FAQs

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Here are our most frequently asked questions. Please feel free to contact us if your question is not listed here. You may use our contact us form, or call us at 775-883-4434.

  • How old do you have to be to get a piercing?

    You must be at least 15 years of age with parental consent to receive a body piercing. For those under the age of 15 years you can only get your ears pierced (excluding cartilage). For those 15 years old and above, most facial and ear piercings are allowed. You must be at least 16 years old if you wish to pierce your tongue or eyebrow. For more info please click here.

  • What types of jewelry do you use?

    The types of jewelry we use are vast. For starters, when it comes to barbells or anything with threading, we use internally threaded jewelry as apposed to externally threaded jewelry. Internally threaded jewelry means that the ball of the barbell has a small threaded shaft that sticks out of it and threads into a hole in the barbell. Externally threaded jewelry means that the ball has a hole in it that is threaded onto the threaded end of the shaft of the barbell. We use internally threaded jewelry because the over all quality of the barbell is much better, you can get replacement balls for them, and most often the manufacturers of the jewelry will guarantee it from defects which we can extend to you. The materials we pierce with are implant grade stainless steel, titanium, niobium and 14k gold. All of the jewelry we use holds the same guarantee as the barbells so if you have a piece break from a manufacture error you can bring it back and we will replace it. We also have access to other materials upon request such as platinum, other karat weights of gold and types of glass such as pyrex and quartz.

  • Do I need an I.D. to get a piercing?

    In short, yes you need identification with your name, picture and birth date on it for any piercing excluding earlobes. If you don't have an ID, you will need a copy of your birth certificate accompanied with a picture of you with your name attached to it somehow (school year book, school ID, employee of the month photo, mug shots from the last time you got arrested). If you don't have a birth certificate, then, sometimes, medical records, insurance cards and even drug prescriptions will have your birth date on them. If you don't have any of that, you're basically out of luck.

  • Can I go swimming after I get a new piercing?

    Sea salts and chlorine may accelerate healing, but the bacteria and pollution in water do not. If possible, stay away from bacteria infested bodies of water like natural lakes and rivers. Pools and hot-tubs are usually ok; however, sometimes even these places can be nasty germ breeding zones. If you do go swimming, clean your piercings as soon as you get out and you should be fine.

  • I'm going on vacation soon and I want to get pierced before I go, should I do this?

    If you plan on going on vacation, getting pierced before hand is definitely not a good idea. What we have found is that when you get a piercing, then go on vacation, you tend not to take care of it because your mind is elsewhere. Also because of the typical soreness and redness that comes with a fresh piercing, you're not going to be able to enjoy being on vacation as much.

  • I think my piercing is infected! What do I do?

    If you think you may have an infection the first thing you should do is come to our shop so that we can see and determine whether or not you actually have an infection. Infections come from exposure to bacteria and other contaminates (by contact with dirty hands, other peoples bodily fluids, dust, unclean clothing, unclean jewelry, swimming, etc). They are often easily avoided by common sense and good hygiene. You will usually know if your piercing is infected if the surrounding are becomes red, swollen, hot to the touch or itchy. There will be a discharge which is dark yellow, and/or bloody, it may also have a foul odor. If an infection occurs, do not remove the jewelry! In our experience, infections are more easily treated if an opening exists for antiseptics to enter the wound and discharge to exit. Without jewelry, the surface closes over, trapping the infection inside and turning it from a local surface infection to a generalized body infection, also, you lose your piercing unnecessarily. For our complete aftercare instructions, please click here.

  • Is your equipment sterile?

    Every piece of equipment we use is sanitary and sterile before we use it. We do not "double dip" or re-use contaminated anything on anyone. Each piece of equipment is individually packaged in a sterile pouch and opened in front of the customer at time of use.

  • Do you re-use your needles?

    WE NEVER RE-USE NEEDLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!!!! All our needles are prepackaged in a sterile pouch and only opened at the time of the piercing.

  • Do you have to use Spear Me jewelry or can I use my own for the initial piercing?

    Sometimes "outside" jewelry (not ours) or previously worn jewelry can be used for an initial piercing if it fits our guidelines for use. If the piece of jewelry is a barbell, it must be internally threaded, it must not contain any silver parts, it must be a "simple" piece (no dangly stuff), it must have a clean and bright polish, have no abrasions on the shaft and be of the appropriate length and gauge for the piercing it is intended for. If the piece of jewelry is a captive bead ring it must have a bright and shiny polish (again, no abrasions), be made of an acceptable material (no silver), and be the appropriate diameter and gauge for the piercing it is intended for. If everything under these guidelines are met the piece of jewelry must be autoclaved (sterilized). This procedure takes roughly a half an hour and costs $5.00. The piercing is standard cost.

  • I am allergic to silver, do you pierce with silver or are there other options?

    We do not pierce with silver under any circumstance, nor do we pierce with any other type of high allergen material such as, copper, copper filled gold, brass, iron and aluminum. The reason most people have allergic reactions to silver is the high amount of nickel and carbon it contains which are known to cause allergies. All of our body jewelry that we pierce with is hypoallergenic. Being that stainless steel and any other karat weight of gold other than 24k are alloys (mixture of other metals), they both contain tiny amounts of nickel (tiny being measured in the parts per million) which at that level do not, for most people, present an allergen issue. If you are allergic to nickel to the degree that you get rashes or blisters from the material touching your skin we do have other options such as niobium and titanium which are elements and contain no nickel whatsoever.

  • I'm under 18 and my parents and I don't have the same last name (or don't live here or don't live with me or they hate me or they died or they're in prison or I live with my brother, sister, cousin, pet fish, ect.). What do I need to do to get pierced?

    First and foremost, if your under 18 and unless you've been emancipated (which in that case you should have paper work proving this), you should have some sort of legal guardian (someone who has physical documentation proving that by law they are responsible for you and your actions until you are 18). Second, if your issue is that your parent can't be here to sign for you and show proof of guardianship, then you need a notarized form (document signed by the guardian and a public notary) from them that you can bring to us. The notarized form must have a copy of their drivers license on it, a note stating that they are allowing you to get this piercing and a signature from them and the public notary as well. If this person is a legal guardian and not a parent (with the same last name as you) you will also need guardianship paperwork. Third, if your parents and you do not have the same last name you will need physical documentation of their name change or an old Id with that name on it. Also, sometimes the original name is on the birth certificate as well.