FAQ

Not yet. The studio is in Southport, being readied for its first sittings. Email info@pariah.au, or use Reserve. We write back.

Southport, Gold Coast. Street address announced ahead of opening.

Yes — we work by appointment. Email us to reserve a consultation and we will confirm a time by return.

Online booking and phone reservations are not live yet. Until the studio opens, every consultation starts with an email to booking@pariah.au — or use the Reserve page.

When bookings open and we confirm your appointment, we may ask for a deposit. It is credited in full against your balance on the day. With at least 48 hours' notice we will move your appointment and roll the deposit forward. Less than 48 hours' notice, or a no-show, forfeits the deposit.

With at least 48 hours before your appointment, we will reschedule at no extra cost and your deposit rolls over. Less than 48 hours' notice, or no-shows, forfeit the deposit. If you're running late, message us. More than 15 minutes late may need to reschedule.

Usually up to three new piercings per session. Up to four may be possible with a good healing history and piercer agreement. A multi-piercing ear might differ — we discuss what is realistic when you book.

No. Consultations are by reservation only — email us and we will confirm a time. We do not take walk-ins. Curated ear projects and multiple placements need a reserved consultation to plan placement and jewellery.

Eat a proper meal within a couple of hours of your appointment, stay hydrated, avoid alcohol for 24 hours before, and wear comfortable clothing that gives easy access to the area being pierced.

It's a sharp sensation, but brief. The piercing itself takes less than a second. Pain is personal. Placement matters too: cartilage tends to feel more pressure than lobes; nipple and navel piercings vary widely.

Plan for around 30–45 minutes for a single piercing — consultation, marking, sterile disposable setup, the piercing itself, and a full aftercare walkthrough. For a multi-piercing ear or multiple piercings, allow an hour to an hour and a half.

We work with implant-grade titanium, solid gold, and niobium. Preview the jewellery and Fitting Room online, then email us to confirm a piece. At a reserved appointment, we work with jewellery style and anatomy to find the match for you. Initial jewellery needs the correct length and gauge to accommodate swelling.

Nerves are normal — tell us. We'll slow down, take more time with the consultation, and explain every step. If you want to pause, stop, or have a moment, say so.

Yes — one support person is welcome in the piercing room. Support people should stay calm, let the piercer work, and not crowd the space.

We use single-use, sterile, hollow needles designed for body piercing. Every needle is opened in front of you from sealed packaging and disposed of in a sharps bin after use. Nothing is reused. Hollow needles remove a tiny core of tissue for a cleaner channel than a gun.

Initial jewellery is implant-grade titanium (ASTM F136 / ISO 5832-3) as standard, plus solid 14k/18k gold that is lead-free, nickel-free, and cadmium-free, and implant-grade niobium (ASTM B392). Fresh jewellery is threadless or internally threaded only. We choose not to use steel for initial jewellery. Choices are informed by APP and AUPP jewellery standards — not a membership claim.

Implant-grade titanium (ASTM F136) is the same material used for surgical implants — it contains no nickel, making it our standard for fresh piercing jewellery.

For initial piercings, we can't use jewellery you bring from outside — we need implant-grade material that arrives sterile in sealed packaging. For healed piercings, email a photo and we will tell you whether it looks suitable.

Yes. Junipurr, Canasteel, LeRoi, and Norvoch, each as a limited selection. Email to confirm a piece. Decorative threadless ends are in the catalogue. Labret posts are fitted in studio.

Once the studio is open, you can reserve a jewellery sitting without booking a piercing. Decorative threadless ends are in the catalogue. Labret posts are fitted in studio, to you. Navel curves, hinge rings, and clickers, order in studio only. Until we open, preview ends in the Fitting Room and email info@pariah.au, or booking@pariah.au to reserve.

Not as a shop aisle. The public catalogue is decorative threadless ends. Labret posts are fitted in studio, to you. Navel curves, hinge rings, and clickers, order in studio only. Email the jewellery form or info@pariah.au. To have a piece fitted at an appointment, Reserve.

