Frequently Asked Questions

  • We are appointment only for everything and that includes jewelry shopping. Appointments allow time for a piercer to appropriately size posts and rings for your piercings as well as swap them for you. This also minimizes foot traffic and noise in the lobby to give our clients the best experience possible. You can book an appointment to shop for jewelry or if you’d prefer shop our webstore.

  • You can book an appointment by clicking here. No appointments are booked by phone or email. If you’re not seeing availabilities then unfortunately we are currently booked. People do cancel and change appointments so it is worthwhile to check back and see if anything has opened up. If you don’t have any luck with that then on the first of each month at 11:30 am EST the next month will open for booking!

  • We will do up to 3 piercings in one appointment depending on what they are. Three piercings tends to be a good number that doesn’t put too much strain on the body while healing. The final say is up to the piercer depending on what piercings you want, what you already have healing and how things have healed for you in the past. We always want to make a choice that sets you up for success!

    We do not want to do cartilage piercings on each ear in the same day, because of the inevitable complications that come from sleeping on a healing piercing, and how difficult it is to not sleep on either of your ears.

  • If you need to cancel your appointment please give us a minimum of 24 hours notice. If you cancel less than 24 hours before your appointment time, no call no show your appointment, or show up more than 10 minutes (5 minutes for downsize or troubleshooting appointments) late you will be charged a $50 cancellation/no call no show fee. We hate to do it but no shows and late cancellations hurt our piercers as well as other clients who could have used that appointment.

  • You should arrive at your appointment time. We have appointments booked back to back so even if you do arrive early we typically won't be able to have you come in early. Due to our small staff and studio having too many people in the lobby can become overwhelming. If you arrive late we may not have time to accommodate your service and you'll need to reschedule.

  • Nope! We only have one location in Vienna, Virginia, USA. But if you aren’t local to us feel free to reach out and we can see if we know anyone near you that we would recommend! And we do ship jewelry worldwide with our web-store.

A photograph of a Square point of sales machine with a client tapping their credit card to check out

  • We don’t pierce people who are currently pregnant (or 3 months post-pregnancy). Your body is using this time to focus on making your baby, and a piercing will not heal well for you during this time period. We want to wait until at least 3 months after you’re no longer pregnant before piercing, which allows your body time to heal and return back to normal again!

  • No, if you’re planning to get pregnant in the near future we recommend holding off on getting a piercing until you are 3 months postpartum. Pregnancy can cause issues with healing piercings and even sometimes well established piercings.

  • Yes! You can bring one guest as a support person as long as they are over 13 years old. Guests are not able to get services unless they have their own appointment. People under the age of 18 must have one parent/legal guardian with them inside the studio and may bring one additional support person who is over the age of 13.

  • Yes, that is a part of each appointment! Each piercing and jewelry change appointment includes time to have a consultation with your piercer and one of our jewelry stylists. This means that we will make sure the piercing you are interested in will work with your specific ear shape, and the jewelry you choose will help create a cohesive look.

  • Most piercings are a pretty quick pinch followed by some throbbing but are over in seconds. Typically your anxiety around the piercing is worse than the actual piercing itself. After the initial pain you may have some soreness but the pain from the piercing itself isn’t lengthy. When I’m going to get pierced I remind myelf that even if it’s the worst pain you’ve ever felt it will be over in seconds.

  • Short answer is no. Numbing cream causes temporary changes in the tissue that can lead to markings for the piercing being off. Once the numbing cream wears off your piercing may not be placed in the spot you or your piercer expected. These same effects on the tissue being pierced can also lead to issues healing.

A photograph of a collection of implant grade titanium straight barbells anodized to a rainbow of different colors

  • No, chemicals and bacteria in standing bodies of water can be extremely irritating for a new piercing or cause an infection. We recommend keeping your piercings out of bodies of water for at least 2 months.

  • No, showers are strongly encouraged and are the best place to clean your new piercing. You can learn more about aftercare here.

