How To Prepare
For Your Piercing
Eat Within 2-4 Hours of Getting Pierced
Getting a new piercing takes some energy!
It doesn’t need to be a huge feast, but eating a good meal within 2-4 hours of getting a new piercing will help your body deal with the endorphin dump that comes along with any new work we do for you. Get in some proteins, fats, and carbs, and veggies. It helps to give your body the resources it needs to help prevent feelings of dizziness and nausea, helping you feel stable and confident as you are leaving the studio.
Being hydrated is always an excellent choice, and helps to maintain your blood pressure so it doesn’t drop during moments of stress and anxiety.
Avoid Recreational Drugs, Alcohol, and Caffeine
Recreational drug consumption can lead to negative effects during your session. These can be, but are not limited too; excessive bleeding, impaired judgement, increased risk of infection (overall a bad time.) Do not come for a piercing under the influence of recreational drugs.
Alcohol consumption can thin your blood, impair your judgement, and cause negative health effects. Do not come to get a piercing intoxicated.
Legally and ethically, we cannot (and will not) perform any piercing service on you if we believe you are under the influence of any recreational drugs or alcohol. You cannot give consent when you are under the influence!
Caffeine can cause mild tremors, or exaggerate nervousness/anxiety disorders during your session. It is recommended to avoid (or at least limit) caffeine on the day you plan to get a piercing.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Being well rested before your piercing can help ensure that your body will be prepared & ready.
Gather & Prepare Supplies
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-Make some ice packs according to the instructions in the aftercare.
-Get some pointy Q-tips, generally sold as “precision” cotton swabs.
-Either get a can of wound wash, or remember to pick one up from the shop!
-If you are getting an ear cartilage piercing, consider getting a piercing pillow so you don’t put pressure on it while you’re sleeping.
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-Get a new toothbrush.
-Pick up a bottle of alcohol free mouthwash.
-Get some ice to suck on after your procedure! Small crushed ice tends to be the best.
-If you are getting an oral piercing that also has an external component (like a labret), make some ice packs according to our aftercare.
Identification Requirements
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First, it is important to know that the youngest age we can work with for any piercing services, consultations, jewelry changes, etc, is 15.
We will need some kind of state issued ID from both the minor and a birth parent as well as the original birth certificate for the minor. Acceptable ID includes: state issued ID, learners permit, drivers license, or US passport. We are unable to take copies, pictures, or digital renditions of any forms if ID, we will need the certified original physical document from both the minor and the parent.While it is not preferred, in some cases we can accept a physical copy of a school ID issued within the last two years. Again, please no copies, pictures on your phone, emailed documents, login to parent portals, etc. In cases where we are using a school ID, the name of the minor must match between the ID and the birth certificate. This can cause complications in cases where the minor has a preferred name printed on their school ID.
Kansas State Law requires minor consent forms to be notarized. We generally offer in-house notarization for the paperwork required, making it a more convenient experience.
In the case of legal name changes and/or preferred names (most frequently found on school IDs), the appropriate documentation will need to be provided. Please email the shop for more information regarding what we are looking for in these cases, but do rest assured we will always address you by your chosen name.
In the case of adoption and fostering, please email the shop for more information. We are unable to allow step-parents to sign consent forms for their step-children, regardless of how long the step parent has been around in the life of the child. We are also unable to provide services to minors who are simply in the custody of an adult. We are looking for true and finalized permanent adoption paperwork, signed and sealed through the courts to begin a new piercing.
We do not require notarization or ID for minors to do a consultation, jewelry change, or removal of jewelry, except in the case of proving that the age of the minor is at least 15. -
This includes: State issued ID, drivers license, learners permit, or a passport. We require that the ID be physically present, pictures, copies, emailed documents, etc are not permitted.
In regards to military ID, Title 18, US Code Part I, Chapter 33, Section 701 makes it illegal for non-federal entities to create a photocopy of your military ID, so please bring something we can make a copy of!
If your ID is from another country, please email the shop for details regarding what we are looking for.
In all cases, ID’s must be valid, or if they are expired, not expired for more than 1 year with all pertinent information still visible.
We will need your ID every time you come in for a new piercing, we do not keep that information on file.
What to Expect After
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The first feelings after a piercing are generally feeling like an absolute baddie! Congratulations, and welcome to the other side. You did it!
The first couple of hours are different for everyone. It’s extremely common for the adrenaline dump and endorphin rush after a piercing to make it feel like it doesn’t even hurt at all! This usually passes within 2-4 hours, and then it can sneak up on you a bit. For some people, it starts fairly tender and eases off after 2-4 hours. Either way, this is a great time to ice your piercing, and take Advil/Ibuprofen if you are medically able to.
