Tidbits & Stuff

What should you look for in a piercing parlor that will reduce the risks of body piercing?

First impressions count! When you walk in the door, scan the waiting area. Is it clean, neat and professional looking? If the front of the shop isn’t clean, it’s a sure thing that they can’t keep the back area clean. If you first impression makes you wary, turn around and walk out the door.

Credentials

Check to make sure they are licensed by the local board of health to operate as a piercing studio, and make sure their license hasn’t expired. Also look for membership in a recognized group such as the Association of Professional Piercers (APP), which sets high standards for membership and requires extensive training. An APP certification will indicate that the piercers have taken classes and been through a rigorous apprenticeship program.

Helpful, Knowledgeable Staff

Ask questions, and lots of them. If the employees don’t know the answers and are more like sales clerks pushing jewelry than anything, you should be wary. They may have a high turn-over of staff for some reason; this is also a red flag. If, however, they can answer yourpiercing questions and give you good, clear advice, then they have been well-trained by someone with experience.

The one exception may be if the studio is very large and they have a few sales people who only work the front counters. If this is the case and you begin asking questions, they should answer honestly that they are salespeople, and be willing to refer you to a piercer or apprentice who can discuss your concerns with you. There should always be a piercer on location at the studio or parlor when it is open –- always.

Printed information

Ask to see the aftercare information they provide to individuals getting pierced. If you hear, “Oh, your piercer will explain all that to you,” insist on seeing the printed version before getting pierced. If they don’t have printed, step-by-step instructions, walk away. It is too easy to forget what you need to do, forget the name of the product you should be using, etc. if you don’t have printed instructions. If they aren’t willing to spend the money to print the instructions for their clients, who knows where else they might be cutting corners!

Read through the aftercare instructions and see if they are current with the prevailing standards. A good way to evaluate this is by checking them against what you see on sites such as BME, Tribalectic and APP. If thepiercing literature still recommends using alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, for instance, to clean your piercing, then the studio is not keeping up with the current research in body piercing care and may cause you unnecessary suffering and longer healing times.

The rules are there for a reason

If you’re a teenager and they don’t ask for I.D. or tell you to come back with a parent or guardian, do not thank your lucky stars. Leave! The law says your parent has to be present, and any studio that bends or breaks the rules on one issue will do the same on others.

In other words, if they are willing to “ignore” one rule to grab your money, they will ignore others to turn a higher profit. They may decide that the expense of an autoclave is unnecessary, or that reusing piercing needles is a great way to save some money. You are a minor and have little or no protection without your parents present, and they know this –- that’s why they do it -- to take advantage of you, pure and simple. If you are going to get pierced, make sure you take a parent or guardian with you for your own safety. If they’ve been cool enough to get this far with you, they’ll survive going to apiercing parlor, trust me.