If you want to get a piercing in NYC/Brooklyn, go to So Gold Studios in Williamsburg
The waiting area at So Gold Studios
It seems like everyone I know is getting second (or third, or fourth) ear piercings lately, an observation that Cosmo recently validated. If you’re in the market for a new piercing in the NYC/Brooklyn area, I can’t recommend So Gold Studios enough! I got a conch piercing last month, and was really happy with the experience.
So Gold Studios is a one-woman shop in Williamsburg that opened last summer. The owner, Cassi Lopez-March, has been piercing for ~17 years (she worked at New York Adorned for like a decade before opening her own place) and she really knows her shit. The studio is teeny, and really cozy while also being extremely sterile/surgical (so… exactly what I want in a piercing studio).
The jewelry is fairly pricey because all the stones/diamonds are real, but you we-use the jewelry you’ve already purchased if you get another piercing from her later. (So, after my current piercing heals, I can use this same earring to get a new piercing in a different spot, and I’ll only have to pay for the piercing itself, which is $40.) I definitely felt like the service matched the overall higher price point of the trip — we had a private appointment; got to take our sweet time picking out jewelry (which is important because it’s expensive and you’re going to be wearing it every day for a while); were able to be very fussy about the exact placement of each piercing; and I didn’t feel rushed through in any way.
I also feel really good about my aftercare; I’ve been doing exactly as Cassi instructed — cleaning it with 0.9% sodium chloride sterile saline wound wash twice daily and taking the time to pat it dry afterward — and my piercing looks and feels great.
Cassi said most of her clients are repeat customers, which makes sense to me both in general in terms of body art, and also with regard to her specifically. She was just great; after I left I had a feeling of “Obviously I will only ever get pierced by Cassi for the rest of my life” and I immediately wanted to recommend her to all my friends (hello). I am definitely planning to go back in a few months. (I love this earscape and am on my way to something sort of like it.)
A few people have asked me if the conch piercing hurt a lot, and the answer is… it hurt exactly as much as you’d think it would? Like, it feels just like you’d imagine someone pushing a needle through a thick part of your ear would feel — no more, no less. For about a week after my appointment, it was fairly sensitive; I couldn’t sleep on my left side, and it would hurt a lot if, say, I bumped it with my glasses or while doing my hair. And then after a week it simply stopped hurting entirely! (This experience is extremely similar to what I’ve heard from friends who have recently gotten new ear piercings.) But it was fine/worth it and I’m ultimately really happy with it!
By the way, if you want some general ear piercing inspo, here are a few good IG accounts to look to: Maria Tash, Studs, Pamela Love, and So Gold Studios.
Related: The gold hoop earrings I wear every day. ✨