Getting a new piercing is an exciting way to express your personal style—but it's not something to take lightly. Whether you're looking into a walk-in nose piercing, ear lobe stud, or a more advanced body piercing, where you go and how it's done can make a huge difference in your experience and healing.
At reputable piercing shops like Aloha Monkey Tattoo, professionalism, safety, and quality are at the core of everything we do. In this blog, we’ll walk you through why trained piercers matter, why jewelry quality should never be compromised, and why needle piercings are safer than guns.
Why Trained Professionals Matter
Getting pierced is more than just a quick pinch—it’s a medical-grade procedure. A trained professional piercer understands body anatomy, safe placement, sterilization, and cross-contamination protocols.
Choosing an untrained or mall-based piercer—such as those offering Claire’s ear piercing—can result in misaligned piercings, infections, or even nerve damage. At Aloha Monkey Tattoo, our team is fully trained and certified to offer a safe, sterile, and personalized piercing experience.
We’ll guide you through your jewelry options and placement of the piercing while assessing your anatomy to ensure you heal correctly.
Why Jewelry Quality Is Non-Negotiable in All Body Piercing
The jewelry you choose affects far more than just how your piercing looks. Low-quality metals—commonly used in non-professional settings—can cause allergic reactions, irritation, or even full-on piercing rejection.
At Aloha Monkey Tattoo, we only use implant-grade titanium, surgical steel, or solid 14k–18k gold, all of which are hypoallergenic and biocompatible. Investing in quality jewelry from the start means faster healing, fewer complications, and longer-lasting piercings you’ll love.
Hollow Needle vs. Gun: What’s the Difference?
One of the biggest concerns in the piercing world is needle or gun piercings—and the difference is huge. Let’s break it down:
Hollow Needle: The Professional Standard
A hollow needle is sterile, single-use, and designed to create a small precise incision in the piercing location. This method is preferred by professionals for all types of body piercing—from earlobes to noses and cartilage. How do hollow needles work? Hollow needles work by removing a small, precise core of tissue to create a clean hole for the piercing. This causes less trauma to the surrounding skin compared to blunt force methods, allowing for faster and smoother healing.
Benefits of the hollow needle include:
Less trauma to the skin
Faster, cleaner healing
Lower risk of swelling, bruising, or scarring
Extreme precision in placement
100% sterile and single-use tools
Studios like Aloha Monkey Tattoo exclusively use hollow needles to ensure every piercing is done safely and accurately.
Piercing Gun: Risky and Outdated
A piercing gun, commonly used in retail settings or purchased by uneducated individuals in a cheap ear piercing gun kit, uses spring-loaded force to jam a blunt stud through the skin. This method may seem quick and convenient, but it can cause some serious problems:
Tissue Damage: Piercing guns tear skin, causing more trauma and longer healing.
Sterilization Issues: Guns are nearly impossible to fully sterilize, leading to a higher infection risk.
Limited Use: While commonly used for lobes, guns are unsafe for cartilage (like helix or nose piercings), which can crack under pressure.
Inaccurate Placement: No control over angle or depth.
Whether it's an ear piercing safety precaution or deciding between a piercing gun or a needle, the answer is clear: Always choose a hollow needle in a professional setting.
Body piercing pioneer, Jim Ward, in his shop, Gauntlet
The History Behind the Hollow Needle
Interestingly, the hollow needle wasn’t originally designed for body piercing—it came from the medical world. It was used for injections and biopsies until pioneering body piercers in the 1970s and 1980s—like Jim Ward, founder of Gauntlet, the first professional piercing studio in the U.S.—adapted it for safer body modification.
Jim’s innovative use of the hollow needle revolutionized the industry, proving that piercing could be done hygienically, precisely, and with significantly less trauma. His work helped shape the professional standards that studios like Aloha Monkey Tattoo proudly uphold today.
Needle or Gun Piercings: What Did We Learn?
Piercings are more than just a trend—they’re personal expressions of identity and art. Whether you're stopping in for a spur of the moment walk-in body piercing or you’ve been studying a body piercing chart for months to plan out an ear curated look , it’s important to trust experienced artists and professional shops like Aloha Monkey Tattoo.
We honor the history and culture of tattooing and body modification by doing things the right way: with clean tools, safe methods, quality jewelry, and an unmatched level of care. When comparing needle vs. gun piercings, always choose what protects your body and health.
For tattoo shops that take walk-ins and piercers that treat your body with the respect it deserves, Aloha Monkey Tattoo is here to help you do it right—every time.