Frequently Asked Questions
"Do you accept appointments or walk-ins?"
Due to COVID-19, we are abiding by a strict appointment-only basis; we are not accepting walk-ins at this time. Services are booked in half hour increments, but appointments are held for the first 10 minutes.
If you do not arrive in that time (example, if you have a 2pm appointment for a service and you cannot arrive by 2:10pm), your appointment is forfeited and you are not guaranteed accommodation or compensation. If you cannot make it to your appointment or if you will be late to your appointment, a courtesy call is always appreciated.
"How much does it cost to get x piercing?"
For basic piercings, there is a $45 piercing fee plus the cost of jewelry. The cost of jewelry varies, so please contact the studio for approximate price quotes!
"Do you pierce children's ears?"
Yes! As of July 1st, 2020, we have an age minimum of eight (8) years old. Please make sure you’re familiar with our ID policies!
"How old do I have to be to get x piercing?"
We issue age minimums for all piercings for client safety. We do have a handy chart of age minimums.
We do not pierce minors without the presence of a legal parent/guardian and required identification. Under no circumstances do we offer tongue, surface, genital, or nipple piercings for anyone under the age of 18.
"What should I do before getting my piercing?"
Please be prepared and arrive with all documents required to complete paperwork.
Our employees reserve the right to refuse service.
Eat within four hours of your arrival and be hydrated. Feeling good in your body is important for managing discomfort during your piercing process.
Arrive completely sober. We cannot pierce people who are under the influence, and we do not recommend taking over the counter pain management for your piercing, unless it’s already prescribed by your doctor.
For those who wear makeup, your piercer may remove some of it by cleaning and marking the area of the piercing, so you may not want to wear any cosmetics to your visit.
Do not use any numbing agents at the site of your piercing.
Consider where on your body you’re getting pierced when getting dressed. (A romper might not be your favorite choice when it comes time to pierce your navel!) Body hair does not effect our ability to pierce, so shaving is completely up to personal preference.
“Can I get pierced if I am pregnant or nursing?”
We do not pierce individuals who are pregnant or actively nursing.
With pregnancy and nursing alike, the body will undergo immense hormonal changes. This hormonal imbalance can lead to a complicated, prolonged healing process with any new piercing. We want the body to efficiently focus on the task at hand - which in this instance is growing a new person! Getting pierced while pregnant or actively nursing can pose risks to your child as well as cause complications with the healing process.
We require that previously pregnant individuals wait at least three months postpartum before getting a new piercing.
We also require that individuals who are nursing must wait until after they have finished nursing their child.
If you have been pregnant but are no longer pregnant for any reason, we ask you to wait until your body is feeling back to normal, and until you’re not on antibiotics if you were prescribed any.
If you are pregnant and want to remove a piercing, we will happily help you take your jewelry out. People sometimes find some of their piercings get angry or uncomfortable during pregnancy.
“Can I get pierced if I am on medication, am HIV+, or have another diagnosis?”
Typically we can pierce you on most medications!
The exceptions to this would be if you’re on a current prescription of antibiotics we’ll want to wait until you’ve fully completed the course.
If you’re currently on Accutane we’ll need to wait until at least six months after you’ve discontinued use.
We are able to pierce people who are on blood thinners like daily aspirin or Warfarin. Please be advised that you may bleed more than others immediately after your piercing as well as in the days following.
We are able to pierce people who are HIV+.
If you have had a recent surgery, please wait until you’re done with any prescribed antibiotics and are back to feeling normal. If the surgery was on or near the area you’d like to get pierced, please wait until any antibiotics are completed and come in for an in-person anatomy consultation to get a clear timeline of when a piercing will be appropriate.
"Do I tip?"
Professional piercing is a service industry. With that being said, tipping is never expected, but always appreciated. If you feel that our staff did an excellent job and you are pleased with your experience, 20% of your final bill is an appropriate amount to tip. Tipping is also very much appreciated for jewelry installs, downsizes, and stretching. If you choose to tip cash or on your card, 100% of that tip goes to the staff you worked with, split between your piercer and front of house.
