Body Piercing News

A very misunderstood fact about tattoo shops is what is called the ‘shop minimum’.   While most tattoo shops will not admit to having a ‘shop minimum’, almost all of them do.  What a shop minimum represents is the least amount of money they charge for their body art services.

This is not an  hourly amount (which may be higher) but in plain terms, it’s the least amount of money you will have to show them for them to bother with you.  If this sounds bad, it is, and represents one of the only types of businesses that work this way left.  We found one shop in Southern California that does not charge a shop minimum, nor does it charge by the hour – the price you are quoted is all you will ever pay – and best of all, if you aren’t completely satisfied, they will make it right at no extra charge.  To check this shop out, click on this link here.

In a glaring example of what can go wrong on any given day in the body art business, this seller of body jewelry in Palmdale, Ca. had the unpleasant experience of seeing a car smash it’s way through the front of their store on Saturday April 28th.

Although this store is not exactly known for customer satisfaction, what happened here is a bit over the line.  Thankfully, no one was injured, including the large parrot that is always present inside the store.  When it comes to purchasing body jewelry or body art supplies, make sure the company you are dealing with puts your satisfaction first like this seller of body piercing supplies and kits that we found online.  It also helps if the supplier you choose does not allow animals near the products they offer.  Hopefully, after this incident, these people learned something from this and will treat their customers with respect and appreciation.

Since our launch in May 2010, the Body Piercing News has been enjoyed by many thousands of body art enthusiasts.  As some of you may have noted recently, our site was down for 32 hours due to ‘excessive bandwith usage’.  Basically, what this means as that our popularity has exceeded our bandwith alotment, and therefore, we are facing higher costs to accomodate our valued readers, such as yourself.  In response to this, we have added a “Paypal’ Donation button in the left column of the site, just under the category listings.  So if we have made you laugh, learn or think a bit while meandering our articles, hopefully you might show your appreciation by donating to our cause from time to time.  It’s not required, but it would be immensely appreciated and help us continue bringing  you the most interesting, thought-provoking and strange oddities from the body art world.  Also, please visit our sponsor links, as these also help us to continue with our mission to inform and entertain you at all times.

And of course, we will always answer any and all comments, questions or concerns you have regarding body piercing supplies, kits, body art techniques and all other inquries we receive regarding the wonderful world of body piercing and body art.  Thanks again for making The Body Piercing News such a popular place on the web.  We truly hope you will hear our call for support and take the opportunity to show us your appreciation, no matter the size of the gift.  Thanks again for your time, your interest and your support.

New Symbol For Raider Pride?

Hello sports-fans and fanaticals, it’s Pokee, and I’m back to bring you this little shard of curiosity.  Now as a card-carrying member of the heterosexual male race, and a sporting fan to boot, I try to keep an open-mind about things I see going on around me.  I mean if a guy like Dennis Rodman wants to put on a little make up for a night out, or wear a dress around the house while he smokes a cigar watching re-runs of Friends, that’s his monkey-business, and he’s entitled to a little strangeness after being arguably one of the most ferocious defensive players to ever play in the NBA.

But when it comes to a guy who claims to be a member of Raider Nation showing off a Hello Kitty tattoo on the inside of his mouth, I have to draw the line.  Are you kidding me? Not only is this a bad place to get a tattoo (was he trying to impress his dentist?), but doing this could be hazardous to this guy’s health – especially if he opens his mouth at a home game.  If you don’t already know, Raider fans are the craziest and most violent fans anywhere, and they take their team very seriously and tend to frown on things that are feminine and unusual.  This guy’s chances of surviving his next Raider game are worse than if you or I decided to take a bath in gasoline and then set ourselves on fire as we slid down a 300 foot razor blade!  Seriously, have you SEEN the creatures at Raider games?  It’s so bad, they call it ‘The Black Hole’ and inside those stands it is common to find rabid pit bulls, animal carcasses, skeletons with swords, and swash-buckling two-headed Darth Vaders packing M16′s.  This is enough to make Al Davis turn in his grave!  This guy either has a death-wish, or was talked into doing this by his girlfriend.  Come on man, have some self-respect.  Now that you’ve done this what’s next – getting a body piercing kit and letting her use it to turn Mr. Tadpole into a mini hoop-steel christmas tree?  My advice to you is the next time your lady comes up with some bright idea like this, grow a pair and say no.  Oh, and if I were you I would not go to any more Raider games, unless your idea of fun is becoming the first person to be killed during a live sporting event for utter stupidity.

