What to Expect
At Monarch Fine Jewelry + Professional Piercing, we want to have everyone feel as calm as possible. Whether you are new to getting a piercing or simply new to the Monarch experience, knowing what to expect and what best to do to prepare can alleviate a lot of worry for everyone.
Preparing for your piercing (before you arrive):
To plan ahead, we always recommend making an appointment! Additionally, you should check to make sure you check some common considerations from our terms + policies, such as reasons you may not be able to get a piercing.
We suggest eating a substantial meal a minimum of 2 hours prior to getting pierced. This dramatically reduces the chances of feeling queasy or "woozy" after getting pierced.
Ibuprofen and other blood-thinning medications shouldn't be taken within 4 hours of getting pierced if it can be helped. If you are on prescription medication with blood-thinning effects, we'll be more than happy to discuss how it affects your procedure.
Other medications, illnesses, conditions, etc. can also affect your ability to heal a piercing and adequately fight infection. For example, we cannot pierce anyone who is pregnant or nursing; the body undergoes many changes that can make healing a piercing very difficult during these times and, in the unlikely event a pregnant or nursing individual was to develop an infection, it could be hazardous to the child/fetus. For more questions about this or other medical concerns, you may contact us or your doctor/physician.
Consuming alcohol or other controlled substances within 8 hours of your piercing can complicate your piercing procedure and affects your ability to legally consent to getting pierced. We will not pierce anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
We also ask that you consider the healing process of your piercing and make sure that it will not interfere with your daily life. Does your employer allow visible piercings? Do you have small children that are going to pull on your piercing? Do you sleep predominantly on the side that you're having your piercing done on? Are you a swimmer that will have to use a waterproof bandage during healing? We want you to love your piercing well into the future after the piercing is done, so make sure you're able to care for it while it takes time to heal (even ear lobe piercings generally require at least two months — or more!).
Once you have booked your appointment, you will receive your forms to receive your piercing and your aftercare (the last part is coming soon). Please complete your release form and review your aftercare before your arrival.
Once you’ve arrived:
We'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have at any point during your visit — we try to anticipate your needs, but we are always open to even the questions you may worry are “strange”!
We will also select jewelry once you arrive. A large portion of your appointment time is set aside to discuss your jewelry options and to assist with selecting the perfect piece for your new or existing piercings. Sometimes, this requires a more in-depth consultation, which might be done in the piercing room if privacy is required. All bodies are different, and piercings are generally anatomically-specific, so options for certain piercings or their jewelry can vary wildly.
The jewelry selection process can be as simple or as in-depth as you would like — we can even help you custom-design a piece if we do not already have something in our stock that perfectly meets what you envision!
After selecting jewelry, we'll do any remaining paperwork and inform you of your total while we sterilize any and all necessary implements for your service. This will also give you time to (re)familiarize yourself with our aftercare recommendations so that you can discuss any questions with your piercer.
Once in the piercing room, your piercer will go over the steps necessary for your piercing service, as well as any important notes for healing or long-term care of your piercing.
After washing our hands and donning gloves, we'll clean and mark your piercing site, allowing you to discuss any changes in placement you might wish. Then we'll perform a second cleaning of your skin with a sterile, surgical skin prep, and open your sterile jewelry and piercing implements. (Note - your implements are never used on anyone but you! Most things are disposed of immediately after use, though some can go home with you. Additionally, we use NO piercing guns due to their lack of safety.) Your piercer will then don sterile gloves, and smoothly and efficiently pierce you and install your jewelry. Generally, piercings are quick and easy to receive; while we never rush, your time in the piercing room will likely be relatively brief with your actual piercing only taking a blink of an eye to perform.
Once your piercing is complete, we'll clean you up and let you take a peek at the new you!
Not quite done…
We provide everyone with aftercare instructions, as well as a piercing care plan with information about your jewelry and average healing times. In general, you can likely use a great deal of the information provided on our aftercare page.
After we settle your bill and you ask any remaining questions you may have, you're good to go!
We encourage coming in for your free piercing check-up around 3-4 weeks from the date of your piercing (2-3 weeks for some, such as oral piercings). This doesn't take much time and allows one of our piercers to make sure your piercing is healing according to plan, as well as to recommend any aftercare customization or jewelry changes needed.
Like any wound, almost all piercings will swell, and we pierce with jewelry to accommodate for that. Once your piercing is no longer inflamed, most piercings will need to be downsized — by which we mean we will install a shorter “back”. Downsizing your jewelry makes your piercing even more comfortable and prevents potential complications from excess jewelry length. And yes, it really is important!
We are always available to answer any questions, calm any concerns, or provide any advice needed about a healing piercing, or complications that may arise. We encourage you to call, email, or visit to discuss even the slightest detail of your piercing.
Keep in mind, there are many websites with misinformation about piercings, and advice from friends might not always be the most up-to-date information. Even if you're not in the area, we can still recommend you to a colleague you can trust from our professional network.