Piercings
One of the Best Piercing Shops in Los Angeles
Apollo is one of the most-trusted piercing shops in Los Angeles, run from our Main Street studio in Santa Monica and a short drive for clients in Venice, West LA, Culver City, Marina del Rey, West Hollywood and DTLA. Every piercing we offer — ear, nose, navel, nipple, dermal and more — is needle-only and done by our Fakir-certified piercers in implant-grade titanium and solid gold, with placement, jewelry, healing and aftercare guides for each. Most clients come in for ear piercing in Los Angeles — and if you're local to the Westside, see our dedicated piercing in Santa Monica page.
A piercing at Apollo — fitted with BVLA solid-gold jewelry.
Piercing in Santa Monica
Our home studio on Main Street — walk-in friendly body and ear piercing, needle-only, implant-grade titanium and solid gold, open 7 days.
Explore → Best Places In LA To Get Pierced
An honest framework for picking a piercing studio in Los Angeles — professional-studio standards, sterility protocols, j
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Dermal Piercing Shop In LA
A working-studio guide to dermal piercing in Los Angeles — the anchor method, honest rejection reality, common placement
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Ear Piercing in Los Angeles
Lobe, helix, tragus, daith, rook, conch, forward helix and industrial — needle-only, with placement and jewelry notes.
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Ear Piercing Santa Monica
Walk-in friendly ear piercing on Main Street in Santa Monica — needle-only, implant-grade titanium and solid gold.
Explore →The real work
Healing is most of the journey
The piercing takes seconds; healing takes weeks to months. Good jewelry, clean technique and steady aftercare are what turn a new piercing into one you will keep. Each guide covers placement, jewelry and healing.
Curated Ear Piercing LA
A planned multi-piercing ear project mapped to your anatomy — built over several visits for clean, balanced healing.
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Ear Styling Santa Monica
Styling and jewelry curation for an existing ear — we map flow and placement before any new piercing.
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Ear Piercing Chart & Names
Every type of ear piercing named on one chart — helix, tragus, daith, conch and more, with pain levels and healing times.
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Eyebrow Piercing Shop In LA
A working-studio guide to eyebrow piercing in Los Angeles — vertical brow, horizontal brow, anti-eyebrow, bridge.
Explore → Finding The Right Piercing For You
A working-studio guide to choosing the right piercing — the Why → Where → What framework, the five meta-factors, five ex
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First Piercing Guide
A working-studio guide to your first piercing — the 48-hour prep window, what the studio visit actually feels like, the
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Kids Ear Piercing In LA
A working-studio guide to kids' ear piercing in Los Angeles — needle method, age 5+ floor, implant-grade titanium or sol
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Lip Piercing Shop In LA
A working-studio guide to lip piercing in Los Angeles — labret, monroe, medusa, vertical labret, snake bites, spider bit
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Navel Piercing Shop In LA
A working-studio guide to navel piercing in Los Angeles — anatomy-first placement, true navel vs floating navel, jewelry
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Nose Piercings In LA
A working-studio guide to nose piercings in Los Angeles — nostril, septum, high-nostril, bridge, and rhino.
Explore → Nipple Piercing In LA
A working-studio guide to nipple piercing in Los Angeles — anatomy-first placement, jewelry, honest healing timeline and aftercare.
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Sensitive Skin Jewelry
A working-studio guide to jewelry for sensitive skin — why nickel is the villain, the ASTM standards explained, the safe
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Piercing Prices & Value
What actually drives piercing cost — jewelry grade, piercer experience and sterility — and why the cheapest option rarely heals best.
Explore → Piercing Aftercare
The saline routine, sleep and hygiene rules, and the downsize milestone that turns a fresh piercing into one you keep.
Explore → Tongue Piercings In LA
A working-studio guide to tongue piercing in Los Angeles — midline tongue, venom bites, snake eyes (why we decline it),
Explore → Types Of Body Piercings
A working-studio guide to body piercing — anatomy-first thinking, five body regions, ten priority piercings in depth, th
Explore →Why Apollo
Fakir-certified, needle-only, fully sterile
Our piercers are Fakir-certified — the training lineage that helped professionalize American body piercing — and every piercing is single-use and needle-only, never a gun. With a 4.9-star rating across more than 600 reviews, that standard holds on every appointment, from a first lobe to a full curated ear.
