piercing itself will be very fast and jewelry will be inserted quickly after the piercing. The piercer will then clean off any iodine and marks with sterile gauze and you will be able to check out your awesome new piercing(s)!

After the piercing procedure, you will be given a thorough aftercare speech that includes:

• How long the piercing will take to heal
• When the jewelry can/needs to be changed
• What to expect while the piercing is healing
• How to care for the piercing during the healing process
• What jewelry style you chose and how it works
• What material your jewelry is made out of
• The "Don't Do's", which can be just as important as what you are supposed to do
• How to contact us 24/7 if you have questions or concerns
• Support and resources for out of town clients

You will also receive a "goodie bag" that contains:

• A detailed aftercare brochure
• An "About Us" brochure that includes information about our studio standards
• A free aftercare option (We also have items available for purchase)