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, and that isn’t always a good thing.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not usually a question 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 bucks 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, OR if you are using a body piercing kit make sure you get the only safe and sterile piercing kits available. 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.