Does a nose piercing hurt?

Everyone feels it differently, so we will not promise you a number on a pain scale or rank it against your ears. Many people describe a nostril as a quick, sharp pinch, and a septum as a strange, sneezy sting that makes the eyes water for a moment. The needle part is over fast. Tell us you are nervous and we will talk you through each step before it happens.

Can I hide a septum piercing for work?

Sometimes, depending on your anatomy and the jewellery, and not always while it is fresh. Starter jewellery is chosen for healing, not hiding, and moving it around a lot early on can irritate the piercing. If hiding it matters for your job, say so when you book, and we will talk honestly about whether a septum suits you right now.

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

Our shop policy is 18 or older on your own. Under 18, a parent or guardian must be present at the appointment with ID, and we will not pierce a minor without one. Adults bring photo ID. Everyone signs a consent and health-history form before we start. If you are booking for a teenager, mention it in the request so we can talk through the visit first.

Is the jewellery included in the price of a nose piercing?

Yes. Jewellery is included in our piercing price, and fresh piercings get implant-grade steel or titanium. We would rather give you the real price for the piercing you want than post a number here, so ask when you request your appointment, and ask what the included jewellery will be for a nostril or a septum.

Can I get my nose pierced on a Saturday at half price?

We run half-price piercings every Saturday, by appointment only, so request a Saturday slot ahead of time rather than counting on a gap in the day. Ask whether the offer covers the piercing you want when you book. The shop confirms the details with you, and that confirmation is what makes the booking real.

Should I get both sides of my nose pierced at once?

Some people do, and some people prefer to heal one first and see how they get on with it. Two fresh piercings means twice the cleaning and twice the care when you wash your face or sleep. If you are unsure, start with one; the second side will still be there when you are ready, and we are happy to plan it with you.

Nose Piercing in Hamilton: Nostril or Septum, and What to Expect

You have been looking at nose piercings for months. You have saved the photos. You have stood in front of the mirror pressing a finger against one side of your nose, then the middle, then the other side. What you have not done is decide, because a nose piercing sits right in the middle of your face and that feels like a big commitment.

That is a completely normal place to be. This guide walks you through a nose piercing at our Hamilton shop the way we would talk you through it in person: the difference between a nostril and a septum, how each one looks and lives day to day, what we check before we pierce, what happens in the chair, what your first jewellery should be made of, and how to look after it once you are home.

Nostril or septum: the short version

A nostril piercing goes through the side of the nose, usually in the crease where the nostril curves. It is the one most people picture when they say "nose piercing." It can be a tiny, subtle stud that only catches the light now and then, or a bolder piece once it has healed and you want a change.

A septum piercing goes through the middle, between the nostrils. It sits lower and more centred, and the jewellery hangs below the nose, which gives it a different, more graphic look. Depending on your anatomy and the jewellery, it can read as quietly cool or as a real statement.

Neither one is the "beginner" option and neither one is the "brave" option. They are just different places, with different looks and slightly different day-to-day lives. The right one is the one you will still love looking at in a year. If you are still deciding between a nose piercing and something else entirely, our guide on which piercing you should get is a good place to start.

How a nostril piercing looks and wears

A nostril piercing is personal in a way that is easy to miss. Where it sits matters. A little higher or lower in the crease, a little closer to the tip or the cheek, and the whole face reads differently. That is why we mark it and show you in the mirror before anything happens. If it does not look right to you, we move the mark. You are the one who wears it.

Day to day, a nostril piercing lives in a busy spot. You wash your face, you blow your nose, you pull sweaters over your head, you sleep on one side. None of that rules it out. It just means the first while asks for a bit of awareness: patting your face dry instead of rubbing, being careful with towels and collars, and keeping your hands off it unless you are cleaning it.

Many people choose which side by the side they sleep on, by which side they prefer in photos, or by where their hair falls. There is no rule. If you already have a feeling, trust it. If you do not, we can hold a mirror up to both sides and let you see.

