What to Expect
Pre-Appointment Preparation
We cannot perform piercing services on anyone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who we suspect is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We also cannot perform piercings on anyone who is pregnant or less than three months post-partum.
We strongly suggest eating within four hours before any piercing procedure, including stretching an existing piercing. This decreases the likelihood that you will get lightheaded or nauseous.
Please be honest when answering the questions on your piercing consent form. Your answers provide the information needed to give you a comfortable experience and the highest chances of successful healing. Sometimes the piercer may need additional information before performing your procedure, such as obtaining a doctor’s note previous to receiving a piercing service. We want you to be safe and healthy, and have a great experience.
Keep in mind that body parts are different shapes and sizes, and not all piercings work for all people. If we decline you for a specific piercing procedure, please understand that we have your best interest in mind and we do not want you to receive a piercing that has a very low chance of success. (Please visit the Anatomy tab for more information about anatomical considerations for specific piercings.)
When You Arrive
Piercing
When you arrive for your appointment, please call to check in, and we will let you know if we are ready to meet you at the door to start your appointment. We are a private studio operating with a locked door, to give each client as much undivided attention and privacy as possible during their appointment. We start the appointment by checking your anatomy to ensure that you are able to receive the piercing that you are requesting, and that you have the best chance of successful healing. Many people do not have the anatomy for certain piercings, including the industrial, navel, eyebrow, tongue, multiple piercing projects, and some genital piercings. This is something that we will discuss at the beginning of the appointment, and if you are not suited for the piercing, we will explain why and offer alternative options.
Once we figure out what piercing(s) you will be getting, you will be able to check out 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. We have a mirror at the jewelry case that you can use to hold up many jewelry options with special tools, giving you a “preview” of what the jewelry could look like in your piercing.
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 are started with a longer post for potential swelling, a decorative top can still be chosen, because you are able to transfer your same top onto a shorter post once the piercing is past the initial swelling and it is time to downsize the jewelry.
After you have selected your jewelry and received a total for what the service fee(s) and your selected jewelry, we will have you fill out a consent form. We are required 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 ask for your basic contact information and will include questions that will help us determine there are no contraindications for the piercing.
Sterilization Process
Immediately previous to your service, all supplies needed for your procedure will be set up and ready for sterilization. The piercer will show you the Statim autoclave cassette previous to your piercing, and will explain the sterilization process to you. All tools, jewelry, needle(s), cotton swabs, and gauze, will be sterilized in your presence so that you can be certain that everything used for your procedure was properly sterilized.
An integrator strip will be shown to you, with the piercer explaining that a black line will appear through the middle section during the sterilization process, and you will be asked to write your initials on the side of the integrator strip. 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 clean and mark the piercing site while the autoclave is sterilizing the items needed for your piercing procedure. We will sterilize 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 finish 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.
After starting the autoclave cycle in the Statim autoclave, the piercer will wash their hands immediately before donning gloves. All pre-procedure packages will be opened, with care being taken to avoid touching the contents of the packages. This includes the single-use sterile skin marker and “prep pack”, which contains disposable items that might be needed for cleaning and marking. We will also open skin prep products and a water based sterile lubricant. We typically prep the piercing site with alcohol prep pads followed by a povidone-iodine swabstick, although we will utilize double alcohol for clients with iodine allergies/sensitivities.
Once all packages are open, we don a second set of gloves that will be used for the actual cleaning and marking of the piercing site. The area is initially cleaned with an alcohol pad, then marked with a single-use sterile skin marker. Once the site is 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 must be performed in a particular placement.)
After the mark(s) have been finalized, the piercing area will be prepped with iodine. As mentioned in the "Sterilization Process" section previous to this section, the Statim autoclave cycle will be complete 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 during the piercing procedure. The piercing itself is 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)!
Post-Piercing
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
We know this is a lot of information to process, so you will receive all of this information in detailed brochure form as well!