Body art fun, but ‘serious business’ for local business
Body art is a hobby for many and sometimes a fun, exhilarating one-time thing for others, but for local tattoo and piercing parlor, Dead Rockstar, it’s serious business.
A body piercing can be a long term or temporary way of expression on virtually any part of the body whether it is facial, navel or a more intimate location.
“ The most common piercings we do are navel and nose piercings, along with the others,” Dead Rockstar body piercer, Haley Kroshus said.
For legal purposes, a client must provide personal information and read the guidelines of getting a body piercing.
“ A consent form must be filled out by anyone planning on getting a piercing or a tattoo. Everyone receives a healing instruction form which is also gone over orally to reinforce the importance of keeping the area clean,” Kroshus said.
To assure a safe and clean environment for the public, Dead Rockstar must know about any possible health risks a potential client may have.
“ The consent form also goes over medical background. If anyone is HIV positive or has had any form of Hepatitis, we will not pierce them because of the risk,” Kroshus said. “There are also some medications that may cause a reaction and require a doctor’s permission prior to the piercing.”
Because of legal regulations, anyone planning to get a piercing must be at least 18 years old or have parental permission.
“ Anyone planning on getting a tattoo or piercing must have an ID showing age. We require a minor to have an ID, as well as a parent with an ID. The minor and parent must have the same last name on their IDs and if that is not possible, a birth certificate is required,” Kroshus said.
A body piercing requires responsibility and care. Those under the age of 13 may not be physically, mentally or emotionally ready to have a body piercing.
“ It is our policy not to pierce anyone under the age of 13, even if they have parental consent,” Kroshus said. “A piercing requires a lot of care and we don’t think anyone under 13 is ready for the responsibility of maintaining the piercing.”
To ensure a safe and sterile environment, Dead Rockstar requires their body piercers and tattoo artists to be up to date with their immunizations and also to have CPR training.
“ All artists have current immunization files and are CPR certified,” Kroshus said.
Body piercers are trained professionals who understand the ins and outs of the body and where body composition allows a piercing to be placed.
“ We do not encourage people to pierce anything on their own,” Kroshus said. “We will not sell to anyone planning on doing any type of piercing at home. We also do not sell self-piercing kits, nor do we sell needles. We highly recommend getting piercings done professionally, because the risk of doing piercings at home is high, especially the tongue. There are a lot of different nerve placements, causing home tongue piercings to be very risky.”
A body piercing is a commitment and may cause anxiety for some. Dead Rockstar encourages their clients to ask questions to make the environment more comfortable.
“ We want our customers to have the best experience possible and to feel comfortable at all times,” Kroshus said. “We want to have all questions answered before the piercing and encourage even silly questions.”
Before venturing into any unfamiliar terrain, most people want an advanced warning or explanation as to what is going to happen and how it is going to feel.
“ The most frequent question we get is, ‘Does it hurt?’,” Kroshus said. “The answer to that question varies with each person. The piercing usually takes one to two seconds, a little pain will be felt during that time and the area may be sore or tender after that.”
Because of the different ways people handle pain, body piercers know how to handle someone who passes out under their care.
“ Body piercers experience more pass-outs than tattoo artists simply because of the shock to the system and the adrenaline rush some may experience,” Kroshus said. “A person is usually out for two to three seconds before regaining consciousness. Sometimes people wake up a little disorientated, but we are trained to make the person feel comfortable in the situation.”
“ We strive for a safe and sterile environment and take our jobs very seriously,” Kroshus said.