How a septum piercing looks and wears

A septum piercing has a reputation for being dramatic, but the reality is often more subtle than people expect. A small ring or a simple circular piece can look neat and tidy, and many people find it suits their face better than they imagined. A larger or more ornate piece makes a bolder statement once you are healed and ready to change it.

The placement matters even more with a septum, because it has to look centred and straight from the front. When we look at a septum, we look for the soft tissue just in front of the firmer cartilage inside the nose. Not everybody has an obvious spot, and plenty of noses are not perfectly symmetrical. That is the first thing we check before we talk about jewellery, and we will tell you honestly what we see.

Because a septum sits under your nose, it is affected by the obvious things: blowing your nose, colds, allergies and sneezing. None of that makes it a bad choice. It simply means it is worth thinking about timing. If you know you are heading into a stretch of heavy colds or allergy season, you might prefer to wait a few weeks.

Nose piercing in Hamilton: what we check first

Before any nose piercing at Wicked Inx, we have a short, honest conversation. It is not a test and there are no wrong answers. It is how we make sure the piercing suits you, your anatomy and your life right now.

Your anatomy. For a nostril, we look at the shape of the crease and where the jewellery will sit. For a septum, we look for that soft spot and check whether the nose is straight enough for the piercing to look centred.
Your health on the day. If you are unwell, have a cold, or have been drinking, we will tell you straight and reschedule. A piercing done on a bad day is not worth it.
Your metal history. If you have ever reacted to cheap earrings or a belt buckle, tell us. We match fresh piercings with metals made for the body.
Your plans. A job that does not allow facial jewellery, a wedding next week, a swimming holiday. These things change the timing, not your right to the piercing.

Every client also shows photo ID and signs a consent and health-history form before we start. Our shop policy is 18 or older on your own; under 18, a parent or guardian must be present with ID. That is not paperwork for its own sake; it is part of doing this properly.

What happens at the appointment

Every service at our shop is by appointment, which means the room is yours and you get our full attention. Nobody is rushing you, and nobody is going to make you feel silly for asking a question twice.

Here is the order of things. We clean the area. We mark the placement and show you in the mirror. If you want it moved, we move it. We open a brand-new, pre-sterilized needle in front of you. You take a breath, and the piercing itself takes a moment. We insert your jewellery, check that it sits right, and clean up. Then we go through aftercare with you and send you home with it in writing.

Wendy tells every first-timer to close their eyes and take a deep breath, and it genuinely helps. Many people find the waiting is harder than the piercing. With a septum, plenty of people tell us their eyes water for a second or they feel like they want to sneeze. We see it all the time, and we will talk you through it.

We use a needle, never a piercing gun, for every piercing we do. If you want to know why that matters, we explain it in our article on piercing gun vs needle.

Why the rules about needles and cleaning matter

In Ontario, piercing studios are personal service settings, and they are inspected by the local public health unit. The province sets out what they must do in Ontario Regulation 136/18, Personal Service Settings. Among other things, section 10 of that regulation requires that all sharps used at the setting are sterile and for a single use, come from packaging that has not been previously opened or damaged, and go straight into a sharps container after use.

In our room, that looks like this: single-use needles opened in front of you, reusable tools cleaned and sterilized in an autoclave and only opened at your appointment, fresh gloves for every client, and work surfaces disinfected between appointments with single-use barriers over the work area. None of this is extra. It is the job.

For a nervous first-timer, it helps to know you are allowed to watch. Ask us to show you the sealed packaging. Ask what happens to the needle afterwards. A good studio is happy to answer, and we are.

What your first nose jewellery should be made of

The metal in a fresh piercing matters more than the style. A brand-new piercing is a small wound, and cheap metal can irritate it. That is why we fit fresh piercings with implant-grade steel or titanium.

The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) sets out the materials it considers suitable in its guide to jewelry for initial piercings. It lists specific grades of surgical steel and implant-certified titanium, along with niobium, solid gold of 14k or higher that is nickel- and cadmium-free, platinum and certain types of glass. It says gold-plated, gold-filled or gold overlay jewellery is not acceptable for fresh piercings. It also says internally threaded jewellery is part of the APP standard for initial piercing jewellery, because the part that passes through your skin is smooth, and that threadless jewellery is an acceptable alternative.

