Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about piercers
How do you choose a piercer? How do you research a piercer?
Review the piercer’s portfolio and credentials and visit the studio.Look at the piercer’s portfolio. (An easy first step because talented piercers love to show off their work online.) The piercings should be placed to accent the anatomy. Make sure their portfolio includes pictures of healed piercings and that the portfolio is regularly updated. Ask the piercer about their training. Find a piercer with years of experience who has completed a bloodborne pathogen course within the past year. During your visit to the studio, ask to see the piercer’s autoclave and recent spore test. The spore test indicates that the autoclave is working properly. Ask if you can watch the piercer set-up for a piercing. The piercer should first wash and glove his hands. The equipment should be sealed in individual sterilized packages and opened while you are present. The Association of Professional Piercers has a great brochure on this topic, available here. We wrote an article on the same topic, available here.
What are Will VonDoome’s credentials?
Will has a long list of credentials, available here. Among them, he is a Business Member of the Association of Professional Piercers and has completed bloodborne pathogen, anatomy, and many other courses and certifications.
What is the APP? Why is that important?
The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an elite, international, non-profit organization that defines advanced health and safety guidelines. The APP only accepts piercers who follow these guidelines as members. WIll VonDoome is one of only four APP member piercers in New York State. You can read more about the APP here.
Questions about piercings
Do you use a piercing gun?
No! Piercings should never be done with a gun. (Here is a relevant article.) At Classy Body Art, piercings are done with single-use, bevel-edge needles.
How much does a piercing cost?
It depends. Our basic piercing fee is $30 and our jewelry starts around $20-$30. You can view a menu of services here.
Does getting a piercing hurt?
Pain is subjective. Most people say that they experienced a brief pain (that felt like a big pinch) but that the pain was not nearly as much as they expected.
Why don’t you offer discounts for groups?
We set very competitive prices and do not offer large discounts.
I’m under 18, what are the regulations for piercing minors in Albany County, New York?
Information on piercing minors in Albany County can be found here.
Is my piercing infected?
Only a physician can diagnose an infection. However, in my experience it is common for piercings to be swollen and discharge clear or even cloudy fluids (which dry forming 'crusties'). If you're piercing is "unhappy" review the aftercare instructions. How frequently are you cleaning your piercing? Sometimes our conscientious consumers clean their piercings too much. If you are concerned, we ask you stop in and see us.
I lost my aftercare sheet!
No problem. Aftercare instructions are available here or feel free to email me or call the studio.
Questions about jewelry
What type of jewelry do you sell?
We carry jewelry from a select artisan companies that produce high-quality internally-threaded and threadless jewelry. Check out the jewelry companies we work with here.
What is the difference between internally and externally threaded jewelry?
With any body jewelry that has threaded ends (e.g. barbells), either the ball or the post needs to receive the thread. When a barbell is internally threaded, it means that the ball has the threaded rod attached and it screws into the post. Externally threaded barbells are the opposite: the threads are on the post and the post screws into the ball. The APP jewelry standards dictate that externally-threaded jewelry is NOT acceptable. Because there are no exposed threads on an internally-threaded or threadless jewelry post, the post will enter (and exit) the piercing smoothly with no risk of exposed threads damaging the tissue as they pass through. Classy Body Art only uses internally-threaded and threadless jewelry.
What are the benefits of titanium?
Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel, resistant to corrosion and scratching, and fewer people have sensitive to it. To ensure its quality, Classy Body Art only purchases implant-grade titanium jewelry from select artisan companies in the U.S. that provide the appropriate mill certificates certifying that the composition of the implant-grade titanium.
Could you use the jewelry that I bought somewhere else?
No.
Why don’t you carry acrylic jewelry?
As low-quality jewelry made of acrylic and even stainless steel becomes scratched and fissured, it creates crevices where bacteria can hide and grow – resulting in a potentially hazardous situation. The same happens with externally-threaded jewelry. The external threading can harbor bacteria.
