Education

Have a frequently asked question? We’ve got answers. Before you give us a ring, check here first. No matter you’re query, we’ve gathered our most commonly asked questions and added them to our list.

Don’t see one? Let us know.

General

  • Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, but it’s very fast. You’ll feel a quick pinch (or maybe just pressure), then the area will feel hot and dissipate. The most common thing we hear during a piercing is, “That wasn’t so bad!”

  • You’re welcome to bring someone with you to bask in the piercing experience, hold your hand, or just be there for you.

  • We’re happy to host you and your service animal or additional helper. You can always contact us ahead of time for any accommodations you might need. We want to make this a smooth and fun process for you.

  • That’s what we’re here for. We have body jewelry specialists and piercers to help elevate your style and make suggestions for an awesome piercing. Bring inspiration pictures or go off of vibes, we’re excited to come up with something perfect for you either way.

  • Jewelry is made out of either surgical stainless steel, titanium, or 14kt-18kt solid gold. Our jewelry pieces are always lead and nickel free, no mystery metals here.

  • Some piercings may be initially pierced with a ring or circular barbell style (like daiths and septums). For most piercings, hoops can be irritating, easily caught or bumped, unstable, and prolong your healing.

    Have no fear though! We have tons of great options as far as jewelry goes. And your piercing can be placed so that you can get the hoop of your dreams once it’s healed. Just let us know prior to your piercing appointment what jewelry you plan on wearing long-term.

  • Our piercers only pierce with single-use needles that are pre-sterilized. Once selected, we sterilize your jewelry during your appointment. After they’ve been used, needles are placed in a medical waste container and picked up by a disposal service. Piercings done with needles are clean, accurate, and quick in the hands of our experienced piercers.

  • Children are great! While we make every effort to keep discussions and images of a delicate nature in private areas, the studio environment is very much an adult atmosphere.

    Minor children are only allowed in the studio when receiving a piercing and accompanied by a parent or guardian. No other minors, children, or infants are allowed.

  • Anatomy varies from person to person. Not everyone is built to accommodate all sizes or styles of jewelry. Your starting jewelry’s size and style is at the discretion of the piercer and based on what will heal best for you.

  • We require a current government-issued photo identification card (ID) to get any body piercing(s). No matter how many times a client visits us, a valid ID is always required. It’s necessary for our records.

  • Unfortunately there is no industry standard size for any piercing. It is the decision of the piercer to choose what gauge they pierce you with! If you can, call your piercer and ask what gauge they usually do the piercing in question with. The size of your jewelry as in diameter or length also varies greatly depending on your unique ear anatomy and piercing placement. This means that the jewelry sizing process takes a bit of trial and error. After time, you will find what length for studs and diameter of hoops best fits your piercings to achieve the look that you want.

  • You should only change your jewelry when your piercing is fully healed. Mandatory downsizing during the healing process is excluded. Follow your piercers recommendations and guidance given on your initial and follow up visits.

  • As long as you have correctly sized jewelry, the possibilities are virtually endless. We can help you also consider whether you need a flat or round back, a good weight for the jewelry in your specific piercing, and what direction any gems/opals/other decorations will face when the jewelry is inserted the jewelry. As your piercer or our friendly body jewlery specialists. We’re happy to help!

Payment and Pricing

Visit Pricing to see our complete pricing lists.

  • Price differs depending on the location of the piercing.

  • We accept cash, debit, credit, and digital payments like Apple Pay.

  • Yes! The cost of basic surgical stainless steel jewelry is included in the piercing fee. It also covers the time and experience of your piercer and the piercing materials that are used during the piercing procedure. There is an additional fee for a titanium upgrade.

  • Price depends on material (surgical stainless steel, titanium, or solid gold), size, gem incorporation, and other embellishments. Prices start at $11 plus tax for surgical stainless steel. And are an additional $15 plus tax for a titanium upgrade.

  • Though tipping your piercer is always appreciated, it’s not expected. If you had a great experience and want to show extra appreciation, then awesome!

    If you’re curious about the amount you should tip, think of it like you would a different service-based business like your hairdresser or barber. On our payment touchscreen the percentage tipping amount you see is based off of the total amount of your purchase. If you’d like to tip a different amount, select the Custom option.

Piercing aftercare

  • Care for your piercing like you would stitches. Keep the area clear of debris or ointments. Rinse clean once to twice a day with a sterile saline wound wash (which we sell in-store). Keep the area dry by using a hair dryer on the cool setting or gently patting dry with a clean paper towel.

    Do your best to avoid sleeping on your piercing. Prolonged pressure can distort the tissue and cause migration of the piercing or irritation. Things like travel pillows, hair clips, and other clever tricks can help. Just ask us—we’ll help you find a solution.