For you, that comes down to a simple rule: your starter jewellery is chosen to heal well, not to match an outfit. The fun part comes later. Once you are healed, there is a whole world of nostril and septum jewellery to try, and we are always happy to help you pick it out in the shop.

How to look after a nose piercing at home

You go home from our shop with aftercare in writing, and that card is the routine to follow. We wrote it out in full in our piercing aftercare do's and don'ts, straight from the cards we hand out. A nose piercing is what we call a dry piercing, along with navels, nipples and ears. Dry piercings heal best when you keep them clean and let them dry out.

Here is the routine we give for a nose piercing:

Leave it alone for the first 24 hours. Do not touch it while it settles.
Wash with a plain unscented soap. We recommend Ivory or Dove Pure. Skip anything scented, coloured or "antibacterial."
Clean it in the shower, and only in the shower. Let clean water and a little unscented soap run over it, then leave it be. That should be the only time you touch it.
Put no products on it. No ointments, creams, alcohol or peroxide. You want it to dry out, not stay coated and damp.
No swimming for at least 7 days. Pools, hot tubs and lakes are full of bacteria. Showers are fine; swimming is not.

That is the whole routine: clean it once a day in the shower, keep your hands off it the rest of the time, and let your body do the work. If you read other aftercare advice online and it does not match what is on your card, follow your card, and call us if you are unsure. The Association of Professional Piercers also publishes general aftercare information for the public, which is useful background reading, but the card from your piercer is the plan for your piercing.

One thing worth thinking about with a nose piercing is your skincare. So much of your cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and makeup lives right there on your face. Work around the piercing, not over it, and keep products off it while it heals.

What the first days feel like

This is the section people read at midnight, so here it is plainly, in the words we use on our own aftercare page. For the first several days, expect some tenderness, a little swelling, and maybe a bit of clear or whitish crust around the jewellery. Healing should move in the right direction, a little better each day.

Do not pick at the crust. Leave it alone and let it come off on its own in the shower. Do not twist or turn the jewellery either; the old advice to rotate jewellery is outdated, and it disturbs the healing tissue.

Your first jewellery is chosen for healing, and it is not the time for a swap. Changing it too soon sets you back. When you are ready to downsize or change your jewellery, come back and see us, because jewellery changes are best done with sterile tools.

And if anything about your piercing worries you, do not try to work it out from photos online. Call the shop at (905) 544-1209, or see a doctor or pharmacist. We would much rather answer a quick question than have you worry alone, and we are always happy to take a look.

Small habits that make healing easier

Most of looking after a nose piercing is just not bothering it. A few habits make that easier:

Hands off. Touch it only in the shower when you are cleaning it, and only with clean hands.
Pat, do not rub. After washing your face, pat your face dry gently around the piercing rather than dragging a towel across it.
Mind your collars. Pull tops on and off carefully for the first while, especially snug sweaters and turtlenecks, so nothing snags.
Watch your phone and glasses. Both rest on or near your face all day. Keep them clean, and be careful not to catch the jewellery.
Do not sleep on it. If you are a side sleeper, try to favour the other side while it settles. Snagging a fresh piercing on bedding or hair is a top cause of angry bumps.
Blow gently. With a septum especially, blow your nose gently and one side at a time.

Booking your nose piercing at our Hamilton shop

We are on Barton Street East in Hamilton, open Wednesday to Saturday, 1:30 to 5 PM, and every service is by appointment. Every Saturday, piercings are half price, and that is pre-booked only, so request your Saturday slot ahead of time.

When you request an appointment, tell us it is your first nose piercing and whether you are leaning nostril or septum. If you are not sure yet, say that too. We will help you decide in the chair, with a mirror, before anything touches your skin. When you are ready, request your appointment and we will take it from there.

Nervous? First timer? You are exactly who we are best with.