Threadless (press-fit) jewellery connects a labret post and decorative end via tension — no external threads. APP and AUPP recommend threadless or internally threaded jewellery for fresh piercings.

Healing times vary by placement and person. Rough guide: earlobes 3–6 months, cartilage 6–18 months, nostril 4–9 months, septum 2–4 months, navel 9–12 months, nipples 9–18 months. Detail is on the Aftercare page. A piercing that looks healed outside can still be healing inside.

We use NeilMed piercing aftercare: a sterile, preservative-free 0.9% saline wound wash. Wash hands first, spray about twice daily, dry with disposable gauze or cotton swabs. Leave the jewellery alone. Full protocol: Aftercare.

Do not mix sea salt solution. Do not use contact-lens saline, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, BZK products, tea tree oil, Dettol, ointments, or antibacterial soap. Do not over-clean, twist jewellery, or pick crusties.

Yes. NeilMed piercing aftercare is the sterile saline we use. Spray about twice a day. Leave the jewellery alone. Detail is on the Aftercare page.

Not until your piercer has checked you and given the go-ahead. The first change is typically a downsize — shorter jewellery once swelling has subsided.

Downsizing swaps your initial longer bar for a shorter piece once swelling has gone down — typically around 4–8 weeks, sometimes later by placement. Almost everyone needs it. Until the studio is open, email us if a fresh piercing needs attention.

Bumps on healing piercings are common and usually not infection — most often irritation. Email a clear photo to info@pariah.au. Do not pop, squeeze, or apply essential oils.

True infections are rare when jewellery and aftercare are right. What most people mistake for infection is irritation. Seek medical attention for spreading redness, significant warmth, thick yellow or green discharge, fever, or red streaking away from the piercing.

No. Twisting jewellery during healing causes micro-tears and irritation bumps. Leave jewellery in place between saline cleanses.

Avoid pools, spas, the ocean, and lakes for at least 4–8 weeks. Do not sleep directly on a healing ear or facial piercing — use a travel pillow so the ear sits in the hollow. Full detail: Aftercare.

Titanium and solid gold can stay in for showers and exercise. During healing, skip chlorinated and salt water.

Healed: a warm rinse is usually enough. Build-up around a setting: a soft toothbrush and unscented soap. Dry with a cloth, not paper.

A threadless end is a pressure fit on a labret post. It can ease over time. Check it; once we are open, a re-tension takes seconds.

If a stone feels loose or a prong looks lifted, email a photo to info@pariah.au.

Store ends separately so they do not scratch. Keep perfume and aerosols off them.

Studio policy: most piercings 18+. Earlobe only for 16–17 with guardian present, written consent, and photo ID for both. No one under 16. Cartilage, lip, nose, facial, and body are 18+. Under Queensland law, nipple and genital piercings under 18 are illegal even with parental consent.

We accept current photo ID: Australian passport, Australian driver licence (full or provisional), or a government-issued 18+ proof of age card. We cannot accept screenshots, photocopies, or expired documents.

Pariah is a disposable studio. Client-contact equipment is single-use — opened in front of you from sealed sterile packaging and disposed of after. Surfaces are disinfected between clients; piercers work in PPE. Initial jewellery is implant-grade and comes sterile in sealed packaging, opened for insertion.

No. Piercing guns cannot be properly sterilised, force a blunt stud through tissue rather than removing a core, and cause more trauma. Every piercing at Pariah uses a single-use, sterile, hollow needle.

Our standards are informed by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) and the Australasian United Professional Piercers (AUPP) — not a membership claim. In practice: disposable studio workflow, implant-grade initial jewellery, threadless or internally threaded systems, single-use needles, sterile saline wound wash, and no piercing guns.

Yes — when anatomy, jewellery, or timing would set you up to fail. A responsible piercer refuses placements that cannot heal safely. We will explain why and offer alternatives where they exist.