    A good rule of thumb is: if you wouldn’t do it to your eyeball, don’t do it to your piercing. So, no touching, rotating, or topical solutions of any sort. And don’t forget to come in to downsize if suggested by your piercer.

    See? Pretty easy. Plus, you’ll get a handy aftercare brochure at the end of your appointment.

  • We suggest waiting at least 2-3 months before immersing your piercing in still or shared bodies of water. Fresh piercings are a healing wound, and things like the ocean, pools, and even your bathtub can carry bacteria that once in the wound can’t be rinsed out. But if you’re just interested in getting your feet wet or you can keep your piercings out of the water, go for it!

    If the expected healing time of your piercing surpasses 2-3 months and/or your piercing is irritated, simply cover it with a waterproof bandage.

  • Working out isn’t a problem for most piercings. Just stay aware of your new addition(s)! If anything hurts, stop and adjust.

  • Whenever we sustain an injury, one of the bodies first reactions is to swell. Because of this, we pierce you using a longer post to accommodate the inflammation you’ll experience as you begin to heal your new addition.

    Around 6 to 8 weeks, you’ll notice that because the swelling has subsided that your post is probably sticking out more. That’s your sign to come back in and purchase a shorter post that’ll sit flush with the tissue. This helps avoid extra snagging and mitigates the risk of migration (when the piercing shifts and becomes slanted). Most of our customers find it more aesthetically pleasing as well.

    If you had a septum, daith, navel, or nipple piercing, a downsize isn’t required. It may still be suggested by your piercer. You can always contact your piercer to set up a check-in appointment.

  • Piercings heal from the outside in. So while they can look and feel healed pretty early on, they could still have weeks or even months to go! Expect most piercings to take somewhere between 4 and 12 months to heal.

    Our most common piercings and their healing times are:

    • Helix or cartilage rim: 9-12 months

    • Daith: 9-12 months

    • Tragus: 9-12 months

    • Rook: 9-12 months

    • Lobes: 6+ months

    • Lip: 2-3 months

    • Nostril: 9-12 months

    • Septum: 2-3 months

    • Nipple: 6-12 months

  • Once your piercing is healed, you’ll be able to remove the jewelry for a cleaning. To clean your jewelry, we suggest you use a small bath personal ultrasonic. You can usually get a piece of jewelry very clean by running it through this machine for 5-10 minutes. We don't suggest the use of any added chemicals in the ultrasonic. Just distilled water as the instructions recommend.

    Remember that taking your jewelry out for any period of time is risking the closure of that piercing. Your piercing must be healed before taking the jewelry out. The first couple of times you do it, your jewelry shouldn't be out for more than a few minutes.

Piercings for Minors (Under 18)

  • A birth certificate is one of the few documents that can confirm the identity of the parent to the child being pierced. This helps prevent events of a minor coming in with an adult who can’t technically give legal consent for them. Examples include an older sibling, aunt/uncle, or a close family friend. If you’re the parent or legal guardian, bring in the documents for guardianship signed by a judge if it’s unlisted on the birth certificate.

  • Without exception, the parent or legal guardian must be present with the minor to fill out paperwork as well as be in the room during the piercing. You must bring either the original birth certificate, adoption papers, or guardianship papers of the minor getting pierced. In addition, a state or military ID or passport for proof of identity that matches the documentation is required.

    Signing a consent form as a non-legal guardian is falsifying a legal document and could result in legal action from the minor’s actual legal guardian and/or Black Lotus Beauty Bar. We cooperate completely with any law enforcement agency, Court, attorney, and/or legal guardian looking to take action against those that make a false claim of legal guardianship.

Booking, Canceling, and Rescheduling

  • You can cancel by calling the beauty bar.

  • You can reschedule by calling the beauty bar. Your appointment deposit will transfer with your appointment, so you won’t need to pay it a second time.

  • Call the beauty bar, so we’re aware. If you’re 10 minutes late or don’t show up to a piercing appointment, the appointment will be considered missed and canceled. Your deposit forfeited. If you show up to your appointment after the 10-minute mark, there isn’t a guarantee that any service can be provided.

Returns, Exchanges, Repairs, and Special Orders

  • Once a piece of jewelry has been in a person’s body, we can’t accept a return for health and safety reasons unless the jewelry is defective and broken.

  • This rarely happens! But if it does, pop the pieces into a ziplock baggie and bring it back to us. We’ll either send it in for repairs or replace it on the spot.

    We don’t cover loss of complete pieces, ends, or posts. If you can’t find all the pieces (like a missing gem), bring us what you have and we’ll evaluate the piece.