How do you choose a piercer? How do you research a piercer?
Review the piercer’s portfolio and credentials and visit the studio.Look at the piercer’s portfolio. (An easy first step because talented piercers love to show off their work online.) The piercings should be placed to accent the anatomy. Make sure their portfolio includes pictures of healed piercings and that the portfolio is regularly updated. Ask the piercer about their training. Find a piercer with years of experience who has completed a bloodborne pathogen course within the past year. During your visit to the studio, ask to see the piercer’s autoclave and recent spore test. The spore test indicates that the autoclave is working properly. Ask if you can watch the piercer set-up for a piercing. The piercer should first wash and glove his hands. The equipment should be sealed in individual sterilized packages and opened while you are present. The Association of Professional Piercers has a great brochure on this topic, available here. We wrote an article on the same topic, available here.
What are Will VonDoome’s credentials?
Will has a long list of credentials, available here. Among them, he is a Business Member of the Association of Professional Piercers and has completed bloodborne pathogen, anatomy, and many other courses and certifications.
What is the APP? Why is that important?
The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an elite, international, non-profit organization that defines advanced health and safety guidelines. The APP only accepts piercers who follow these guidelines as members. WIll VonDoome is one of only four APP member piercers in New York State. You can read more about the APP here.
Questions about piercings
Do you use a piercing gun?
No! Piercings should never be done with a gun. (Here is a relevant article.) At Classy Body Art, piercings are done with single-use, bevel-edge needles.
How much does a piercing cost?
It depends. Our basic piercing fee is $30 and our jewelry starts around $20-$30. You can view a menu of services here.
Does getting a piercing hurt?
Pain is subjective. Most people say that they experienced a brief pain (that felt like a big pinch) but that the pain was not nearly as much as they expected.
Why don’t you offer discounts for groups?
We set very competitive prices and do not offer large discounts.
I’m under 18, what are the regulations for piercing minors in Albany County, New York?
Information on piercing minors in Albany County can be found here.
Is my piercing infected?
Only a physician can diagnose an infection. However, in my experience it is common for piercings to be swollen and discharge clear or even cloudy fluids (which dry forming 'crusties'). If you're piercing is "unhappy" review the aftercare instructions. How frequently are you cleaning your piercing? Sometimes our conscientious consumers clean their piercings too much. If you are concerned, we ask you stop in and see us.
I lost my aftercare sheet!
No problem. Aftercare instructions are available here or feel free to email me or call the studio.
Questions about jewelry
What type of jewelry do you sell?
We carry jewelry from a select artisan companies that produce high-quality internally-threaded and threadless jewelry. Check out the jewelry companies we work with here.
What is the difference between internally and externally threaded jewelry?
With any body jewelry that has threaded ends (e.g. barbells), either the ball or the post needs to receive the thread. When a barbell is internally threaded, it means that the ball has the threaded rod attached and it screws into the post. Externally threaded barbells are the opposite: the threads are on the post and the post screws into the ball. The APP jewelry standards dictate that externally-threaded jewelry is NOT acceptable. Because there are no exposed threads on an internally-threaded or threadless jewelry post, the post will enter (and exit) the piercing smoothly with no risk of exposed threads damaging the tissue as they pass through. Classy Body Art only uses internally-threaded and threadless jewelry.
What are the benefits of titanium?
Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel, resistant to corrosion and scratching, and fewer people have sensitive to it. To ensure its quality, Classy Body Art only purchases implant-grade titanium jewelry from select artisan companies in the U.S. that provide the appropriate mill certificates certifying that the composition of the implant-grade titanium.
Could you use the jewelry that I bought somewhere else?
No.
Why don’t you carry acrylic jewelry?
As low-quality jewelry made of acrylic and even stainless steel becomes scratched and fissured, it creates crevices where bacteria can hide and grow – resulting in a potentially hazardous situation. The same happens with externally-threaded jewelry. The external threading can harbor bacteria.
