Ear Piercing Place?

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Has anyone gotten their own (or even a child's) ear pierced lately?

If so, where did you go?

I'm talking just standard, boring, one-hole-in-each-ear piercing that one would then put studs in for 6 weeks or so until the hole heals.

Any ideas?

I've tried several salons/spas in my area and no go.

I don't really want to go to a tattoo shop.

I'm down to thinking I'll need to go to a dermatologist...?

[midjd]

Around here they do them at Claire's Boutique (a mall store with cheap jewelry and preteen crap). I think they used to do it in the Wal-Mart jewelry section, but I haven't seen that for a while.

[Deleted]

Claire's in the mall still does it.

ETA: Mid beat me to it! ;D

[InsertCoolName]

Walmart is only place I know of here that still does it.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Thanks, Mid and Beer!!!!

I *knew* someone here would know where to go.

[mollyanna58]

Claire's seems to be the place. Some nicer jewelry stores also do it.

[busymom]

DD had her ears pierced at Claire's. I thought they were very careful. (The person doing the piercing wore rubber gloves, they used proper stuff so DD wouldn't get an infection, etc.)

[justme]

I got my ears pierced with the gun and my lip at a tattoo shop with a needle. The lip hurt less, as long as, ya know, the huge needle doesn't freak you the hell out.

[CarolinaKat]

I went to the piercing pagoda in the mall

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

My parents did hte piercing pagoda when I was seven, that's the time my ears got infected and closed up. Second time went to Claire's and it was not an issue.

[Deleted]

I think I had mine done at the Piercing Pagoda too. No issues here.

[bean29]

DD has had her ears pierced several times. The first few times she had it done at Claires. Most recently she had 5 done at a piercing pagoda at the mall.

I don't know that you should be afraid to use a Tatoo Parlor - they do the more intricate lip, eyebrow, belly button piercings and they have health department inspections and are licensed by the state - so they are probably better not worse.

[milee]

This is one of those times I'm reminded just how hick I grew up. It didn't even occur to me that you could go to a store and have this done, we all just did our own or each other's. Pour some alcohol on a safety pin and push it through and there you have it - poor white trash DIY ear piercing.

BTW, I'm not necessarily recommending this, just reminiscing. If you do decide to do this, though, it's really not that big a deal. You can even hold an ice cube on both sides of the lobe for 15 minutes or so before doing it to make sure the lobe is numb (and keep the one cube on the back of the lobe in place while you're pushing the pin through so the cube acts as a stopper.) Very easy. None of my friends or I got an infection, either. It's not rocket science.

[muttleynfelix]

When I was 11 (so, not recent at all), I got my ears pierced at Piercing Pergoda in the mall. When I was 19, I got a second hole at Clairs at the mall. Both were fine. No issues. I let my second hole close up shortly after college and haven't regularly worn earrings since I had DS, although I think my first hole is still open. (Is it just me or does that sound slightly dirty?)

[thyme4change]

I don't know that you should be afraid to use a Tatoo Parlor - they do the more intricate lip, eyebrow, belly button piercings and they have health department inspections and are licensed by the state - so they are probably better not worse.

I was thinking the same thing. The Tatoo Parlor has a lot more to lose than the min wage worker at Claire's BUT I'm not sure my 11 year old kid would be too happy to walk into a tatoo parlor. And I don't exactly fit in there either. I know that they have a broad range of customers - but I look pretty stuffy, like Kitty Montegomery or Lucille Bluth, except younger. The places around here look more stereotypical. My daughter feels very, very, very comfortable at Claire's, and that would be where he friends would go, too.

[formerroomate99]

I think it is the followup care that really determines whether or not you'll get an infection. You can see whether or not they sterilize everything before they start, and I can't see any place being dumb enough to not rub alcohol over everything, just to avoid getting chewed out by parents.

Now that I have a daughter, I full intend on waiting until I can trust her to care for them without any involvement from me before getting her ears pierced. If I can't trust her to brush her teeth without being reminded, there is no way in heck I'm going to trust her to pour alcohol on an open wound every day.

[Deleted]

DD is 7 and is not interested in getting hers pierced ever. I had already been begging my Mom for 2 years by the time I was her age. She's definitely her Father's kid!

[CarolinaKat]

Dec 21, 2012 10:58:17 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

My parents did hte piercing pagoda when I was seven, that's the time my ears got infected and closed up. Second time went to Claire's and it was not an issue.