  • Yes! Currently we can facilitate custom orders from BVLA (Body Vision Los Angeles), Anatometal, Body Gems, and more.

    If there’s been something you’ve been dreaming of, let us know and we can get started! It’s best to work with a piercer at the beauty bar. They’ll take dimensions for the jewelry to fit perfectly in your piercing. Plus, our piercers and body jewelry specialists can help you curate your look in real time.

    Be aware that custom jewelry has an extensive lead time. If you’re looking to start a special order for an event, we suggest doing so about 1 year in advance.

Health and Safety

  • Contrary to popular belief, a legitimate infection in a piercing is actually rare. Most of the time common irritation is mistaken for an infection. If you’re still unsure, stop by the shop or make a check-in appointment with your piercer.

  • If your piercing is still pretty new, it’ll definitely close up on you. Possibly within a few hours. If your piercing is healed, you can leave it out for varying amounts of time.

    As soon as you remove your jewelry, the hole will begin to shrink a little at a time. Only leave it out for as long as you have to. If you need to take it out to make it more discreet, consider purchasing a different piece of jewelry made for that purpose.

  • The answer to this question depends on the severity of your allergy. Metal allergies are most commonly cased by nickel. Nickel is found in trace amounts even in hypoallergenic jewelry. If you have reactions to common household items or clothing zippers, stick to titanium or 14kt gold jewelry. If you don't react to household items or zippers, you’ll most likely be able to wear 316L surgical steel jewelry with no issue.

  • Navel jewelry may be left in place. Some women leave jewelry in during their entire pregnancy and delivery. Unfortunately, pieces marketed as “pregnancy piercings” or “pregnancy jewelry” aren’t necessarily made of safe materials. Even long after the piercing is totally healed, it may or may not stay open without something in place. This varies from person to person.

    In the event you choose to remove the jewelry entirely, there’s a chance it could be reinserted using an insertion taper even if the old jewelry won’t go back in readily. If it can’t be reinserted, it’s quite likely that it can be repierced.

    As an aside, some women who lack sufficient tissue quantity or pliability for navel piercing prior to pregnancy are often well suited afterwards.

  • In our collective, massive experience, we have no awareness of even a single case of a woman who wished to breastfeed and couldn’t as a result of having her nipple’s pierced previously. The milk ducts are a multiplicity of tiny pore-like ducts. The likelihood of the nipple piercings closing due to breastfeeding is virtually nil.

    That being said, nipple jewelry should be removed during actual feedings, as it can pose a choking hazard and may interfere with latching. As a result, some milk may come from the site of the piercing during nursing, which is not harmful nor problematic.

    Our piercers can use an insertion taper (or they can be purchased) to facilitate reinsertion and to check regularly to make certain the holes are open.

  • Firstly, congratulations! We love babies! But, the short answer is: no. The body’s immune system undergoes serious changes during pregnancy. These changes have a negative effect on healing, and may even prevent piercings received shortly before becoming pregnant from finishing healing.

    Sometimes a healed piercing will act up while you are pregnant. For these reasons, we also advise against stretching existing piercings during pregnancy.

    There’s a slight risk that if you experience a complication, such as an infection, that your pregnancy or fetus would be negatively affected. While the chances are slim, it’s not worth the risk. No reputable professional would knowingly offer you services while you are with child. It’s best to let your body focus on the important, complex, and demanding task that it’s handling already.

  • We suggest waiting at least 3 months after the delivery of your child. This allows your body to recover from pregnancy and childbirth and to allow your immune system to return to “just you” equilibrium after sharing it with your beautiful new person. For nipple piercings, wait 3 months following the end of breast milk production.

  • With the exception of a 3-month delay after giving birth, we do not find increased risks in getting pierced while nursing. The body is not under the same type of demands as during pregnancy. The exception is nipple piercings. We suggest waiting for three months following the cessation of breast milk production before piercing of the nipples.

  • There are 2 rather distinctive piercing complications: migration and rejection.

    Migration is when the piercing moves from its initial placement and settles and heals in a new location.

    The piercing is likely to migrate when unsuitable or insufficient tissue is pierced. Or if your jewelry is too small in diameter, thin in gauge, or poor quality. Inexperienced, untrained piercers usually make these errors.

    Rejection is when the jewelry is expelled completely from the body.

    Migration or rejection can also result from using a harsh aftercare product, following poor health habits, or experiencing excessive physical trauma or emotional stress during the healing period.

    Unfortunately, sometimes even when everything is done properly, a piercing will migrate or reject for an unknown reason. This is simply a risk of placing a foreign object through your skin: it may not stay in the desired position.

    We take the greatest care that this doesn’t occur. Aftercare instructions and check-in appointments with our piercers are provided.