The Experience
A step-by-step walkthrough of the Apollo piercing appointment — from check-in through jewelry selection, the piercing mo
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Conch Piercing
Inner & outer conch — pain, healing, jewelry and aftercare.
Explore → Helix Piercing
Helix, forward helix & stacked helixes — the curated-ear anchor.
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Daith Piercing
The daith fold — pain, healing, jewelry, and the migraine question.
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Rook Piercing
The antihelix rook — pain, healing, and the right jewelry.
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Tragus Piercing
The tragus flap — pain, healing, jewelry and aftercare.
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Industrial Piercing
Two cartilage holes joined by one straight barbell — pain, healing, jewelry and cost.
Explore → Septum Piercing in LA
Straight, sharp and easily hidden — needle-only septum piercing in implant-grade titanium and gold.
Explore → Medusa Piercing in LA
Philtrum (medusa) piercing placed dead-center under the nose by our senior piercers.
Explore → Monroe Piercing in LA
The beauty-mark lip piercing — precise placement, flat-back titanium, gentle healing plan.
Explore → Smiley Piercing in LA
The hidden frenulum piercing that flashes when you smile — assessed for the right anatomy first.
Explore → Snake Eyes Piercing in LA
Horizontal tongue-tip piercing — we'll talk through the risks and whether your tongue suits it.
Explore → Anti-Eyebrow Piercing in LA
High-cheek surface piercing with proper anchors and aftercare to keep it seated.
Explore → Cartilage Piercing in LA
Helix, conch, flat and more — single-use needle, never a gun, with a built-in downsize.
Explore → Body Piercing in LA
Navel, nipple, dermal, surface and below — Fakir-certified, implant-grade, by appointment or walk-in.
Explore → Body Piercing in Santa Monica
Our Main Street studio for ear and body piercing — needle-only, open seven days.
Explore → Ear Piercing in LA
Lobes, helix, conch, curated ear — gold and titanium, placed for the curation you want.
Explore → Piercing Shop in LA
One of LA's most-trusted piercing shops, run from our Santa Monica studio.
Explore → Kids Ear Piercing in LA
Gentle, needle-only ear piercing for children — calm, sterile and parent-trusted.
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Pride & affirming piercings
Affirming, judgment-free piercings and tattoos — Pride and identity, all year.
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Walk-ins & visiting LA
Visiting? Walk-in-friendly piercings near the beach — fully sterile, non-touch setup.
Explore → Nipple Piercing
Needle-only nipple piercing in Santa Monica — implant-grade titanium, realistic 6–12 month healing, honest anatomy checks. 18+ with ID.
Explore → Lobe Piercing in LA
Single, stacked or upper-lobe piercings — needle-only, never a gun, implant-grade titanium and gold, with a realistic healing plan.
Explore → Labret Piercing in LA
The classic center-lower-lip labret — needle-only, flat-back titanium, honest healing and the dental reality, from Santa Monica.
Explore → Forward Helix Piercing in LA
The forward helix at the front of the ear — single, double or triple — cartilage pain, healing timeline, jewelry and aftercare.
Explore → Flat Piercing in LA
The flat, between helix and rook — a curated-ear favorite; cartilage healing, flat-back jewelry and honest aftercare.
Explore → Orbital Piercing in LA
Two cartilage holes joined by one ring — placement, healing and the right jewelry for an orbital, needle-only.
Explore → Intimate & Genital Piercings in LA
Discreet, professional intimate piercings — VCH, Christina and more — anatomy-first assessment, sterile technique. 18+ with ID.
Explore → Gold Nose Rings & 14k Studs
Solid 14k gold nose rings and studs in Los Angeles — hoops, L-bends and screws, fitted and changed by our piercers.
Explore → Curated Ear Stacks
Stacking earrings and curated ear design in LA — mapped for flow and balance in solid gold and titanium.
