Finding Your Path to an Exciting Career
If you have always wondered what it takes to become a professional body piercer, we’ll be sharing with you in this article the steps required to start your career in this exciting industry. The perks of doing what you love for a living is infinite and the satisfaction you can bring your clients is something to be proud of!
The Association of Professional Piercers is an association dedicated to improving the industry and offers a myriad of information and resources for anyone who may be interested in becoming a professional body piercer.
Getting Started
Having an overview by reading books such as the Piercing Bible and attending training courses is a great way to get started. Although this will not provide you with any hands on activity, it is where you can gather information prior to applying for an apprenticeship. Taking the time to obtain the safety and basic training before applying will give you a competitive edge and show how dedicated you are.
Locate a CPR class near you and learn the basics of emergency care. It’s good idea to have this knowledge anyway and usually a certification is affordable to obtain. CPR courses can be just a few hours long and in county facilities, offered entirely free of charge.
Since you will be working with blood and other body fluids, it is a must to attend a Bloodborne Pathogen training class to learn how to properly protect yourself and your clients from pathogens. All medical providers are also required to attend this training, so your local hospital or university may offer this training. OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) and The National Safety Council also offer these trainings.
Apprenticeship
Once you complete the necessary training, pairing up with an experienced body piercer for an apprenticeship is a must. Educational and safety training may provide you with a great base for safe practice while apprenticeship will teach you how to handle the piercing process with confidence as well as dealing with clients. The absolute minimum for apprenticeship is 6 months is required, however 1 full year under supervision is highly recommended. You’ll learn how to sterilize equipment properly, how to mark your piercing with a surgical marker, specific angles and depths to execute piercings and more. Spending time closely with your teacher is key in gaining confidence in this industry. Your clients rely on you to keep them calm through your expertise and skill, so do plan on spending the full year in apprenticeship. For advance techniques and other body modifications, such as performing transdermal implants and tongue split surgery,and surface piercings, you may require additional training to obtain these skills.
Working alongside an experienced body piercer gives you hands on access and tips and tricks of the trade. Finding the right apprenticeship for you may require some research as not all body piercers offers apprenticeship. Start by contacting your local shops that are reputable and long standing.
Your Tool Box
Once you are complete with your training, having the right equipment and tools to push you forward with your career. While most shops will provide you with the facility and private space to perform your craft, most body piercers are responsible for carrying their own supplies. Having a diverse range of options for clients and well as the necessary equipment to perform a wide range of body piercings are a must.
In addition to the basic equipment and supplies from your apprenticeship, you may want to add kits for transdermal implants (dermals), a supply of replacements balls, piercing aftercare supplies, and tools to help your clients change out their own body jewelry. Preparing a kit for your clients with the aftercare products for them to purchase at the time of piercing is a good idea and much appreciated. Having an additional stock of fashionable body jewelry for switching out once they heal is helpful, as well as body piercing retainers. Not all body piercers have a diverse supply of new body jewelry for clients to switch out to once they heal, so having those on hand is a definite advantage.
BodyJewelry.com offers a wide range of piercing and aftercare supplies as well as competitive pricing to help you keep your body piercing business thriving. Check out our Body Piercer Essentials Idea Book below for ideas and stop by the site to stock up for your success! Tattoo supplies also available!
Body Piercer’s Essentials Idea Book