How old do you have to be to get pierced at Wicked Inx?

Our shop policy is 18 or older. If you are under 18, you can still be pierced with a parent present. Everyone shows photo ID and fills in a signed consent and health-history form before we start. Plenty of parents bring their kids in for their first lobes, so if that is your plan, book a time and come in together.

Can I walk in for a piercing, or do I need an appointment?

At our shop, every service is by appointment, piercings included. That way the room is yours, the tools are opened in front of you, and nobody is rushing you. We are open Wednesday to Saturday, 1:30 to 5 PM, at 761 Barton Street East. Book online through our booking page, or call (905) 544-1209 to line up a time.

When are piercings half price at Wicked Inx?

Every Saturday, piercings are half price at our shop. The deal is pre-booked only, so you need an appointment rather than walking in on the day, and the jewellery is still included in the piercing price. If you want a Saturday spot, book it online or call (905) 544-1209 and we will find you a time.

How do I report a concern about a piercing studio in Hamilton?

The City of Hamilton says that if you have a concern about infection control or sanitary conditions at a beauty and body art business, you can contact a public health inspector at 905-546-2063. That number is on the City's health inspection results page, which also publishes inspection results for personal service settings, the category that includes tattoo studios and piercing shops.

What should I bring to my first piercing appointment?

Bring photo ID, and if you are under 18, bring a parent, because that is our shop policy. Before we start, you fill in a signed consent and health-history form. Tell us about any nickel or metal allergy so we can match your jewellery, and bring every question you have. We would rather answer ten questions than have you sit there wondering.

Body Piercing in Hamilton: How to Choose a Piercing Studio

Q: What if I get too nervous once I am in the chair?

That is completely normal, and nervous first-timers are most of who walks through our door. We talk you through the placement, the jewellery, the pinch and the healing before anything touches your skin, and we go at your pace. Wendy tells every first-timer the same thing, close your eyes, take a deep breath, you're doing great. Nobody here will rush you.

You have decided on a piercing. Maybe a nostril, maybe a second lobe, maybe the navel you have been thinking about since spring. Then you searched for body piercing in Hamilton, got a screen full of studios that all say "clean" and "professional", and realised you have no idea how to tell them apart. If that is you, and you are a bit nervous about walking in anywhere, you are in the right place.

This is the checklist we would hand a friend before they choose a Hamilton piercing studio, ours included. Every check on it is a normal question, and a good studio is glad to answer it. Nobody is judging where you went last time, either. We just want your next one to go well.

Why body piercing in Hamilton is easier to check than you think

Here is the good news. Piercing studios in Ontario are not left to mark their own homework. They fall under Ontario Regulation 136/18, the province's rules for what it calls personal service settings, and in Hamilton the City's Public Health Services checks studios against those rules. A lot of what separates a careful studio from a careless one is written down in public, which means you can check it rather than take anyone's word for it.

Below are the seven things we would check, one at a time: public health inspection, the needle, the jewellery, aftercare, whether the piercer actually looks at you before they start, whether they explain the risks and take your details, and how they treat your questions. Under each one, we tell you how we handle it, so you have something to compare against.

Is the studio inspected by public health?

Start here, because it is the one check you can do from your couch. The City of Hamilton's page on public health requirements for personal service settings names tattoo studios and body piercing shops as personal service settings. It says that during an inspection, the inspector observes practices and checks equipment and premises against the regulation, looking at cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of equipment, maintenance of the facility, and record keeping.

The same page says anyone opening a new personal service setting must notify Public Health Services.

Then look the studio up. The City publishes results on its health inspection results page, where personal services sit alongside restaurants and swimming pools. You can check a studio there the same way you might check a restaurant before a night out. And under section 4 of Ontario Regulation 136/18, every operator must make sure inspection results are posted as the public health inspector requests, so it is perfectly fair to ask a studio where theirs are.

That goes for us too. Look Wicked Inx up the same way you would anyone else. We would rather you check than take our word for it.

Are the needles single-use, and opened in front of you?

Every body piercing should be done with a needle that has never touched anyone else. Hamilton's public health requirements for body piercing say to use single-use, disposable, sterile needles and to discard them in an approved sharps container immediately after use.

So watch for it. You should see the package opened. If you are wondering how a needle compares with the gun a lot of us had our lobes done with, we covered that in piercing gun vs needle, so we will not repeat it here.

In our room, every piercing uses a brand-new, pre-sterilized needle opened in front of you, then dropped straight into a sharps container. Needles are never reused, on anyone, ever.

What is the jewellery made of, and what does the price cover?

The first piece of jewellery stays in a fresh piercing for a while, so what it is made of matters. Hamilton's body piercing requirements say to use only sterile jewellery for piercing. Beyond that, ask two plain questions: what metal is it, and is it included or extra? A piercing price and a jewellery price are not always the same number, and it is much nicer to know that before you sit down than at the till.

