Best Places To Get Piercings In Chicago

The Daily Meal Staff|Oct. 28, 2014 7:00 am EST

When your grandmother wanted to get her ears pierced, she had to call the family doctor (or a woman from the Old Country) and your dad probably got his ear pierced at a mall kiosk after one beer too many. With so many other parts getting pierced, from septums to surface piercings, you need to be sure the shop you choose is meticulously clean and ask your piercer how he or she learned the craft, how long they have been at it and if they continue to learn. Start with these Chicago shops and have your list of questions ready.

(Photo Credit: Identity Body Piercing's Facebook)

Identity Body Piercing
1514 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 697-9047
www.facebook.com/identitybodypiercing

If ever there was a business in which potential clients should heed word of mouth, it's body piercing, and Identity Body Piercing has excellent word of mouth. Piercers carefully explain the process, help choose jewelry, are clear about pricing and the shop is as close to sterile as possible. Aftercare is explained and piercers know how to calm just about every client.

The Chicago Tattoo and Piercing Company
1017 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 528-6969
www.chicagotattoo.com

Don't be shy about having 100 questions for your piercer at the Chicago Tattoo and Piercing Company. The professionals at this Lakeview shop will ink out various placements for you to choose and will thoroughly explain how to take care of your cherished body part in the weeks to come. Since many piercing experiences can be the result of a whim, the staff here walks you through the whole process so you know what's in store.

The Tat Cave Tattoo & Body Piercing
3629 N. Harlem Ave.
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 725-2283
www.thetatcave.com

Caped crusaders and their sidekicks choose The Tat Cave Tattoo & Body Piercing because the professional piercers here take care of their clients like a certain superhero watches over the citizens of Gotham City. In other words, it's clean, conscientious, cool and easy on the cash. Unlike an actual cave, the shop is bright and clean. You might be so thrilled with your new negative space that you'll want some Tat Cave merch like a tee-shirt or hoodie. Check the website for back-to-school piercing specials and a Tat Cave punch card for piercings.

Royal Flesh Tattoo and Piercing
4005 N. Broadway St.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 975-9753
www.royalfleshtattoo.com

You have to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em – but not at Royal Flesh Tattoo and Piercing because it offers a free artistic consultation. The certified body modification experts will be honest about price, pain, how long it will take to heal (ears generally heal much faster than navels, for example) and the best jewelry for your particular piercing – which is exactly what one should get from a piercing experience. Royal Flesh is as sterile as a hospital but a lot more fun.

Ageless Arts Tattoo & Body Piercing Studios
6743 W. North Ave.
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 358-0526
www.agelessartstattoo.com

One of Chicago's most experienced tattoo and piercing shops, Ageless Arts is a stickler for safety and cleanliness (which, in the world of putting holes in another's flesh, is next to godliness). Every piece of jewelry is high quality, comes with a lifetime warranty and meets the standards set by the Association of Professional Piercers – go right ahead and ask for certificates pertaining to material composition. Beyond the science is the art; take a look at the gallery on the website. Ageless Arts also has a shop in Little Village in the city.

Jacky Runice has been a columnist with the Daily Herald Chicago since grunge music and flannel was the new black. Her fingers and gray matter have been busy as travel editor of Reunions Magazine; penning a column that was syndicated around the nation via Tribune Media Services. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.