  • Please visit the aftercare page here.

  • We can try!  Certain piercings are trickier to hide than others, but we have a variety of solutions for this very common dilemma.  We carry inconspicuous titanium jewelry as well as clear retainers that can be worn during medical procedures. You can order retainers here.

    For sports, check with your league and referee to see if you’ll be able to still wear jewelry as piercings will close without jewelry in them during the healing process which is several months long. We can help you with discrete jewelry but will not recommend removing jewelry from a healing piercing.

  • This is a very important part of the healing process! Many fresh piercings require jewelry have a little room to accommodate your initial swelling.  Without that extra room the piercing is bound to have issues.  After a period of time (6-8 weeks depending on the piercing) your swelling should subside and you can come back for a shorter piece of jewelry to wear for the remainder of healing.  Downsizing is important because the additional length on jewelry can cause issues with healing if left in after swelling subsides. Learn more here.

  • For the majority of piercings we use threadless jewelry. If you click here and here we have videos explaining how the jewelry works and how to change it. For some other piercings we use threaded jewelry and have a video about it here. For more thorough explanation of jewelry styles and how they work, please click here.

    If you have questions about what jewelry you have or how to change here it please email us or check your receipt!

A photograph of an ear with a selection of gold jewelry and a pair of forceps holding a new piece up to the tragus

  • In the studio we can take cash, as well as all cards, Apple Pay, and CashApp pay at checkout!

    On our web store, we take card, ShopPay, and PayPal!

  • Check out or pricing page by clicking here. Service fees and jewelry cost are calculated separately, because jewelry cost can vary. Visit out web store for exact jewelry cost.

  • We use sterile single use piercing needles for everything. We don’t use piercings guns for anything and do not have them in the studio.

  • We carry jewelry made from solid 14k or 18k gold, implant-grade (ASTM-F136) titanium, implant-grade (ASTM-F138) stainless steel, and pure niobium. If you have specific allergies please alert your piercer and stylist so we can steer you in the right direction.

  • No.  We are unable to determine the exact material of outside jewelry so for your safety we must use our own jewelry. If you’d like to learn more about our jewelry you can click here.

  • No, that’s not possible. The jewelry needs to be inserted immediately after the piercing to prevent the hole from closing and to minimize any potential bleeding. The jewelry is follows the needle into the newly created piercing to ensure a smooth process and proper healing. Without the jewelry, the piercing would close up almost immediately, and it could cause bleeding. For your safety and hygiene, jewelry must be inserted during the piercing.

  • We are sorry that you aren’t happy with the jewelry you picked out. Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns or exchanges on worn jewelry. Due to health and safety concerns we cannot sell jewelry that has been worn, so once we install a piece for you, its yours. We are happy to help you find another spot where you might like the piece more but we cannot accept a return.

A photograph of a client's hand holding a baby blue bag with a bottle of sterile saline aftercare spray in it

  • Yes, with certain restrictions. The person being pierced must be at least 13 years old (this age minimum also applies to jewelry shopping and changes).  Any time a piercing is performed on a minor we require a parent/legal guardian be present, a government-issued photo ID for the parent, and the original birth certificate (or guardianship papers if applicable) for the minor.

  • No, you cannot get pierced while taking Accutane or within 6 months of discontinuing taking Accutane. We have also had doctors advise us against piercing clients who are taking Accutane. While this may not be the most fun answer it is what's best for your body as your piercing will not heal and has an increased chance of scarring badly.

  • No, we need the actual document with you for identification purposes.

  • No, it does not have the information we are required to have on file, so we cannot accept a passport in place of a birth certificate for someone under 18.

  • We kindly ask that you avoid using your phone or FaceTime during your appointment. It's important for us to have your full attention to confirm jewelry, pricing, and placement, as well as to ensure we get your consent and explain aftercare instructions.

Don’t see your question answered or have a unique situation? Send us an email - we’re happy to help!