Explore →Body piercing in Los Angeles & Santa Monica
A piercing studio built around clean healing, not quick holes
Getting pierced well is less about the two seconds of the needle and more about the weeks and months that follow. At Apollo, body piercing in Los Angeles means an anatomy-first assessment, a single-use sterile setup, and jewelry chosen to actually heal — implant-grade titanium or solid gold, fitted with room for the initial swelling and swapped down to a shorter post once you have settled. Whether you are booking your first lobe, planning a curated ear, or adding a nipple, navel or nose piercing, the same standard applies from our Main Street studio in Santa Monica.
Why clients choose Apollo
- Fakir-certified piercers. Our team trained through the Fakir Intensives lineage — the school that helped set the professional standard for American body piercing — so placement and technique come from a real credential, not a mall kiosk.
- Needle-only, always. We never use a piercing gun. A single-use hollow needle makes a clean channel; a gun crushes tissue and cannot be sterilized. This holds for every service, including kids' ear piercing.
- Implant-grade jewelry. ASTM F-136 titanium and solid 14k/18k gold only — internally threaded or threadless, and safe if you have reacted to earrings before. See our sensitive-skin jewelry guide.
- 4.9 stars across 600+ reviews. A long, verifiable track record from clients across the Westside and greater LA.
Pricing & consultation
Every piercing has two costs: the piercing service and the jewelry, quoted separately and always before we begin. Service fees start in the low-to-mid double digits for standard ear placements and step up for cartilage and body work; jewelry is priced by piece, from everyday titanium to BVLA solid-gold ends. There is no charge to talk it through — walk in seven days a week, or book a consultation and we will map placement, review your anatomy, and give you a full quote first. For the full breakdown, see piercing prices & value, and for what the appointment actually feels like, read the experience and our first-piercing guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does body piercing cost in Los Angeles?
At Apollo, pricing is split into two parts — a piercing service fee and the jewelry. A standard lobe or ear piercing service starts in the low-to-mid double digits, with cartilage and body placements a little higher; the jewelry (implant-grade titanium or solid 14k gold from lines like BVLA) is priced separately by piece. We quote both before anything happens, and the cheapest option is rarely the one that heals cleanest. See our full piercing prices breakdown.
Do you use a needle or a piercing gun?
Needle, always — never a gun. Guns are blunt-force tools that crush tissue and cannot be fully sterilized; a single-use hollow needle makes a clean channel that heals faster and straighter. That is true for every piercing we do, including kids' ear piercing.
Does getting pierced hurt?
Most piercings are a sharp two-to-three-second pinch, not the drawn-out pain people fear. Lobes and nostrils are the gentlest; cartilage like the helix, conch and daith carries more pressure; navel and nipple are brief but intense. Our piercers talk you through each breath.
How long does a piercing take to heal?
It depends on placement. Earlobes and nostrils settle in roughly two to three months; cartilage, navel and nipple piercings are longer projects at six to twelve months and sometimes more. Healing — not the piercing itself — is the real work, and our aftercare guide walks you through the saline routine and the all-important downsize.
What jewelry do you use, and is it safe for sensitive skin?
Only implant-grade materials: ASTM F-136 titanium and solid 14k or 18k gold, internally threaded or threadless so nothing rough passes through the channel. We do not use costume metals or nickel-bearing alloys. If you have reacted to earrings before, read our sensitive-skin jewelry guide.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Both. We are walk-in friendly seven days a week from our Santa Monica studio, but for curated ear projects, group visits or a specific piercer we recommend booking. Book a consultation and we will map placement before any needle comes out.
What is the minimum age to get pierced?
We pierce ears from age five with a parent or guardian present and photo ID; most body piercings are 18+ with a valid government ID. Oral and genital piercings are strictly 18+. More detail is on our kids' ear piercing page.
Where are you located and who do you serve?
We are at 2625 Main Street in Santa Monica, CA 90405 — a short drive for clients across Los Angeles including Venice, West LA, Culver City, Marina del Rey, West Hollywood and DTLA. Call (310) 331-0605 or explore our body piercing in Los Angeles page.