"Can I bring my family/friends when I/my child get(s) pierced?"
Due to the pandemic, we are asking clients to limit additional guests in the studio. Our studio is a very small space, please bring no more than one additional adult guest with you to your appointment. When choosing a guest to bring with you, consider how they’ll be able to show up for you emotionally: getting pierced can be stressful for some.
While we do offer earlobe piercings for children eight years old and up, we ask that no additional children and infants be brought into the studio. It can be very hazardous having children who can be distracting in the piercing room. Monitoring children while getting pierced is disruptive for the “piercee” and piercer alike. For everyone's safety, it is extremely important that the piercee and piercer are completely focused on the task at hand with no interruptions. We have a wonderful seating area just outside our front door if you’d like to bring another trusted adult to hang out with your kiddos while you get pierced.
We completely understand that a new piercing can be nerve-wracking and that you would like the emotional support, but please remember to be mindful of other people in the studio and be respectful of your piercer’s control of the room.
"Can I bring my own jewelry to get pierced?"
We abide by a strict quality standard regarding jewelry for initial piercings. We typically do not pierce with jewelry purchased from outside our studio because we cannot guarantee the quality or material of the jewelry. We exclusively pierce with specific materials to avoid any healing complications attributed to metal allergies and sensitivities—what we use is what we guarantee for a successful healing process. If you are concerned about being allergic or sensitive to the materials we provide (titanium especially), please consider getting an allergy test for these materials before getting pierced with us.
We are able to process jewelry from outside the studio as long as it is made by an APP compliant manufacturer, never been worn by anyone else and is size appropriate for the fresh piercing you want to put it in.
All initial piercings will be performed with the following:
· ASTM F-136 Implant Grade Titanium
· Pure Niobium
· 14 karat or higher yellow, white, and rose gold with no nickel, lead or cadmium
· Non-porous, lead-free glass
“Do you do daith piercings for migraines?”
We love to offer daith piercings! They are Jake’s favorite piercing to do and we love all of the fun jewelry choices that are made for them!
However, we make absolutely no medical claims to any of our services. Our piercers have many years training in safe piercing practices, but they are not trained acupuncturists. Our studio is fully licensed to offer body art, but we are not a medical office.
What we do offer is the best jewelry quality available sterilized immediately before service, evidence based aftercare, years of experience in piercing placement to promote healing, and a clean environment for services.
We're happy to offer the service using best practices as long as you'll be happy with the piercing even if it's just decorative!
Jef Saunders of Gamma Piercing has an excellent post about the history of daith piercings and why they take the same stance as us on not making medical claims about their services.
What jewelry brands do you carry?
All of our jewelry options fall under the Association of Professional Piercers Jewelry for Initial Piercings best materials. If there is a specific piece you’ve been looking for, reach out!
In our case at any time you will find a selection of:
Cascade (threadless labret posts)
Body Vision Los Angeles (BVLA)
Additionally, we have open accounts with and can place custom orders for:
“I may need an accessibility accommodation?”
It’s important to us that all of our clients have equal access to the services we offer.
Our building is elevated about three feet from the street level, and we have a wheelchair accessible ramp to the front door from the sidewalk. Our front door doesn’t have an automatic operator, but our front desk staff would be happy to open the front door for you. The front door has a lever handle, and while the door is not heavy it does shut on it’s own - having us hold it open allows for easier wheelchair access. All other doorways within the studio remain propped open. The front door has a 3/4” lip in the bottom of the frame, which is graduated to a 1/4” lip by a mat on each side, no other door frame inside the studio has a lip.
The studio is well lit and free of tripping hazards. All doors and hallways inside are wheelchair accessible
We do not have a dedicated parking lot, but do have street parking with accessible sidewalks in front of and across the street from the studio. Bank of America and the Post Office across the street have accessible free parking spots and accessible sidewalks to us - please be careful in the 4-way stop intersection between us as drivers often do not stop at the signs. Some spots are marked as 1-hour or 2-hour parking, but there is no ticketing.
