Having a lot of options to choose from in any category in life can be super overwhelming. It's difficult to decide where to start, what to look for, how to look for it, and what factors should be considered when making a decision. In regard to body modification, it's critical that you know enough about the artist you're going to and that your decision is super well-thought out. We're dealing with your body, after all - that's precious cargo! It needs to be treated as such.
Things to Consider When Deciding on a Piercer
Portfolio
A piercer's portfolio is a window into their craft. It shows you what they have experience doing, how well it seems like they do it, and how often they do it. Most commonly, piercers will use social media platforms like Instagram to showcase their work. Whereas they might have a website or other means of showing off their work, always look them up on social media and see if they have their work available to the public eye in that form.
An additional thing to pay attention to regarding a piercer's portfolio is how they present their work. Does it look like they quickly took a blurry snapshot of a piercing that still needs to be cleaned, or does it look like they took time to make sure the piercing looked its best before deciding to present it to the public? This can also reflect a piercer's style of piercing - are they rushing through the process, or giving each piercing the time and attention it deserves? When it comes to your body, it's okay to read into these things.
How They Respond to Clients Publicly
This is actually a really important one. If a current or potential client has a question, comment, concern, or even something negative to say, how the piercer handles the situation and responds to the person is important to pay attention to. Are they defensive, rude, condescending, or even impatient? Or are they gentle, validating, kind, friendly, and respectful? Put yourself in the commenters shoes and decide how you'd like to be treated in that situation and let that be a deciding factor in who you decide to let pierce you.
Reviews
This one might be an obvious one, but reviews on Yelp and Google can be really helpful in deciding who you want to go to. Even clients commenting on social media posts about their experiences can be helpful. Not every piercer is on Yelp or Google though - personally, I wasn't reviewed on Yelp until recently when I opened my own shop, but I still had a great number of happy clients under my belt! So, if a piercer's social media presence is alright but they're not on Yelp or Google, don't be too turned off by that. Reviews are definitely a helpful tool, however!
How They Respond to YOU
If you messaged them with questions about a piercing or booking, how did they respond? Was it friendly and helpful, or did it seem like they were sort of irritated that you were messaging them at all? This can be super revealing about how they might treat you in person. It's important to realize that they're only human and could be having a bad day, but at the same time they shouldn't let that trickle over into how they talk to you and treat you as a client. Know your worth!
Their Studio Space
This one could be a little difficult to use to make a decision prior to showing up to your appointment, but it's important to remember that - even if you put down a deposit - if you show up to a piercing appointment and you aren't comfortable with the environment, you don't have to go through with the piercing. You're fully in control of your body, and if a piercer tries to pressure you into a piercing when you're not sure you really want to go through with it, that can be a bit of a red flag. Remember, there's a difference between encouragement and pressuring someone. Regarding the studio space, it might even be a good idea (if you have the time and energy) to go check out the space before even making an appointment!
Closing Thoughts
Do your research! Consider all the things you think are important, and make sure your decision is informed and that you're fully comfortable going forward! Your feeling of safety is so, so important! Your body is in your control, so if you need to leave a piercing appointment and find a different piercer, that's okay - don't ever let someone who "doesn't fit the vibe" have a hand in your body modification journey!
Ultimately, remember that you are in control!
Free Images used from Pixabay
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