While piercing guns are a very common practice in the US, there are many reasons why professional piercers recommend against them.  The first being sterility.  Most places that offer this form of piercing do not have an autoclave to sterilize between clients.  Meaning the risk of infection is much higher due to cross contamination.  Our tools are sterilized before and after every procedure and our staff has gone through in-depth blood borne pathogen and cross contamination classes to give you a safe and sterile environment. 

Second is trauma to the tissue.  When a piercing gun is used the slightly pointy jewelry is pushed through with sheer pressure.  The actual jewelry is not sharp enough to puncture the skin without extreme force causing tears, excess scar tissue and sometimes permanent damage.  piercing needles are hollow, single use and sharpened to precision to offer an easy glide through the tissue with minimal resistance and allowing room for the jewelry to be inserted.  This makes the process much smoother and healthier for your tissue.

Third is precision.  With piercing guns, it is simply an aim, shoot and hope you hit your mark.  Whereas with needle in hand, we are able to be more precise and less likely to miss out marks and distort angles.  More control=better outcome.

Lastly, I'd like to touch on the amount of knowledge our professional piercers have vs a person using a gun.  We are constantly learning new techniques, attending and continuing educational classes and staying on top of CPR, Blood Borne Pathogens and First Aid training. We have years and years of collective knowledge to offer you the best and safest service possible.  This is our career and passion not just something we do as a part time interest.  We know needles can be scary.  We will be patient and understanding and also give you the confidence to make it through the procedure with a smile on your face!

Here at the Unicorn Castle, we only use sterile one-time use needles.  Never a piercing gun! 

Our knowledgeable staff will guide you to our jewelry section and help choice the perfect earrings for your new piercing.  everything we offer is implant grade titanium, but we have an extended selection of gems with shapes to fit every style.  After we select your jewelry our piercer or counter staff will start the sterilization process in a designed clean area.  We use a high-speed autoclave for your jewelry and any tools used during the process to make sure everything used is clean and sterile.  during that time, we will take you to our disinfected piercing area and being cleaning and marking you with our one-time use marking stick.  We like to take our time during this step to insure everything is even as well as symmetrical as possible.  We will give you ample opportunity to check and make adjustments, so you're satisfied with placement.  After we agree on marks, we prep your skin with iodine (or alternative if you have allergies).  Once the jewelry is sterilized the fun begins!  Our patient staff is well aware of the nerves and anxiety around piercings.  Especially for our little ones.  You can rest assure that you will be taken proper care of and treated with respect.  Nothing will be done in piercing room without our client's approval no matter the age.  Consent is very important to us!

Once you have your new piercing, we will discuss in depth aftercare.  We want you to ask questions and make sure you leave with all the information you need to have a joyful experience.  There's no such thing as a silly question when it comes to aftercare so don't be shy.  

Our services don't end there!  Once you leave our shop, we are here for you through the entire healing process.  If you have any concerns about your piercings, please feel free to reach out to us.