Ear piercing for my niece...help

rosielee123

I'm hoping somebody can help me. My 8 year old niece wants her ears pierced as a communion present but I'm struggling to find somehwere suitable. She's a bit too young to be brought to a tattoo parlour/body piercing place and the only other place I can think of is Claire's which, let's face it, isn't ideal. Can anyone recommend a good location in Dublin city centre?

Thanks!!

Ancelia

Many pharmacies do ear piercing, I'm sure if you just go in to a few places and ask you'll be bound to find somewhere that does it!

reeta

rosielee123 wrote: »

I'm hoping somebody can help me. My 8 year old niece wants her ears pierced as a communion present but I'm struggling to find somehwere suitable. She's a bit too young to be brought to a tattoo parlour/body piercing place and the only other place I can think of is Claire's which, let's face it, isn't ideal. Can anyone recommend a good location in Dublin city centre?

Thanks!!

Why do you think Claires is not ideal?? I brought my daughter there a couple of years ago and they were great.. very thorough and gave her
a lecture in how to look after her ears etc., she also had to go back a month later to get them checked, all in all they were very good !!

rosielee123

Really? That's good to hear - a lot of reports I've heard quite a few reports that Claire's were unhygenic but maybe it depends on the branch.

Seems that very few places pierce ears nowadays, when I got mine done nearly every jewellers did them. I'd love to bring her somewhere a bit special, just to make an event of it even

MagicMarker

Why is she too young for a tattoo parlour?

I'd trust a professional body piercer over anyone in claire's accessories.

phasers

Claire's use piercing guns which are dangerous and unhygenic. Don't go there OP!

Go to a tattoo place, the people there are trained professionals. Why do you think she'd be too young to go there?

rosielee123

She's a little bit shy, I reckon she'd get freaked out by a tattoo parlour.

RachaelVO

A lot of jewelers do it too, but I'd go to the tattoo parlour, they are professional and clean, tattoo parlours are not the seedy places you are imagining they are, they have to be hygenically clean. There won't be a load of hairy, swearing bikers smoking joints. They are professionals and they by law have to have hight standards.

rosielee123

I'm not for an instant implying that they're seedy places, if it were me I'd be going there but she really is very shy so I'm trying to avoid bringing her anywhere she's likely to get freaked out in

Miaireland

To be honest you have to look at safety rather than her freaking out. If she is freaks out she is not ready to get it done and you should not take her.

I agree with getting it done in a business that specialises in piercing rather that heading into a chain store.

Her health and Safety is important here.

Mint Sauce

I had my ear peirced in claires many many years ago (has since closed up), and if I was getting mine done again, from what I have heard and read, I would go to the tattoo parlor, I think if I was a kid I would be more disturbed by the sight of the gun, than a needle I might not see.

lace

I've been having my ears pierces since i was 7, and I've been to jewellers, beauty parlours and piercing studios and I can tell you honestly, the latter was definitely the best.

Your niece is about to have some form of needle stuck through her ears, so she will naturally be nervous anyways. Although the setting of a beauty parlour may be a little more appealing for her, I have to warn you they are not always as hygenic as they look. Beauticians and pharmacists use piercing guns, which are very very difficult to clean completely.

Asides from hygeine, the gun will hurt her more. I've had quite a few piercings, but the ones done on my lobes with the gun were the most painful. I know having it done with needle and a clamp may seem scary, but it's much safer and less painful.

I would recommend having a look around some tattoo or piercing parlours. Talk to the staff, explain your niece's shyness. In my experience, they're very professional and will be able to put her at ease and give good aftercare advice.

rosielee123

Thanks for all the tips

degausserxo

Just a little heads up on piercing guns OP

reallyrose

I'm not a kid (:)) but I really don't like needles. I decided to get my ears pierced lately and I went to a parlour and they really were lovely. The piercer was very soothing and kept the needle out of my sight. He also put some kind of numbing gel on the needle so I barely felt a thing.
It doesn't even look like a needle, it looks like a curved piece of wire.

The parlor itself is very minimal and clean looking, just some pictures of tattoos on the wall.

I'd strongly recommend the piercing parlour. I'm probably not allowed name the place I went, but I can pm it if you like.

Pythia

Just remember, wherever you go, that aftercare is so important. Even if you have a great piercer, you need to keep it so clean and clean it very regularly. Back in primary school, one of my friends ended up with an infection so bad her ear effectively swallowed her earring it got so swelled up. She didn't use the surgical spirit etc she was supposed to.

Tayla

I'd avoid Claires aswell, they made a mess of mine.