Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

  • Appointments are recommended and ensure you get the time and attention your piercing deserves. Walk-ins are welcome based on availability. If you have a specific piercing in mind or want to discuss jewelry options in detail, booking ahead is the better experience.

  • You must be 18 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID. We check ID for every client.

  • Eat a good meal within a couple of hours of your appointment. Your blood sugar affects how your body handles the piercing experience. Stay hydrated. Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours beforehand. Get decent sleep the night before. Show up feeling well. If you're on any blood-thinning medications or have relevant medical conditions, let us know ahead of time.

  • Wear something that gives easy, comfortable access to the area being pierced. Loose, soft fabric is ideal. You'll thank yourself later when you're not wrestling with tight clothing over a fresh piercing.

  • We offer flexible pricing based on project type and complexity. After an initial conversation, we’ll provide a transparent quote with no hidden costs.

  • Healing varies person to person and depends heavily on aftercare, lifestyle, and overall health. These are general ranges:

    • Earlobes: 3–6 months

    • Cartilage (helix, flat, tragus, conch, etc.): 6–12 months

    • Nostril: 4–6 months

    • Septum: 2–3 months

    • Navel: 6–12 months

    • Nipple: 9–12 months

    • VCH: 4–8 weeks (one of the faster-healing placements)

    These are minimums, not finish lines. If you're not sure whether you're healed, come in and let your piercer take a look.

The Piercing Process

  • There's a brief moment of intensity, and then it's over. Most clients are surprised by how fast the actual piercing is. Some placements are more sensitive than others. Cartilage, for example, tends to have more resistance than a lobe. Your piercer will talk you through the process and make sure you feel ready before proceeding.

  • We use needles only. Piercing guns can't be properly sterilized, can cause more tissue trauma, and are not appropriate for anything beyond a lobe. Even for lobes, a needle produces a cleaner result. Every needle we use is single-use and sterile.

  • The actual piercing itself takes only a few seconds. The full appointment (paperwork, jewelry selection, setup, placement discussion) typically runs 20–40 minutes depending on what you're getting done.

  • No. We won't pierce anyone who appears intoxicated. Alcohol thins your blood, increases bleeding, and affects your ability to give informed consent. We'll reschedule.

Jewelry

  • We use implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136) and solid 14k gold. These are the two materials with the best biocompatibility for fresh piercings. They're inert, won't leach metals into healing tissue, and dramatically reduce the chance of irritation or reaction during healing. We do not use surgical steel, acrylic, mystery metals, or mystery alloys for initial jewelry.

  • A fresh piercing is an open wound, and whatever's sitting in that wound during healing has a direct impact on whether it heals well. Low-quality metals can trigger reactions, slow healing, and cause persistent irritation that looks like infection but isn't. Starting with the right jewelry is one of the most important things we do.

  • It's supposed to. We use longer posts for fresh piercings to accommodate swelling during the first several weeks of healing. Once swelling has gone down, typically 6–12 weeks depending on the piercing, you'll come back for a "downsize," where we switch you to a shorter post that fits more snugly. Skipping the downsize and leaving long jewelry in too long increases the risk of snagging and irritation.

  • No. We only pierce with jewelry we've sourced and verified as implant-grade. We can't confirm the quality or safety of outside jewelry, and the risk to your healing isn't worth it.

  • Not until your piercing is fully healed. And healed doesn't just mean it stopped hurting. Piercings heal from the outside in, so they can look and feel fine on the surface while still actively healing deeper in the tissue. Changing jewelry too early is one of the most common reasons piercings fail. Your piercer will give you a specific healing timeline, and we're always happy to do jewelry changes for you in-shop once you're ready.

What we offer

  • We pierce ears (lobes and cartilage), nose (nostril and septum), navel, nipple, and VCH (vertical clitoral hood). Our full service menu is available on our Services page.

  • We don't perform smiley piercings, tongue web (webbing) piercings, surface piercings, surface anchors, or dermal implants. For genital piercings, we currently offer VCH only. We don't offer these placements for reasons of healing difficulty, long-term wearability, and client safety. Not because they don't exist, but because we want everything we do to heal well and last.

Common Concerns

  • Irritation bumps are common, especially with cartilage piercings, and they're not the same as an infection. They're usually caused by one or more of the following: pressure from sleeping on the piercing, snagging or bumping the jewelry, jewelry that's the wrong size or material, or over-cleaning. The fix is almost always removing the source of irritation. Don't try to treat the bump with tea tree oil or other DIY remedies. Those often make things worse. Come in and let us take a look.

  • Irritation is common. You'll see redness, some tenderness, maybe a small bump or clear-to-white discharge. An actual infection involves significant swelling, heat, green or yellow discharge, and worsening pain that typically doesn't resolve on its own. If you're concerned, come see us before going to urgent care. Many "infected" piercings are actually irritated piercings with jewelry in the wrong metal or at the wrong size, and removing the jewelry can sometimes make things worse. Let your piercer assess first.

  • We recommend waiting at least 8 weeks before submerging a fresh piercing in any body of water: pools, ocean, lakes, or hot tubs. The concern isn't just salt or chlorine; it's bacteria. A fresh piercing is an open wound, and standing water introduces microorganisms that aren't easily flushed out. Showers are fine.

  • We don't pierce clients who are currently pregnant. If you're breastfeeding, we recommend waiting until you're done. Your immune system and healing capacity are working differently postpartum, and we'd rather you heal cleanly.

Health & Safety

  • Every needle is single-use and sterile. All reusable tools are cleaned, packaged, and autoclave sterilized before use with each client. We follow Washington State DOL licensing requirements and WAC 246-145 health and safety standards, including documented autoclave testing. Disposable gloves are used throughout, and our piercing room is cleaned between every client.

  • Yes. Our autoclave is FDA-registered and tested with biological spore testing monthly. We maintain records of every sterilization cycle as required by state regulations.

Pricing

  • Piercing pricing depends on placement and jewelry selection. Implant-grade titanium and 14k gold pieces vary in price, and your jewelry choice is part of the overall cost. We'll walk you through options at your appointment. You can also contact us ahead of time if you'd like a general range for your specific placement.

Still have questions? Contact us or stop in during open hours. We're happy to talk through anything before you commit.

For care instructions after your piercing, visit our Piercing Aftercare page.