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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

We carry a larger range of jewelry in-studio, think of the online store as a curated preview.

Our Chicago location has a more limited titanium collection.

Short answer, yes. 

Long answer, yes, but it’s very fast! You’ll feel a quick pinch (or maybe just pressure), then the area will feel hot and dissipate. The most common thing we hear during a piercing is “that wasn’t so bad!”

You are welcome to bring a pal with you to bask in the piercing experience, hold your hand, or just be there for you.

Please review our COVID-19 policies for any changes in this policy.

We’re happy to host you and your service animal or additional helper! You can always contact us ahead of time for any accommodations you might need, we want to make this a smooth and fun process for you!

That’s what we’re here for! We have stylists and piercers on staff at all locations to help elevate your style and make suggestions to help you get an awesome piercing. Bring inspiration pictures or go off of vibes, we’re excited to come up with something perfect for you either way.

You can find our current job postings on our careers page!

Payments and Pricing

Price differs a little bit depending on the location of the piercing and the location of the IRIS studio. To see full listings of services with pricing click the appointments tab and select your preferred IRIS location or choose your studio here.

We accept cash, debit, credit and digital payments like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

The piercing fee doesn’t include jewelry, it covers the time and experience of your piercer and the piercing materials that are used during the piercing procedure.

Price depends on material (titanium, niobium, or solid gold), size, gem incorporation, and other embellishments. Prices start at $30 before tax for plain, basic titanium and $70 before tax for 14kt-18kt plain gold shapes.

Though tipping your piercer is always appreciated, it is not expected. If you had a great experience and you want to show extra appreciation, then awesome!

If you are curious about the amount you should tip, think of it like you would a different service oriented business, like your hairdresser or barber. On our payment touchscreen the percentage tipping amount you see is based off of the total amount of your purchase. If you would like to tip a different/custom amount, please select the Custom option.

Health and Safety

Jewelry at all of our studios is made out of either implant grade titanium, niobium, or 14kt-18kt solid gold. Our jewelry pieces are always lead and nickel free, no mystery metals here!

If your jewelry is from a previous IRIS visit and it’s suitable for the piercing you’re getting, yes! Otherwise, for health and safety reasons you must purchase a piece in-studio. Don’t worry, we have lots of options, so you’re sure to find something you love!

Even an initial piercing post, previously worn by you, could have scratches on the surface which would cause an adverse reaction during healing. It is possible that once we inspect your previously worn post for damages on the surface that we may not be able to use it and you will need to purchase a new post. A new titanium post costs $16.

It is more likely that we will be able to use your previously worn top end piece rather than your post.

The jewelry we carry is designed with body piercing in mind and made out of materials that are body safe and suitable for long time wear. By using this jewelry we’re helping set you up for success healing your new piercings.

Some piercings may be initially pierced with a ring or circular barbell style (like daiths and septums), but for most piercings hoops can be irritating, easily caught or bumped, unstable, and can prolong your healing.

Have no fear though! We have tons of great options as far as jewelry goes, and your piercer can place your piercing so that you can get the hoop of your dreams once it’s healed. We will also place it for optimal looks of a hoop if that is your long term goal. Just let us know prior to your piercing of what jewelry you plan on wearing long-term.

Our piercers only pierce with single use needles that are sterilized just for you during your appointment (along with all the jewelry and materials they’ll use during your piercing). Piercings with needles are clean, accurate, and quick in the hands of our experienced piercers.

We simply ask that you avoid coming into our studios if you've recently been sick, are feeling unwell, or are experiencing any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, or new loss of taste or smell. Reach out to your local studio and we will be happy to reschedule you for a different day!

After You’re Pierced

Care for your piercing like you would stitches: keep the area clear of debris or ointments and rinse clean once to twice a day with a sterile saline wound wash (which we sell in-store). Keep the area dry by using a hair dryer on the cool setting or gently patting dry with a clean paper towel.

Do your best to avoid sleeping on your piercing. Prolonged pressure can distort the tissue and cause migration of the piercing or irritation. Things like travel pillows, hair clips, and other clever tricks can help, just ask us and we’ll help you find a solution.

See, pretty easy, plus you get a handy aftercare brochure at the end of your appointment! A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t do it to your eyeball, don’t do it to your piercing. So no touching or rotating, and no topicals. And don’t forget to come in for your downsize noted on your aftercare brochure!

We do have a handy digital version of our aftercare brochure in English and Spanish. This is best viewed from a phone.

We suggest waiting at least 2-3 months before immersing your piercing in still or shared bodies of water. Fresh piercings are a healing wound, and things like the ocean, pools, and even your bathtub, can carry bacteria that once in the wound cannot be rinsed out. But if you’re just interested in getting your feet wet or you can keep your piercings out of the water, go for it!

If the expected healing time of your piercing surpasses 2-3 months or your piercing is irritated, be sure to cover your it with a waterproof bandage. We find the Tegaderm bandages to work really well!

Working out isn’t a problem for most piercings, just stay aware of your new additions! If anything hurts, stop and adjust.

Whenever we sustain an injury one of the body’s first reactions is to swell. Because of this we pierce you with a longer post to accommodate the inflammation you’ll experience as you begin to heal your new addition. At about 6-8 weeks, you’ll notice that because the swelling has subsided that your post is probably sticking out more. That’s your sign to come back in and purchase a shorter post that’ll sit flush with the tissue. This helps avoid extra snagging, mitigates the risk of migration (which is when the piercing shifts and becomes slanted), and most people find it aesthetically more pleasing as well.