At our shop, fresh piercings get medical-grade steel or titanium, and the jewellery is included in the piercing price. If you have a nickel or metal allergy, tell us first and we will match you.

Will you go home with aftercare in writing?

A piercing is not finished when you leave the chair. Hamilton's requirements say body piercing clients are to be given verbal and written aftercare instructions, and the City lists what those should cover, including cleaning your hands before touching the jewellery, the expected healing time, possible complications and their signs, how to deal with slight redness or swelling, and a recommendation to seek medical attention if a problem does not improve within 24 hours.

So ask before you book: what will I go home with? A good answer is a card or a sheet in your hand, not a quick "just leave it alone" on your way out the door. We give you written aftercare before you go and talk you through it. Our piercing aftercare do's and don'ts puts the same advice online, straight from that card, for the moment you are standing at the bathroom mirror on day three wondering if you are doing it right.

Will the piercer look at your anatomy first, and say no if they should?

Bodies are not standard issue. Ears fold differently, navels sit differently, and some placements simply do not suit some anatomy. A careful piercer looks before they mark anything. Hamilton's requirements for body piercing include checking the client's skin before piercing, and not piercing skin that is inflamed, infected or has a rash.

The flip side is that a good piercer will sometimes say no, or not today. That can feel like a letdown when you have finally worked up the nerve, but it is a sign you are in good hands. If a placement is not safe for your anatomy, if you are unwell, or if you have been drinking, we tell you straight and reschedule. Your health beats a sale.

Still deciding what to get? Our guide to which piercing you should get walks through the options, and placement is something we are always happy to talk over before you commit.

Will they explain the risks and take your details?

This one surprises people. Hamilton's public health requirements say a studio's records for invasive services, such as a piercing, must show that the risks of the procedure were explained to you. The records must also include your name and contact information, which procedure was done and where on the body, who did it, the date, and the lot numbers and expiry dates of any pre-packaged, sterile equipment used.

That last part is quietly reassuring. It means there is a record of exactly what equipment was used on you. If a studio does not ask for your details or explain anything before it starts, that is worth noticing.

With us, you show photo ID and fill in a signed consent and health-history form before we start. Then we talk you through the placement, the jewellery, the pinch and the healing before anything touches your skin.

Do they take your questions without rushing you?

This one is not in any regulation, but if you are nervous it might matter most of all. Notice how a studio treats your questions. Do they answer the phone and actually explain things? Do you get your own booked time, or does it feel like you are being fitted in?

Every service at our shop is by appointment, so the room is yours, the tools are opened in front of you, and you get our full attention. Nervous first-timers are most of who walks through our door. Wendy, who handles our face and body piercings, tells every one of them the same thing: close your eyes, take a deep breath, you're doing great.

What should "best piercing places in Hamilton" really mean?

If you searched for the best piercing places in Hamilton, you have probably noticed that every studio online is somebody's favourite. Reviews help, and so does a friend's healed piercing. But the best studio for you is the one that passes every check above and makes you feel comfortable asking about them.

Here is how we see ourselves, and it is our view rather than a ranking. We are a little independent shop on Barton Street East, not a factory.

Wendy has been piercing in Hamilton for years, has done thousands of piercings, and has taught new piercers. We think that kind of experience counts for more than volume. You are welcome to hold us to the same checklist as everyone else.

Questions to ask any Hamilton piercing studio before you book

Save this list on your phone. None of these questions is rude, and every one of them has a short, friendly answer at a careful studio:

Are you inspected by Hamilton Public Health, and where are your results posted?
Is the needle single-use, and will I see it opened?
What is the jewellery made of, and is it included in the price?
Will I get aftercare instructions in writing?
Will you check the placement on my body before we start?
Will you explain the risks before you pierce?
Do I need an appointment, and how much time will I have?

If the answers come back clear and friendly, you are in good hands. If they are vague, or you get an eye-roll for asking, it is fine to say thanks and leave. It is your body, and you get to be choosy about who pierces it.

And if you ever have a concern about cleanliness at a body art studio, the City's inspection results page lists a number for a public health inspector: 905-546-2063.

Booking your body piercing in Hamilton with us

Our shop policy is simple: you need to be 18 or older, or under 18 with a parent present, and everyone brings photo ID. We are at 761 Barton Street East, open Wednesday to Saturday from 1:30 to 5 PM, and every piercing is by appointment.

When you are ready, book your piercing online, or call us at (905) 544-1209 and ask us any of the questions in this article. We will answer every one, and then we will open the needle in front of you. Saturdays are half price for piercings, pre-booked only, with the jewellery still included, so if you like a bargain, plan ahead.

Nervous? First timer? You're exactly who we're best with.