Especially if you were anxious before your piercing, you can expect to feel a bit drained after your adrenaline wears off. A healthy snack, a sweet treat, and a nap will serve you extremely well. Remember to hydrate after your piercing too. Your body is going to need those resources!
Expect the first couple of days to couple of weeks to be fairly tender. Remember, just because it’s not sore anymore does not mean it’s healed!
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The first few days after getting a new piercing it is not uncommon to have a bit of residual bleeding, especially if it gets knocked, snagged, or slept on. Do not pick off any scabs! Do your 1x/day gentle cleaning routine and try to flush off any residual bleeding or scabbing with warm running water or sterile saline. If it wants to stay, let it! Try again the next day. Forcing it to come off can also remove healing tissues underneath. Residual bleeding is the most common between days 1-3, but occasionally can last up to 4-5 days. Anything longer than that and you should have a follow up with your piercer. Icing your piercing helps reduce residual bleeding, as it constricts the blood vessels in the area.
The first couple of days is also when you could experience bruising around the piercing site, especially if you experienced any residual bleeding. This is normal, and shouldn’t last more than about a week. In cases where multiple piercings have been done in one area in one sitting, your bruising could last up to two weeks.
Around day 7-14, you will begin to develop “crusties”. This is a buildup of drainage that dries around your piercing site, and is absolutely expected during the healing process of any external piercing. You will notice that you get more crusties during some portions of your healing than others, and they tend to peak during the 1-3 month mark of healing and trend downward after that. Your aftercare routine should remove these crusties gently, with mostly warm water rinses, sterile saline, and the occasional gentle use of precision/pointy Q-tips.
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Swelling is the most common and expected side effect of getting a piercing. It starts as soon as the piercing is done, and tends to peak within the first 12-72 hours. Swelling will rise and fall through your healing, and is extremely reactive to damage. If your piercing is still healing and it gets caught, snagged, bumped, slept on, or otherwise damaged, it’s probably going to swell. We compensate for this by starting our piercings with jewelry that is slightly longer so your body has room to swell without the jewelry becoming too snug. Sometimes, a person experiences swelling that is greater than average. When this happens, your jewelry might feel tight or pinch, your piercing site might be extra tender or throb. If you are experiencing this, please come back through so we can get you a longer piece of jewelry!
You can do a lot to help manage your swelling though!
There are things you can intentionally do to help, and things to avoid doing that are usually accidents anyway.
Things to avoid that are usually accidents include: don’t get it caught or snagged, don’t allow your piercing to get hit or bumped, and don’t sleep with any pressure on it.
Things you can intentionally do to help your swelling include: make sure to be very gentle (but thorough) while cleaning, don’t play with your jewelry, and don’t wear anything constrictive around it. Finally, icing your piecing regularly and taking Advil/Ibuprofen (if medically able) is the most helpful, intentional thing you can do to help manage your swelling.
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After your swelling has gone down, the jewelry you are wearing will feel too long. Congratulations! It’s time for a downsize!
Now, it’s important to know that it’s not time for a downsize just because your piercing stopped being sore. It can be quite swollen still and feel totally fine.
You’ll know it’s time for a downsize when you feel like your jewelry is getting caught or snagged much more frequently than average, and you can see 3-4mm of the post without putting any pressure on it/distorting the area. Think of a nickel and a dime stacked on top of each other, that’s about how much extra room we are looking for.
On average, this takes anywhere between 3-8 weeks for most piercings. If your piercing has been caught regularly, damaged, or slept on, it can take even longer.
We will carefully replace the jewelry you are wearing with a shorter, more well fit piece. This is helpful because it is more difficult to catch and snag, as well as helping to prevent migration. When a piece of jewelry is too long, it has a lot of space to act like a lever, especially if it gets slept on. This can take your piercing from perpendicular to the tissue to angled, and there isn’t much we can do to fix it.
For more detailed information, please see “good things to know for all piercings” page in Aftercare 101 on the Tempest website.
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Most people will experience a few minor complications during healing that tend to resolve themselves.
The most common complication is a piercing bump. Piercing bumps are discussed in length in the Aftercare 101 section of the Tempest website.
There is always a risk of infection, especially if the aftercare guidelines are not followed. What we see far more regularly than infection, though, is an affected piercing. Your piercing can become irritated, extra swollen, and have extra drainage, for a host of reasons. If you are concerned about your piercing, your best bet is to swing by the studio so we can take a look! If you are extremely worried about your piercing, skip the piercers and head straight to a doctor!