If you had a septum, daith, navel or nipple piercing, a downsize is not required, but it may still be suggested by your piercer. You can always contact your piercer for a check-in appointment.

Piercings heal from the outside in, so while they can look and feel healed pretty early on, they could still have weeks or even months to go! Expect most piercings to take somewhere between 4-12 months to heal. Your aftercare sheet will have your expected healing time for your specific piercing, but if you’ve lost your sheet you can always ask! 

Here is a list of our most common piercings and their healing times:

Earlobe: 6+ months

Helix / Cartilage Rim: 9-12 months

Daith: 9-12 months

Tragus: 9-12 months

Rook: 9-12 months

Nostril: 9-12 months

Septum: 2-3 months

Nipple: 6-12 months

Lip: 2-3 months

Once your piercing is healed you will be able to remove the jewelry for a cleaning. For cleaning your jewelry, we suggest you use a small bath personal ultrasonic. You can usually get a piece of jewelry very clean by running it through this machine for 5-10 minutes. We don't suggest the use of any added chemicals in the ultrasonic. Just use distilled water.

If you really want to clean out the prongs in your gemmed pieces, then we also suggest a steamer that is specifically meant for cleaning jewelry. You can find consumer grade steamers from the brand GemOro.

Please remember that taking your jewelry out for any period of time is risking the closure of that piercing. Your piercing must be healed before taking out the jewelry and the first couple times you do it, your jewelry shouldn't be out for more than a few minutes.

Piercings for Minors (Under 18)

While some of our studios pierce children as well as adults others are adult only. To find out if your nearest IRIS is serving minors, check out your location’s appointment page.

Our studios will differ a little on their restrictions for what piercings they’ll perform on minors. But studio wide we do not perform facial or cartilage piercings on anyone under 13 years old. We also do not perform any oral piercings or below-the-shoulder piercings (subtract the navel) on anyone under 18. All people under 18 years old must follow the minor’s piercing guidelines. 

If a minor (anyone under 18 years old) wishes to receive a piercing they will need:

  • Their parent or legal guardian to be present for the whole appointment with a valid form of ID.

  • Their birth certificate (you can bring the actual document, a legible photo on your phone, or a scan as long as that scan does not have the “void” watermark or other language that says the document is not legitimate as a photocopy/scan). There is no document that can replace a birth certificate. 

  • If the minor is 13 years old or older, they will also need to bring a valid photo ID (like a passport, driver’s license, learner’s permit, or school ID). This is not necessary if the minor is 12 or younger.

 

A birth certificate is one of the few documents that can confirm the identity of the parent to the child being pierced. This helps prevent events of a minor coming in with an adult who cannot give legal consent for them (like an older sibling, aunt/uncle, or even older friend). Legal guardians and parents, please bring in the documents for guardianship signed by a judge if unlisted on the birth certificate.

Booking, Canceling, and Rescheduling

Currently we are taking all bookings online, just click the appointments tab and select the location you’d like to visit. From there pick your service and an available time slot.

If the particular service you’re looking for isn’t listed on the website (ex: bridge piercing) feel free to reach out to the IRIS location you’d like to visit to see availability. If there is no listed option for minors that means we do not perform that piercing on anyone under 18 years old, and that rule is firm.

You can cancel by calling the studio your appointment is booked, through our website’s messaging option (bottom right of this page), or via your confirmation email.

You can reschedule by calling the studio your appointment is booked, through the website’s messaging option (bottom right of this page), or via your confirmation email. Your appointment deposit will transfer with your appointment so you will not need to pay it a second time. We do not reschedule your appointment within 24 hours of your appointment start time.

Call the studio you’re visiting so that they are aware and can move your appointment to a later day (same day rescheduling is rare and cannot be guranteed). If you are 10 minutes late or no-show to a piercing appointment, the appointment will be considered missed and will be canceled. If you show up to your appointment after the 10 minute mark there is no guarantee that any service can be provided, and you will need to create a new appointment through our website.

Returns, Exchanges, Repairs, & Special Orders

Once a piece of jewelry has been in a person’s body we cannot accept a return for health and safety reasons unless the jewelry has broken (see below for what to do if that happens). If you ordered jewelry online or bought jewelry to take home it will be given to you in a heat sealed bag. If the heat seal is intact and it is within 30 days of purchase we can return or exchange it for you. After 30 days, there will be no returns or exchanges.

Currently we can not do direct online exchanges. Instead reach out to us like you would for a return.

This rarely happens, but if it does your jewelry from IRIS is insured for life against defects! Pop the pieces into a ziplock baggie and bring it back to us, we’ll either send it in for repairs or replace it on the spot. 

We do not cover loss of complete pieces, ends or posts. If you can’t find all the pieces (like a missing gem) bring us what you have so we can evaluate the piece.

 

Yes! Currently we can facilitate custom orders from both BVLA (Body Vision Los Angeles) and Anatometal. If there’s been something you’ve been dreaming of, let us know and we can get started! It’s best to work with a piercer in-studio for this in case any dimensions need to be taken for the jewelry to fit perfectly in your piercing. Plus, they can help you curate your look in real time.

Please be aware that custom jewelry has an extensive lead time. If you are looking to special order something for a special event, we suggest doing so about one year in advance.

Not seeing an answer to your question? Text us by using the chat bubble in the lower right!