You know the drill.  Cast your vote and be heard; Is this guy Cool or Fool?

That’s all I got for now,

Pokee

Is This Pokee?

Dedicated Professional Body Piercing Shop

Let’s face it, body piercing is a very personal experience.  Once you’ve worked up the courage to get it done, the next big challenge becomes who/where do you get the piercing from?  If you are not fortunate enough to live in an area where there are dedicated body piercers (that means they ONLY pierce and aren’t inside a tattoo shop), you will undoubtedly be dealing with a tattoo guy/girl.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not an issue of competence (in most cases) but personal preference.  The problem with tattoo shops (and tat artists) is that the shop is usually located in a bad part of town and employs ‘unique’ body artists that are usually difficult to deal with when they find out you aren’t spending 500 on a tattoo.  No matter where you go to get it done make sure the person doing your body piercing is qualified, licensed and registered with the local health department.  If these credentials are not clearly posted in plain sight (as required by law), leave immediately and find a place that does obey the law.  You may spend a few more dollars for a legitimate body piercing, but it beats getting an infection (or worse) by someone that is not qualified to work as a body piercer.

Professional Body Piercing Shop

As body piercing continues to grow in popularity and practice, the demand for competent body art technicians has grown exponentially.  The popularity of body piercing has created such a demand for trained body piercers that in many areas of the country, the prices of getting pierced have skyrocketed.

Although many types of body piercing require sophisticated techniques and experience to perform safely and successfully, you can learn to perform basic body piercings within a short time with the proper guidance and a starter body piercing kit that can be purchased from respected sellers of body art supplies online for under $200.00.  If you are thinking about changing careers, or have had trouble finding a job in this economy, becoming a body piercer may prove to be an enjoyable and profitable new career.  We have found the best way to do this is through an apprenticeship with a master body piercer.  You will also need to purchase a starter body piercing kit (click on link) such as this one, from the top-rated seller of body piercing kits anywhere.

The shop I work for is a bit of an oddity – we not only pierce and tattoo people but we also sell the supplies and piercing kits to do it yourself.  I get hit up all the time with the same question: Can you teach yourself to body pierce or tattoo?  Well, there isn’t really a clear answer on that one.  It really depends on YOU.  I mean, either you are a smart, self-motivated perfectionist (like me ) or you aren’t, and if you aren’t, I suggest you don’t quit that lawn-mowing job just yet.

I began my career buying a starter body piercing kit online that had videos and information on how to get registered with the health department.  I began poking myself first, and then talked a few of my loved ones into being guinea pigs.  Even though I didn’t know what I was doing yet, word got out and before I knew it I had everybody and their sister coming at me for piercings.  (FYI: You’ll find there’s never a shortage of takers in this world when the word ‘free’ is involved – and with the country’s economy on it’s ass, there’s more out there than ever that will let you practice on them.)  Once I got the hang of it I apprenticed myself at a shop and put the fine-tuning on the now world-famous Pokee technique.  About the only people that are going to tell you that you can’t do it yourself are the guys that see you as a threat to their livelihoods – they would rather have you doing shit work for free at their shops, sweeping floors, getting donuts, making coffee and cleaning up bloody messes, rather than doing what you should be doing with your time – piercing.  Even if you don’t mind being exploited like a sweat shop suzy and get an apprenticeship, you’ll still need to get your own starter body piercing kit so you’ll have the right equipment for the job. (Click on the link to go to the one I got mine at.)

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

That’s all I got for now,

Pokee

Is This Pokee?

Being a body artist is like being part of a brotherhood.  What’s the ‘brotherhood’ you ask?  It’s like what the cops have but without the pension, or the respect they get.  Mainly, one of the unwritten rules of being a body artist (especially a tattoo artist) is that you never, ever help someone become an artist unless you can exploit them yourself.  What I mean when I say ‘exploit’ is just that.  The old way of learning how to tat or pierce was that you would go under the wing (more like armpit if you ask me) of a shop artist who would teach you how to do it.  What you mostly learned was how to clean up, take out trash, dispose of bloody needles and towels, etc. etc.  If you were lucky, after about 6 months of this slave labor (without pay of course) you would get to watch your mentor tattoo (with you cleaning up afterward, of course).  Maybe after a year or two you would actually learn some basic stuff and be able to do a tattoo or body piercing yourself, or be allowed to perform body art on a paying customer (with you not being paid, of course).  This would go on until one of two things happens; you get fed up working a full time job without pay and quit, or you are offered a job somewhere with pay.

