Selecting a Piercer
Have you found yourself shopping for a new piercer? Perhaps you’ve recently moved and are not familiar with the area, maybe your last piercer just wasn’t up to par - maybe you’re altogether new to getting piercings!
Whatever your reason for exploring your options, here is some advice that can aid in your search.
Some of the most important things to keep in mind are these:
Quality over quantity ALWAYS.
Price Shopping in either direction is almost never a good idea.
You are absolutely worthy of a safe procedure in a comfortable, professional and respectful environment.
The 50/50 Gamble
Some extremely common, well meaning advice you’ll hear is just that. Well meaning. However, this doesn’t always translate well in practice. That doesn’t mean it is necessarily awful advice, just keep in mind that there is no one thing that will tip you off that a piercer is wonderful (though there are a few single hard stop signals of ones to avoid!).
“Look at a portfolio!”
Yes, looking at a portfolio of someone’s work is very important. However - do you honestly know what you’re looking for? The problem with portfolio skimming as your primary method of selecting a new piercer is that lighting, angles and photo editing are all a thing. For instance - is the entire portfolio just fresh piercings? Often, issues with poorly done piercings may not be evident until a little further into healing (or rejecting!). Look for a portfolio that includes both fresh and healing or healed examples of work. Is there consistency to the photos? If you’ve got a whole bunch of piercings with acrylic jewelry, poor focus, sub par lighting, etc - then some sprinkled in with much nicer jewelry, lighting that looks professionally applied and so on - there’s a huge chance this is a genuinely poor portfolio buffed WAY out with stolen images. If certain things just don’t seem like they match the rest - there is usually a reason, and it is usually ripped off photos from a better piercer.
“Look at the shop’s reviews!”
Another double edged sword in the judgement of a potential new artist is relying on reviews. Some studios open with a phenomenal amount of stellar reviews - not because they have a solid reputation of expert work, but because they got a bunch of friends to go talk them up and pad it out ahead of their public opening. Some truly gifted and spectacular piercers have a variety of 1 star reviews from people who have never even set foot in their studio, or because someone decided to be petty. So, take a peek at those reviews - but really pay attention to what they are saying. For me, personally - before I decide on going into a new to me business, I look specifically for negative reviews. I like to see how any given person will handle the negative review - did they respond professionally and appropriately? Was the person who left the bad review just angry over something that was unavoidable? All worth consideration in my opinion. Reviews can give you a nice idea of what to expect; but should not be the end all be all deciding factor given all potential variables. Just remember - positive or negative reviews are very easy to fake, and on some platforms can outright be bought by a business owner. Also, if the studio has several artists, or offers several different services - ensure that the reviews dazzling you are for the artist/service type you want to have done.
Fully Staffed Studio
While we are on the topic of studios that offer a variety of services or have several artists on staff - this is a great time to address the pit falls of fully staffed studios in regards to piercing specific services. I hear a lot ‘so I went to a tattoo shop, and got this piercing, and now it’s having trouble’. There are absolutely Tattoo Studios that offer phenomenal piercing services and take that side of the business every bit as seriously as they should. However, there are a million more tattoo studios that view and offer piercings very much as an impulse buy at the check out stand. The latter of those two are studios you realistically want to avoid for piercing services.
Fortunately, it can be pretty easy to distinguish the two! Check their web presence. A studio that is offering quality piercing services WILL have some mention of it. If you see a studio social media page or website that has plenty of photos of tattoos, but none of their piercing work - probably best to avoid until you’re needing a tattoo. In my experience, these blatantly tattoo-centric studios are just that. Focused on tattoos, and piercings are that impulse buy at the check stand again. You deserve better!
Certifications and Memberships
Another thing that can be tremendously helpful in gauging how dedicated your piercer is to your safety is to see what they commit themselves to in terms of continuing education. Long after an apprenticeship has ended, there are still things to learn. Our knowledge of our craft is ever evolving and expanding, so there is plenty to keep up with for an artist keen to do so! Having said that, this one gets filed under 50/50 because all the papers on the planet don’t mean a whole lot to a client who doesn’t know what any given one may entail.
For instance - some extremely common (and generally good!) advice is to seek out an APP (Association of Professional Piercers) member. Membership is easy to verify instantly online, so this is a tough one for less scrupulous artists to fake. But what does it take to be an APP member? This organization grants membership based on minimum industry standards in terms of environmental criteria and jewelry quality. These are important factors, but do not guarantee that a member is necessarily experienced or well trained - only that they meet these very tangible criteria. There are obscenely skilled piercers who provide the same industry standard supplies and environment, but who are not interested in a membership; just as there are members who’s studios and supplies are the only great things they have going for them. Also, do not confuse APP Conference or Class attendance certificates with Membership certificates; though attending the conference and classes does show continuing education is happening.
Some additional certifications that are a sign you’re in the hands of someone dedicated to their craft and your well being are things like First Aid, CPR, certificates from in person (or now in the days of Covid, even online) training and seminars. In most locales, Bloodborne Pathogen training is required, and absolutely should be. Remember - this is another category of essentially ‘hints’ you can use to assess a potential new piercer, but none of these certificates alone should be your master deciding factor. Never hesitate to ASK a prospective artist to discuss with you any certifications, memberships, or additional training they have completed. Artists who dedicate the time, money and energy to these things will generally be thrilled to show them off a bit!