legit reasons we WILL say no…
Our clients ARE our business. And I give thanks EVERY DAY for how amazing and wonderful the vast majority of our clientele are. It helps us create a fun and caring environment for EVERYONE.
However…
I recently had a very negative interaction with the parent of one of our under-18 piercing clients. And it bothered me enough to compose this blog post. I do not feel badly for the parent, but I do feel terrible for her kids - she brought her 2 daughters into the studio as a walk-in - and for my appointment clients (also a mother and daughter) who were all an audience for what I just cannot keep from calling: “A Karen-ing” - by which I distinctly mean a person with whom there is no reasoning or discussion about [insert subject matter here- could be literally ANYTHING]. Always confrontational, never productive.
Now, while we try very hard to respect what our clients request - there are boundaries to what we will and will not do. And, in the case of a follow-up care services for a healing piercing - there is already a signed agreement in place before we even leave the front of the studio that our recommended healing advice and time-frames will be adhered to for the duration of the healing period.
I’m not going to get into more details on this confrontational situation. I believe enough of us have endured this in recent times to fully understand where this entire thing ended up. S**t show.
As the owner of this business, I am where this buck stops. Period. I have established practices and advice based on both my own professional experience and that of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP), which is a collective of professional piercers whom devised standards for all aspects of the body piercing industry over more than 25-years. We do not have the legal protections of “Against Advice” when it comes to a non-compliant client, so we MUST stick to the established parameters and minimize risk to the health and welfare of our clients.
This is NOT a matter of, as I was accused, “disrespecting my choices” - every bad choice in life comes from misunderstanding information or over-confidence in one’s skill or experience with same. And piercings are literal WOUNDS - puncture wounds, to be precise - that need time and protection in order to heal fully.
I had trouble sleeping that night because of the thought of what any of my employees would have had to go through with this person if I had not been here. In fact, as I was discussing the situation with my employees the next day, I was informed that another client had come in last week and pulled the same trick - “It’s MY body and I’m telling you to do x-y-z…” Nope. We will NOT.
So, here are my suggestions for avoiding us telling you “No”:
Keep options open instead of stubbornly insisting on whatever it is you have in your mind. I know - you maybe “did your own research”, but the internet is largely full of massive amounts of incomplete and misinformation. Yes, it’s your body and choices, but that stops applying when you’re asking US to do something TO YOU… Once that happens, it is OUR choices. And those are coming from our intention to “do no harm”.
Listen to what we are trying to TEACH you - you may THINK you know what’s up but NOBODY knows everything. Getting defensive when you’re being corrected on misinformation likely will NOT result in you getting your way anyway, so save energy and just LISTEN. (See other blog on why piercing is WEIRD to learn some stuff you never knew! Lol!)
Realize that nobody can know what YOU know or don’t know - you’re not being talked down to, you’re being EDUCATED on something you DID NOT KNOW. OR you’re being engaged in a conversation that can result in a POSITIVE interaction that results in both parties LEARNING something from each other.
Treat the employees (and owners) of this (and ALL businesses) the EXACT same way YOU want to be treated in YOUR HOME. Especially by a stranger in that home. We have rules. Please respect them.
If you are asked to LEAVE - just leave. Don’t try to get the last word or get a “win”. YOU do not have home field advantage and will ALWAYS lose. We are always happy to have a conversation at a later date. But in the heat of things, WE cannot leave so YOU must. Confrontation sucks. But reconciliation is amazing. And we are always open to it.
Piercing is about HEALING not jewelry, and that makes it a lot more complicated than most people assume (Ass-U-Me!). You can always find someone who will do whatever dumb thing you’re willing to pay them to do - but that’s not us. Never ask us to perform a harmful action on your person or on your children. Not only is it faulty thinking that can result in life-long harm, but is also a major LIABILITY to this business and its employees. We will ALWAYS say NO.
Don’t forget - you GET what you GIVE. So please don’t come in with a negative or confrontational attitude. We are here to HELP. Don't make that an impossibility.
I don’t ever want to resort to telling a client, or potential client, to leave the studio. But I WILL. And not because it’s a “my way or the highway” situation. But simply because we provide personal SERVICES. And our goal is to provide the safest and most educational services possible. That’s our ONLY goal. And it takes ALL OF US to get there.