Migration and rejection is a potential complication that can happen to almost any piercing. However, some piercings have a higher likelihood of these adverse reactions. Examples include the eyebrow, navel, nipples, industrial, bridge, and rook. Your piercer will discuss these risks with you before you decide to move forward with your piercing.
Common Piercing Questions
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Your piercing will be an open wound for the first 2 months for first and second sets of lobes, and 3 months or so for everything else. Please do not expose your piercing to any open body of water including the pool/lake/river/ocean/hot tub (chlorinated or not) for at least the full first three months.
Of all the things that genuinely concern us as far as true infection is concerned open bodies of water are #1. If you want a piercing to show off for the summer starting it in February or March is a great idea! If you missed that mark but still want to enjoy the water through the summer we highly recommend waiting until pools close for the summer to start your new piercing.
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Well, nothing we do here is totally devoid of sensation. Most people get the pre-piercing jitters, and can get pretty creative with the idea of what it will feel like and begin imagining the worst. I promise, what you are imagining is FAR more uncomfortable than the piercing itself. The anticipation is worse than the event.
Piercings are quick, taking only seconds until the jewelry is in and we are all done, and we are well known for having gentle hands. Our goal is to walk you through everything that is happening with your body so you aren’t surprised by anything. We will talk you through breathing exercises that help to calm the body and center the mind. Your only job while getting pierced is to keep up on smooth, slow, even breathing.
Before you know it, you’re done! It is extremely common for people to sit up after a piercing and say “Really? That was it?! I was so worried it was going to be terrible!”. We call piercings shiny pinches :)
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We do not take appointments at this time. We work on a first come, first served basis using a waitlist. There are a couple of ways to join the waitlist. The best, easiest way is using the button at the top of the website labeled “Join the Waitlist”. You can also join using the QR code in the studio lobby.
We no longer recommend calling, as we cannot answer calls while we are working with clients.
Once you are on the list, you will receive a text showing you your place in line. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the list and head in when you are second or third in line, as it can move pretty quick sometimes with two piercers working!
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The only piercing we start with a hoop is the daith piercing in the ear. Everything else will have to heal up a bit before we can safely install a ring or hoop.
For a nostril, that means at least six months. It’s worth it, I promise.
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The youngest we can work with for any piercing services or jewelry changes is 15. We will need a state or federally issued ID from the minor, an original birth certificate for the minor, and a parent or legal guardian to provide an ID.
Please review our minor ID policy for more information.
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KS statute states that any new piercing must be done with sterile jewelry provided by the studio, and we agree. It ensures the quality and sterility of your initial jewelry, keeping you safe and setting you up for your best possible success.
If you’ve found a piece of jewelry that you are inspired by, though, bring us a picture of it! We can use your goal piece to ensure that the piercing we start for you will wear your goal piece perfectly once you are healed up.
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Hopefully, you’ve eaten in the past four hours, slept well the night before, and hydrated appropriately to reduce the chances of fainting during a service.
However, sometimes these things happen anyway, despite our best efforts. There is absolutely no shame in it, and you didn’t do anything wrong. Bodies just work that way sometimes. We get it, and we don’t judge.
If you begin to feel light headed or dizzy, the first thing to do is tell your piercer! If we can get ahead of the trouble it’s much easier. We will also be monitoring you for subtle changes that can indicate to us that you aren’t feeling well.
If you do pass out, we will gently lay you down with your head slightly raised. If we are able to get you into the recovery position on your side, we will do so. We will then wait for you to wake up, and when you do, we will have you continue to lay down for a time. This gives your blood pressure time to re-regulate, making recovery easier.
When we are confident that you are going to remain conscious, we generally offer you some cold water and a small sweet treat to help you ground and feel more present. We will talk with you about how you are feeling, and encourage you to take your time.
When we both agree that you are ready to sit up, we take this process very slowly. We will start by elevating your head, then having you flex your legs to encourage good circulation. We then move the chair to the sitting position and have you rest a bit. When that is going well, we will have you swing your legs off the side and continue to flex your legs periodically to encourage circulation.
When you stand up, we will be by your side to make sure you feel stable and confident. We will walk with you to the lobby area to make sure you can get to your vehicle safely.
Because we are paying very close attention to our clients, it’s very rare that someone actually passes out during a service. However, when it does happen, we are very gentle. We want you to be okay, and we make sure that we don’t rush anyone out after such an experience.