The table we use for piercings is 32” high, it has a pull out step if that makes it easier to get onto - the headrest can be raised, and there is a pull out foot rest. The piercing room also has a bench that is 16” tall if the table is too high. If you have a mobility aid that allows you to sit, we can absolutely allow you to remain seated in your own aid for the service.
Our procedure table weight limit is 500lb. If you are above this weight, please contact us to work out what will be the best accommodation for the service you’re looking for.
The jewelry cases are designed to be viewed from a standing or sitting position. We can provide a stool if it would be easiest for you to not stand while picking out jewelry - this stool does have wheels on it. There is also a 16” tall bench in the lobby to sit on while doing paperwork.
We do paperwork on Ipads - which means we are able to turn on Apple Voiceover Settings by triple tapping the home button. This also works for our register. Staff is prepared to discuss size, color, and shape verbally, as well as by touch.
Staff is happy to remove masks for lip reading, as well as communicate through text - unfortunately we do not currently have staff proficient in ASL at this time.
We welcome any service animals that may be working with you during your service! We cannot allow pets or emotional support animals into the studio, but there is a covered patio by the front door where they can wait for you to be done!
Background music is played in the studio. Staff members will typically play soft pop or 2000’s hits. If this is overstimulating, please let the counter staff know so they can stop or quiet it. Our autoclave makes a sound while it is processing jewelry: it sounds very similar to someone sucking through a straw in an empty cup - this noise will happen in the piercing room while you are filling out paperwork in the lobby but can be dampened by request by closing the piercing room door: this noise will stop completely before your piercing.
We try to reduce ambient smells. We also use cleaning products, though they don’t typically create a strong ambient smell. During your service, we use a skin prep called Microsan, which has a temporary but strong “clean” smell.
If you have any additional questions, always feel free to reach out to us!
Piercing Price Estimates 2024 (Piercing fee, jewelry, aftercare +tax)
If you are interested in solid 14k gold options request a price quote at Aperturbodyarts@yahoo.com! Gold pricing is not listed below.
SINGLES:
Bridge (18+)
Beads-$130 Gems-$160-175
Conch (15+)
Beads-$115 Gems-$125-140
Daith (18+)
Beads- $105-115 Gems-$145+
SINGLE Lobe (8+)
Beads-$90 Gems-$95-115
Eyebrow (15+)
Beads-$110 Gems-$135
Helix/Forward Helix (14+)
Beads-$115 Gems-$125-140
Industrial (16+)
Beads-$130 Gems-$160-170
Labret, Monroe, Philtrum (15+)
Beads-$115 Gems-$125-140
Vertical Labret/Philtrum(15+)
Beads-$110 Gems-$135+
SINGLE Nipple (18+)
Beads-$130 Gems-$185-240
Navel (16+)
Beads-$150 Gems-$155-240
Navel, Floating (16+)-
Basics- $145 Gems-$170
Nostril (14+)
Beads-$110 Gems-$115-135
Rook (15+)
Beads-$110 Gems-$135-185
Septum (14+)
Beads- $105-115 Gems-$140-160+
Surface Anchor18+)
Disk-$130 Gems-$155
Surface bar (18+)
Disk-$170 Gems-$220
Tongue (18+)
Beads-$100-155 Gems-$125-155
Tragus (15+)
Beads-$115 Gems-$125-140
PAIRED/Two in One Appointment
Conch (15+)
Beads-$200 Gems-$220-243
Daith (18+)
Beads-$190-210 Gems-$255+
Earlobes (8+)
Beads-$155 Gems-$165-200
Eyebrows (15+)
Beads-$200 Gems-$245
Helixes/Forward Helixes (14+)
Beads-$200 Gems-$220-245
Labrets, Monroes, Philtrum (15+)
Beads-$200 Gems-$220-243
Vertical Philtrums/Labrets-
Beads-$200 Gems-$245
Nipples (18+)
Beads-$220 Gems-$310-440
Nostrils (14+)
Beads-$200 Gems-$210-245
Surface Anchor (18+)
Disks-$235 Gems-$285