New Piercing & Tattoo Shop in Calgary (Review)

A few months ago Kensington - Calgary, AB - got a new tattoo & piercing shop called "Get Pierced". It's located in the trendy Kensington area which is near downtown Calgary. I always walked by it and told myself that I will go in there one day. Well, that day was two days ago. My friend M and her friend Stacy wanted to get their belly button's done. Stacie found out there was a new place in Kensington which had a special on; Any piercing (Above the waist) including jewellery, $50.00! We were shocked and quickly made our way down there. I personally was nervous about how low the price was. Who charges only $50 dollars for any piercing, everything included? Turns out it's just a special deal they have on now because it's a new store and they want more people to come in. I've been getting piercing's and tattoo's for quite a few years now and I've been going to the same place the whole time. I don't trust a lot of people to put needles to my skin, so I'm not really willing to go to new shops without finding out the facts. I want to know if the place is clean, if everything is new and sanitized, and how long the piercer or tattoo artist have been doing it for. I would also like to see some work that they've done so I know what I'm getting into and I have something to go off of. Plus a bunch of other things that I find important and make me want to go there. 

So as we get to this tattoo & piercing shop, I was iffy about it. I didn't know what to expect. But once we got in there I was pleasantly surprised. It was a very open room, it looked clean and professional. They had lots of merchandise on display and a few rooms to do piercings and tattoos. So far so good. We walked around for a little bit and glanced at some of the stuff they were selling. They have everything from belts, t-shirts, hats, toques, bags, to ALL kind of piercing jewellery. And it was all reasonably priced. I was excited about this because normally when you go into a tattoo & piercing shop you pay out of the butt for anything they sell there. Well all of their merchandise was good quality and not expensive. After looking around for a bit we stood their for a couple minutes…the receptionist just stared at us funny. We told her they wanted their belly buttons done and she just smiled and nodded. After a little bit the piercer came out, and took them into the room. He used clean/packaged needles, jewellery and clamps. He put gloves on and cleaned the chair after each use. Stacie ended up going first. So the piercer let them pick out their jewellery, he marked/measured for her piercing…then got her ready and pierced her. After she was done they had a light bulb go off. She then realized she hasn't signed a waver yet to get her belly pierced in the first place. The piercer was shocked and pulled them out of the room and brought them to the "receptionist" and told her to get them forms to sign. (He didn't look to pleased). After settling that, my friend M was next. He did the same routine. Marked, measured and pierced. After he then explained that how to take care of them, how long it normally takes to heal, not to swim, play with it etc. and what to use to clean it. He directed them back to the receptionist where they paid. 

So far so good right? Well a couple things that bothered me about the service was:

-Not signing a waver right away.

-Not changing gloves in between people.

-Not cleaning the piercing after he pierced it.

-Not selling any cleaning products for tattoo's or piercings.

-No work displayed. i.e. pictures of tattoos and piercings they've done. 

I am not trying to talk down about this particular shop, but I think there could have been some changes/improvements with everything. I would recommend this place to someone looking in buy some cool merchandise or piercing jewellery because it is the best I have seen from any place I've been to. I wouldn't go back and get something done from them just because of my experience…unless I saw a change with their service and being sanitized. 

But please check it out!! Doesn't hurt to research it yourself and if you find it to your liking, don't be afraid to go. 

Here's their Website ----> www.getpierced.ca 

Facebook----> www.facebook.com/GetPiercedKensington

You'll be able to see their merchandise, location business hours, and much more. 

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I recommend for anyone going to a new place to get any work done on your body; please be careful and do your research. Not knowing anything about where you're going has consequences like; getting infections, diseases, unprofessional piercing's and tattoo's and permanent scars on your body.  

Piercing Advice

--I get asked a lot of things by a lot of people about my piercings, like; where I got them, did they hurt, how much was it, why'd you get it...etc. I'm hoping that this entry helps a little for anyone out there interested in knowing anything about piercings.--

Cleaning products & Techniques:

A lot of people who don't know a lot about piercings don't really know how to take care of them good enough, if at all. So here are some products and do's/don'ts of cleaning piercings.

H2Ocean: Skin care products that are for piercings, tattoos and every day use. H2Ocean has multiple products to help take care of your body the way it should be. You can find them in the majority of tattoo/piercing shops you visit.

Mouthwash: For oral piercings and day to day use. 

H2Ocean Salt Spray: For oral and every other piercing.

All these products are natural and used with salt. For more information and a list of other products here's a link to there site -----> www.h2ocean.com

Other Cleaning Products: sea salt water, tea tree oil(for healing, not cleaning), saline solution. You can get them at most grocery stores.

Do Not Use: Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, glyoxide, ear care solutions, and ointments. **They are not meant to heal open wounds. There for they normally make it harder for your piercing to heal and dry them out, which irritates it.

When you get a piercings try not to touch it for the first few weeks. You carry all kinds of germs and bacteria on your hands, which then carries to your piercings. When cleaning it's better to use a Q-tip or cotton swab that way you can fully clean your piercing without missing anything.

If your piercing gets infected, don't make taking it out right away the first thing you do. There are products and solutions to help heal it. (You can spread the infection if you take it out). I'd Suggest calling the piercer who pierced it for you for any advice on what you should do.



My Recommended Piercing Shops in Calgary:

#1 The Arthouse Inc.
This is my number one choice because I have been going here for quite a few years. There are two different piercers name Laura and Sondra. They are the best of the best if you ask me and they know what they are doing. If you have ever gone to a tattoo festival here in Calgary, AB you would have seen them there. They have won awards for there business which includes; tattooing, piercings, laser tattoo removal and  selling jewelry&merchandise.
Link ----> www.thearthouseinc.ca

#2 Strange World Tattoo
This is my number two choice because I have gone here with a bunch of my friends who have nothing but good things to say about this place. They have gotten numerous amount of piercings and three of them have gotten numerous amounts of tattoos. They only have one person who does piercings and her name is George. She is full of information so if you have any questions she's the best person to ask. She also helps run the shop keeping the business going. Strangeworld has also been apart of tattoo conventions and has won awards for there business.
Link----> www.strangeworldtattoo.com

**All the places I have mentioned above are clean, sterile places.**

Word of Advice:

I believe getting a piercing is something that should take a lot of thought. It should be a decision you are willing to make, not forced by friends or family. I also believe that if it is something you want, you shouldn't let what others say keep you from.
On that note I also believe that you should wait until you're older (old enough to sign the consent sheet without a parent), all because it's not "permanent", it does leave scars. It shouldn't be something you get because a friend told you to get, or because someone thinks it would look "cool" on you. Your body=your decision.
**I highly recommend that you do your research before you sit down on that chair, and get a needle jabbed through your skin. What you do, and where you choose has consequences. Different diseases, bad piercings, un-sanitized jewelry/needles/piercing equipment and unprofessional piercers. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you do it to your body.
***I highly recommend not getting piercings done by friends with things like; safety pins, sewing needles, and earring's. Even if they say they know what they're doing, don't always trust them.