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How did you learn the trade?

In California, there are no laws to regulate piercing other than a law against piercing minors without parental consent. I wanted to at least have something that said I know how to prevent infection and use a needle, even though it has nothing to do with piercing. So I went to the California Medical Assistance Association and took a class to get certified to perform needle sticks -- blood draw, injections, IV. Then I asked other piercers all the questions I could think of and observed them doing piercings. I also watched every video I could, read every article available and subscribed to the Association of Professional Piercers' monthly newsletter.

At that point, did you have many piercings yourself?

All I had was my labret and my ears. I wasn't really into piercing, but the more I learned, the more it fascinated me. Within a month of doing the research, I was hooked. When I felt I had a good, basic understanding of placement, gauges and technique, I started practicing on myself.

Where did you start?

My scrotum. And then my ears, then more scrotum piercings. I had a lot of friends who were very supportive, and let me pierce their ears and their eyebrows. I made mistakes in the beginning.

There isn't a piercing school you can attend?

No. There are piercing companies that give basic, week-long seminars that teach cost, contamination prevention, technique, how to hold the tools, placement and sizes.

So, anyone can become a piercer?

Just put a sign in your window and get a business license, which is usually only $40 a year.

Are there any piercings you won't do?

There are several piercings that I refuse to do. The clitoris itself: I don't think I ever will do a clitoris; I don't believe that's a healthy piercing. Two of the male genital piercings, the apadravya and the ampallang, which goes right through the glans at the head of the penis vertically or horizontally. I won't do those until a master piercer walks me through it. Those are extremely serious piercings that need to be taught.

Is there any part of the body that can't be pierced?

Everything can be pierced. At Gotham we have policies, though. We don't do surface piercings, like the forehead, the nape of the neck, across the back of the wrist, things like that, where there's no edge. They grow out; they scar. People come back and complain. It's better not to risk the possibility of a lawsuit. There are also people piercing deeper than we feel is safe. Quite often, they're not so good.

How can someone determine whether their piercer is qualified?

If the piercer has a good reputation, they're probably doing good work. The other way is to ask questions. The worst question to ask is, how much? If your only questions are "Does it hurt?" and "How much is it?" you could walk away with hepatitis and get liver cancer in 20 years, and not know where it came from. Good questions to ask a prospective piercer are: "How do you sterilize your equipment?" "Do you reuse needles?" If somebody's too busy or uptight to answer them, just go somewhere else. It's your liver we're talking about.

What other things can go wrong?

The worst thing that can go wrong for me is I can accidentally stick myself after I've put the needle through your tissue. For the person getting pierced, about the worst thing that could happen is if they jump, something could slip at the last minute. They'd end up with a little extra pain. Most of the things that go wrong happen after the person goes home. Especially, I believe, when people stretch or play with their piercings too early, or when people pierce with the wrong size jewelry. Everybody wants a piercing to be a fun, exciting thrill. Then it's over with and it's beautiful. But there's a commitment that goes along with it that can last anywhere from three months to two years, to get something to heal correctly.

What's the most satisfying aspect of your job?

When you pierce somebody who's really, really afraid, and you can make them feel at ease. Being a medic, I've always wanted to be in a medical profession of some kind. Piercing is not a medical profession, but we treat it as such. When somebody comes in and they have a problem -- whether you did the piercing or somebody else did -- and you can help them clear up the problem, it's like helping a sick person get better. That's a great feeling.

Next page | The master piercer vs. the septum