Piercing By Amber

06/27/2021

02/13/2021

Good morning everyone, this is your fearless leader AKA Queen Bee, Amber Merideth here.

Let's talk about piercings! Which ones do you ask? Well, I figured we would touch on nostril piercings specifically but really, any piercing that is concealed by a properly worn face mask. Every single day myself and my crew get bombarded with the age old question "Why aren't you doing nostrils?". Well friends, the answer is easy to give but often hard to accept. We want nothing more than to pierce your nostrils, but allow us to briefly explain why we won't.
First and foremost, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Secondly, we are still operating under a statewide mask mandate. Thirdly, vaccines have only recently began to roll out so thousands of people a day are still getting sick and dying. Last but not least, the extensive list of issues that arise while healing a piercing while wearing a mask all day. Allow me to elaborate with some personal experience.
I have my nostrils pierced and they are well healed, for years in fact. Since I have begun wearing face masks for 6+ hours a day they have gotten angry! Red, sore, swollen and even oozing. One week I had developed hypertrophic scarring on both!! I haven't had to deal with any of these issues since I first received the piercings, and I am not happy about it. As if I didn't have enough on my plate already, now I get to pamper and baby my piercings in a borderline act of futility. Sure, they calm down after being able to live mask free for a few days, but then I'm right back to square one after a few days wearing the mask.
Just imagine how pi**ed off your face could get under a mask with a FRESH piercing! Fresh piercings are much more susceptible to problems arising for many reasons. In our aftercare instructions we explicitly notify you to reduce/ remove excessive moisture from the area. Warm + Wet + Open Wound = Recipe For Complications.
When you wear a mask there is an excessive amount of moisture that builds up on, in, and around the piercing site due to condensation from your breath. This means you're at an increased risk for excessive swelling, irritation, and (potential) infection. We also explain how having acne near a piercing site can become uncomfortable and difficult for the healing process. Ever hear of the phrase, mask-ne? Because of the extra skin oils and moisture build up your pores are getting clogged and BOOM, acne. Not to mention issues that stem from jewelry getting snagged, or even lint/cloth fibers getting trapped on jewelry!
The last thing we want is for you, our clients to be in distress and unfortunately we have had several clients come to us with major complications. Clients that we hesitantly pierced when we reopened in July, and clients coming to us from other shops still allowing under the mask piercings. I love what I do, my crew, and my community too much so I cannot in good conscience offer something that I know without a doubt has an increased likelihood of becoming problematic. We know things have been hard on everyone, but we are trying to make sure things don't get worse for you. This is why myself and my crew will not be doing under the mask piercings for an indefinite amount of time.

I hope you understand and can respect our stance on things as we all navigate this situation together. We will always be here for you to help with whatever we can. We love you Asheville, stay strong.

12/17/2020

Just a little sneaky peak at some new merch coming your way!

11/28/2020

Hello Asheville! This is your BTC828 owner talking, requesting your audience. I have a very, VERY important announcement to make!

As of 5 pm yesterday the extension of Phase 3 and the strengthened mask mandate became active. What this means is that as a business we are placed into a position where we need to make a few more adjustments to how we do things, or rather just reiterate the rules for our (potential) clients.

The rules are as follows:

1. A mask must be worn at all times covering the nose and mouth while on the premises, this includes the front parking lot and common indoor areas. This means ALL SERVICES under the mask are hereby canceled until the mask mandate is lifted. NO EXCEPTIONS.

2. All persons must wash and or sanitize their hands upon entry of the building, NO EXCEPTIONS.

3. All persons must maintain social distancing to the best of their abilities both inside and outside of the building.

4. No food or drinks are allowed by clients to be brought in and consumed during your appointment.

5. All services require an appointment to be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. No appointment, no service. If you must cancel or reschedule your appointment please contact us at least 24 hours in advance. NO EXCEPTIONS.

6. All staff must be treated in a courteous and respectful manner regarding the enforcement of these policies, failure to do so may result in being banned from the premises.

We reserve the right to refuse service to any persons for any reason, and will do so if any persons fail to comply with the above mentioned.

Failure to comply on OUR end may result in fines, being shut down, and or jail time.

Failure to comply on YOUR end results in services being rescheduled or possibly denied.

We love what we do and want nothing more than to pierce and or tattoo you, but for right now we kindly ask that if you want to acquire our services that you do these things.

With Love and Respect,

Amber Merideth