The only infection issues I've had is when I wear surgical steel, 10k gold or something that's 'for sensitie ears' and not marked. Sterling silver and 14k+ gold are acceptable to my ears apparently.

ETA: I was 24 when I got my first and only ear piercing, it was so freaking painful there's NO WAY i'm letting these things close up.

[thyme4change]

When my husband and I were dating, he bought me some diamond earrings. They are the really tiny earrings that were like $99 15 years ago. He later "replaced" them with larger diamonds that I wear every day. I kept the little earring to give to my daughter. They are higher quality than the normal studs. The posts are nice. But, my daughter is normal. Should I let her wear those now (or next summer - when we pierce) and wear them often, or should I make those "special" that she can wear only for fancy time? I'm wondering if the higher quality posts would be less likely to get infested, etc.

[milee]

Definitely consider if you'd be comfy in the tattoo parlor, but um, I happen to know that nobody in the tattoo parlor is going to care much if you look like you belong. At least that's true in the artsy part of Tucson, and you're in a group of people wearing suits, and you've all had a few drinks...

[thyme4change]

I rarely get dressed up in a suit and go drinking with my 10 year old daughter.

It isn't so much that they would care - but SHE would care. I don't know what they are like inside - but the outside doesn't look like any other place we frequent.

[Green Eyed Lady]

My grandmother did mine with a needle and a potato when I was 10. Never had an issue and I can wear 99 cent earrings or expensive ones. Doesn't matter.

But if I had a kid, I'd probably go to Claire's. I saw a little girl getting hers done awhile ago. They had two young ladies doing the piercing - one on each ear. I'm guessing they've had some customers who wouldn't let them the do the 2nd one if they were done one at a time. So they say GO and do both at the same time.

[greeniis10]

GEEL, yes, piercing both ears simultaneously is a good idea, however, it reminds me of one of my first jobs. I was 18 and was hired at a locally owned downtown jewelry store. During "training" they mention they do ear piercing, show you how to clean and load earrings into the gun, and then you "practice" on a piece of cloth. Seems pretty simple UNTIL some beaming parents bring in their adorable baby girl and you have to do it (for the first time) on a squirmy baby! Another girl and I did double-team it, BUT we did NOT practice doing it in sync. So, we say "1, 2, 3" and I pierce on "3". She was figuring on "1, 2, 3" and pierce AFTER "3". Needless to say that did not end well...

[reader79]

The jewelry store where I got my ears pierced (at 10) did not use a numbing agent. After the pain of the first one, I was totally okay with being a pirate. My mom had to bribe me to get the second ear done.

I am allergic to sterling silver, and stainless/hypo-allergenic posts, but that appears to run in my dad's side of the family. My grandmother told me that it was a blessing - no one could ever give me cheap earrings.

I am thinking about getting a second hole in each ear to wear studs in, I have a black diamond set that I picked up a few weeks ago at Macys which are too small for being a 'main' pair.

ETA: I really should look into buying my own 14K posts or hooks and a tool to swap them out, as what hangs below is not the important part. I've asked, but every jeweler I speak to says it is not worth their time/or way too expensive, and I have not had any plastic earrings so far that I love enough to do it on.

[lynnerself]

I had mine and my daughters done at Claire's. In our state the people have to be licensed to do it even there.
I figured they did about as many as anyone on a given day. We both were fine.

[Deleted]

Claire's. But, be careful, it really is just a cult for little girls to part you from your money for overpriced cheap earrings.

[Deleted]

I think Claire's is fine, but I would spring for the gold starters. I have metal sensitivities - I can wear just about anything now that my ears are healed, but I needed to wear all gold until they healed.

I had the top of my ear pierced at the tattoo parlor. The piercing part was fine, but they used a surgical steel stud and it never healed right.

[formerroomate99]

Dec 21, 2012 14:57:19 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Claire's. But, be careful, it really is just a cult for little girls to part you from your money for overpriced cheap earrings.

And when she says cheap, she really means it. Their earrings will get the pus flowing in 3 hours flat.

Definitely spring for the 14 carrot gold starters until you know for a fact that your little girl doesn't have any metal sensitivities.

[p8nt]

My DD was a few weeks shy of 18 when she got them done at Claire's in the mall. We also paid for a bit better earrings and I'm glad we did because when she's tried to wear other costume earrings her ears would get red and bothered.

Now she only wears gold or sterling silver and has no problems.

[Reckless Roselia]

I had my ears pierced when I was 22 months old. It was done by a jeweler.