Frequently Asked Questions

are you members of the Association of Professional Piercers?

Yes. SLO Piercing is the first and only body art studio in all of SLO County to have APP members on staff. Our APP membership can be verified for all staff and locations at safepiercing.org

Are you a bvla retailer?

Yes, SLO Piercing is an authorized BVLA retailer for San Luis Obispo. We have a large selection available at our studio and can custom order any piece for you. Text us at (805) 441-4820 or email us at slopiercing@gmail.com

Do I need an appointment?

Appointments are our first priority but welcome walkins when available. You can book a piercing appointment by clicking here.

Do you pierce kid’s earlobes? / DO YOU PIERCE Minors?

Yes! We do! You can review all of our requirements and the piercings we offer for clients under age 18 here: Age + ID Policies.

Do you offer earstyling or Ear curation piercings?

Yes. We specialize in earstyling and ear curations. Please fill out our Earstyling Request Form to get started or text us at (805) 441-4820.

How much do you charge for piercings?

We provide a clear breakdown of what is included with your piercing and our starting prices under: Prices.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept all credit cards, cash and Bitcoin.

DO YOU USE PIERCING GUNS?

No, we do not use piercing guns. Piercing guns are extremely dangerous and painful because piercing guns 1.) can’t be sterilized, 2.) use blunt force with jewelry to create a hole (no needle) and 3.) the jewelry is not implant grade with a terrible butterfly backing design for healing. Our method is the best and safest way to do a safe piercing.

If you don’t use piercing guns, what’s your method to do piercings?

We use a sterile single use needle for each individual piercing. We are 100% single use and disposable studio. Nothing in our studio is reprocessed. In most cases, we use freehand tool-less methods for piercings. In the rare situations that we use tools for assistance, we use new tools that have never been used on anyone else. There is safe methods of reprocessing tools. Hospitals and dentist office do this all the time. However, we prefer to eliminate any risk associated with reprocessing tools by going single-use disposable.

Do you sterilize Jewelry, needles, tools, etc. before a piercing?

Yes. Health and safety is our highest priority. We are an all disposable, single-use studio that uses sterile gloves and all new sterile supplies for every single piercing procedure. We sterilize everything in front of you. We keep a solid record of every single sterilization cycle for every single client and can provide proof of our latest spore tests for our autoclave (sterilizer) upon request.

What material is your jewelry?

We use ASTM F136 implant grade titanium posts and mostly 18k gold ends in a threadless or threaded design on fresh and healed body piercings. It is the best and safest material for piercings. However, we do carry other safe materials. Other materials include: ASTM F138 implant grade stainless steel, pure niobium and 14k or 18k yellow, rose, white gold and platinum. We carry only the best professional grade body jewelry, so you won’t have issues with your piercings due to material sensitivity or an uncomfortable design. We’ve already done all the research for you on what is best for your piercing, so you don’t have to worry!

can I bring my own jewelry?

No. We only pierce or install jewelry that is sourced directly from our verified vendors. Everything that we need is available at our studio or can be custom ordered through a reputable verified vendor at our studio. This assures us that our clients are receiving a safe high quality product for their new or healed piercing(s) and helps us maintain consistency at our studio.

Can I get pierced with a hoop?

We will pierce septum and daith piercings with a hoop. Outer cartilage, like a helix or earlobes are preferred with a stud but can make exceptions if we use a thicker gauge and wider diameter on the jewelry. Nostril piercings are only with a stud. We will not pierce with small dainty hoops on any piercing.

Why can’t you use a hoop on a new piercing?

Small dainty hoops are great for healed piercings, but the worst choice on new piercings. We can use a hoop on a new piercings, however, it’s not what one may expect. Most piercings online displaying a small dainty hoop are either fully healed or new piercings done by an inexperienced piercer. The reality is that your piercing will experience swelling the first few weeks to a month, there’s no avoiding that. Using a small dainty hoop as an initial jewelry option for a fresh piercing is going to lead to guaranteed complications due to initial swelling. If we do a piercing with a hoop, we need a thicker gauge and a wide enough diameter to accommodate for the initial swelling. Therefore, the best option is a stud. The good news is you’ll have hundreds of cute stud options in gold and titanium available to choose from at our studio.

How long until I can switch to a hoop?

Switching to a hoop will vary from person to person but it will be about 9-12 months maybe longer if complications were experienced during healing. Some piercers may say as early as 4-6 months but based on our experience, even at 6 months it’s too early for most people. We strongly recommend waiting at least a full year. Be patient, it’s worth not having to deal with the healing complications. We see these complications way too often due to bad advice from inexperienced piercers or “experts” on the internet. Switching the jewelry to a hoop too soon is going to set your piercing back months or you’ll completely ruin your new piercing.

What is downsizing? something about shortening the post…

Most piercings will require a shorter post 4-8 weeks after the piercing. The initial jewelry we used is two (sometimes three) components: 1.) the fancy end(s) you get to pick out and 2.) the post. The initial post for a new piercing is a bit longer to accommodate for swelling. Once the swelling goes down after a month or two, we can switch the initial post, barbell or curbed barbell to a shorter piece. See below for an example:

It is important to downsize your piercing and to do your best to avoid sleeping on your piercing during healing. Your piercing will shift angles if it is slept on or snagged regularly. Once the piercing is downsized, it greatly reduces the possibility of irritation. If the piercing shifts angle due to sleeping on it, there is no way of correcting the angle unless we retire the piercing, let it heal and repierce at a later time. We recommend sleeping on your back until it’s healed or purchasing a travel pillow to slide in your pillow case to avoid applying pressure directly on your piercing.

We provide a free follow up with downsize to all our returning clients as part of your service.

If your piercing was not done at SLO Piercing, no worries! We are happy to help with your downsize! Our jewelry installation service is $15 and implant-grade titanium posts are available at $25 each.

Can I record a video or take pictures of me getting a piercing during my appointment?

No. We do not allow recording or pictures of the procedure. Phones are not allowed in the piercing room. Please do not record our piercers, staff or our clients without consent. If you would like pictures, please ask our support staff after the piercing! We have a cool Instax camera upfront and our staff is happy to take a picture or two for you to take home after your piercing.

Do you offer piercing parties or private events?

Yes. We offer piercing parties or private events at SLO Piercing. Send us an email at least 7 days in advance to make a reservation. Our hourly rate is $100 an hour plus our regular piercing rates.

Can I bring someone for moral support during my piercing appointment?

Absolutely! One additional person is allowed in the piercing room for moral support. Moral support must be 18 years or older.

Clients under the age of 18 years old must have their parents or legal guardian present as moral support. No one under the age of 18 is allowed in the piercing room without a parent or legal guardian present.