Quality Over Quantity: Why Body Art Is Worth The Investment
For every piercing studio operating at the Industry Standard, there will be several other studios operating at a lower level. Most often, I see these studios offering some sort of deal: “2 piercings for $25 dollars”. And some people prefer the local bargain studio, at no fault of their own. If you’re not a piercer, or don’t work at a studio, it’s hard to get the right information to understand why cheaper is not always best when it comes to piercings. But that’s why I’m here. I got you. Let me explain:
Here’s the number one rule I stick to when it comes to body piercing and body jewelry: You get what you pay for.
When it comes to body art, there are several different factors that comes into play when studios price their services. This includes labor hours for the staff, quality needles and supplies, and jewelry in a multitude of sizes because humans come in all different sizes. A proper studio also has environmental criteria it has to meet that help to ensure everyone’s safety- like a seperate sterilization room for decontamination of tools, a sink dedicated solely to handwashing before and after procedures, and many other things factor in to ensure cleanliness and safety.
So, this begs the question: What are these bargain studios skipping out on in order to be able to charge such small amounts for their piercings? We know that their staff isn’t working for free, because that would completely defeat the point of having a job in the first place. So it could be a number of things. No matter what, whether it is related to the sterilization process or the jewelry itself used for initial piercing, I shudder to think of what might be getting skipped over.
The same goes for jewelry: ever bought a super cheap piece of jewelry, only to lose it or have it break, or worn it for a few hours and have it irritate your skin? When something is being sold at a lower price, that means it cost less to make. As soon as you invest in high-quality piercing jewelry, there are virtually no problems. You know it was a good decision as soon as you start wearing it. Comfort wise, it’s wonderful. High-quality piercing jewelry doesn’t irritate your skin, and it stays fast in your piercing, making it so you don’t have to worry about losing it and having your piercing shrink closed on you.
Personally, I’m a bargain shopper; a complete miser. I’m over here searching discount codes upon discount codes so that I can save that extra buck on that hoodie I’m trying to order online. But there are some things that you want to invest in, and when it comes to piercing and body jewelry, the reason for this is your health. You wouldn’t spend only $20 on a piercing for the same reason you wouldn’t buy sushi from a gas station: It just doesn’t make sense.
Check out the Association of Professional Piercers Bill of Rights to start familiarizing yourself with what to look for in a safe body piercing studio that only sells high-quality piercing jewelry!
@safepiercing shows us the importance of internally-threaded and well-polished jewelry. Initial piercing should always be done with what is shown on the left.