Coming Spring 2009 from Ten Speed Press

Master Piercer Elayne Angel's book:

"The Piercing Bible" (Visit her new webiste here)

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If you are in New Orleans, or can get there, and wish to get pierced, I suggest Pat Roig.
He pierced at Rings of Desire for over 10 years. He is working with Tattoo Artist, Walt Clark,
whom I also HIGHLY recommend for tattoos. Their studio is:
NOLA Tattoo
8120 Hampson Street New Orleans, LA at the Riverbend--
near the corner of St. Charles Ave. and Carrollton Ave.
(504) 524-6147

or

Jen, who trained under me and worked at Rings of Desire for about 5 years is now at:
(Check back soon)

For more referrals with a listing of all the piercers I've actually trained, and others who have observed me work click here.

Other Piercer Referrals:

If you cannot make a trip to be pierced by Pat or Jen, or someone else I trained, I would suggest that you check
the member listing on the APP web site (www.safepiercing.org)
to try to locate another member who is more geographically convenient.

Keep in mind that the APP is a health, safety, and education organization;
it does not monitor the “artistic merit” or specific piercing training of member piercers.
What this means is that you can be assured of a high level of hygienic conditions,
but not about the actual skill level of the piercer, or how well they are
apt to place the piercing in terms of aesthetics, function, etc.

The APP also has a checklist for choosing a piercer if you need help on
what questions to ask of a piercer to determine their suitability.

I can't stress enough how important it is to have a skilled, experienced piercer do the job.
Even for piercings you might consider simple.
I've seen poorly done piercings in every placment on the body and heard horror stories,
even from individuals who sought out piercers they believed to be "professionals" in the field.
I've never heard a regret from a piercee who waited long or traveled far to get pierced by me!

If you can't visit Pat or Jen, below is the contact information for several piercers
for whom I feel comfortable to provide referrals in terms of both hygiene and skills.
Also check out the other piercers I trained or worked with on this page.

A note about "certified" piercers:
Even the APP doesn't "certify" piercers. Those who join, are "APP members" once we meet criteria and are accepted, but we are not "APP certified." I'm not even a "certified" piercer, though I'm known as one of the most experienced piercers you can find! And I have a Master Piercer Certificate--the first one ever issued--by Jim Ward, my former employer, the founder of Gauntlet, the first piercing studio in the country. But I would still find it misleading to describe myself as a "certified piercer." I have trained several apprentices through my career, and a few are still piercing after more than 10 years, but they do not describe themselves as "certified" either.

Bethra Szumski Virtue and Vice at: 2261 Cheshire Bridge Road Atlanta, GA 30324 404-315-6925 and at Pain and Wonder 285 West Washington Street Athens, GA 30601 706-208-9588	Paul King Cold Steel USA 1783 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117 415-933-7233 and 2377 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94114 415-621-7233	Rich Hartwick Adornment Deluxe 3165 W. 12 Mile Road Berkeley, MI 48072 248-582-131	Taurian Piercing & Metals Byriah Dailey 1505 Westheimer Houston, TX 77006   713-526-1680
		Crystal Sims Evolution Studios 4517 Central NE Albuquerque, NM 87108 505-255-4567	Bink Williams Body Piercing by Bink 1733 B North Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32303 850-681-0060

There are a goodly number of other piercers that I know who are safe and hygienic,
but with whom I have not worked closely enough to give a personal referral.

This page and this page contains ALL the information I have about referrals! Please do not email me for referrals.