The problem with this system is that the economy has kicked the ass of the tattoo shops so hard (even the ones that have been around for years are hurting) that many shops have actually gone to charging (up to $5000.00 in most cases) people for the privilege of being a shop apprentice!  Wait a minute, you’re going to charge ‘me’ so I can hang out with a bunch of guys who are going to be having me taking out the trash, cleaning toilets and making donut runs?  Are you kidding me? What moron is going to pay someone to empty their trash, clean up their shop and be exploited and used like a mindless idiot for a year or two before he ever gets to see a tattoo gun or body piercing needle?  You would be better off with that 5000.00 opening your own tattoo shop and bringing in an experienced tattoo artist to work for you, that way, you would get your apprenticeship and own your own business to boot!  Then if you want, you can bring in apprentices to empty your trash and work for free while you get your private tattoo lessons from your employee tat artist.  That sure beats being an ‘apprentice’ the old-school way, I think.  I just wish I had come up with this idea BEFORE I did my old-school apprenticeship!

That’s all I got for now…

Pokee

Is This Pokee?

We here at the BodyPiercingNews.com are always looking for true stories that enlighten, instruct or just plain entertain that have to do with body modification or body piercing.  We constantly scour the web and media for stories and photos to bring to keep you on the cutting edge of the body art industry.

Do you have an interesting story or photo you’d like to share with us?  Maybe you have an interesting experience with a body piercing kit or saw something funny at a tattoo shop.  Whatever your contribution is, feel free to contact us and maybe you’ll see your story published for all of us to share.

Cool Plugs or Insect Cruelty?

First of all, I’d like to apologize for how long it’s been since yours truly snuck in here to write something.  Truth is, I’ve been expanding my horizons a bit and got a new coffee maker that isn’t turning itself on when it’s supposed to, so I end up sleeping through the mornings.  Anyways, I’m still piercing, still observing life, and yes, they’re still ‘hangin’ just as they should.  What brings me in your face today is some observations I’ve made that began as an argument with my girlfriend  and ended up with me going out and buying a pair of new ear plugs.  How’s that work, you ask?  Let me tell you …

There’s nothing worse to me than a hypocrite.  (If you don’t know what that word means, you can skip this article and go back to looking at the pictures, cause I ain’t hyper-linking it to a dictionary site or telling you!)  Anyways, my girlfriend and I were at a mall and we were going to get burgers for lunch.  Out of nowhere, she decides she is a vegetarian and wants a ‘veggie burger’.  Are you kidding me? This chick is 27 years old and I’ve been with her (on and off) for 6 years now, and suddenly she decides she’s a vegetarian?  She tried to explain to me that she saw some show on cable that showed how they kill the cows and she didn’t think it was nice, so now she tells me she’s not ‘contributing’ to this terrible industry.  I tried explaining to her that even if she never ate meat again that cows would continue to be raised and killed, and eaten as food.  I wasn’t getting through.  So I took her to a shop that had body jewelry and found a pair of resin ear plugs with scorpions in them (see pic) and asked her if she felt bad about the two scorpions that gave their lives for these ear plugs.  She said bugs were different, and they didn’t count.  I asked her how that could be, and reminded her that bugs are born, eat, react to danger, mate, raise their young and then die, just like us and the animals.  So why don’t they count too?  She thought long and hard and after a few minutes told me that killing bugs was not bad because bugs secretly plan to rule the planet one day and are just waiting for the ‘signal’ to take us over.  I asked her where in the world she got that b.s. from and she told me she saw it in a move called Starship Troopers.  (I have to admit, I saw that movie to and despite some cheesy acting and cheap effects shots, the thought of the human race being relegated to working the dung heaps of giant bugs bothered me a bit, and still does.)  I didn’t say anything as she ate her veggie burger, but I did buy the bug plugs and vowed to be more careful with the little critters from here on out, just in case she’s right.

That’s all I got for now,

Pokee

Is This Pokee?