Pins & Needles Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT!!! I came into the shop to simply have my nose stud changed to a hoop (which costs $ 15 apparently…) and the guy couldn’t get it in. He kept trying to shove different jewelry in my face. Finally he said he had to re-​pierce it. First of all, he used a clamp on my nostril, bruising and traumatizing the area very badly. Then he pierced it from the inside out. Which was not very pleasant at all. It bled like crazy and severely hurt for the next 48 hours. its been almost a week now and the swelling hasn’t gone down. The piercer there was not helpful at all in this situation, he said it was normal. My cartilage is very bruised still. The guy was nice enough, but was not honest and was very uneducated. If you’re thinking of getting a piercing just go to Almost famous. They have the same prices and are much more professional with way better reviews. When I told the piercer there what had happened she was beyond appalled. She was embarrassed for this guy. When my boyfriend called to notify the manager about both his and my bad piercings (so they could make the steps towards hiring a new one or educating their current one) the manager started verbally threatening him over the phone– the MANAGER! This is supposed to be the most professional person on the floor! He kept saying «oh you’re such a tough guy over the phone, come here and talk to me face-​to-​face.» and was completely in denial of the whole problem. That is no way to speak to a customer, especially one that is calmly voicing their concerns. It is such an unprofessional, unsafe, and unpleasant environment, I regret going here so much.

I called ahead, to ask some questions, since I had never had a piercing before. Just to ask basic questions, like cost, do I have to make an appointment, etc. The man who answered the phone was short with me, and seemed extremely disinterested and couldn’t wait to get me off the phone. However, I went in anyway for a nose stud. A man at the counter was very nice when we told him we didn’t have cash (since they are cash only) and had to go get some. Everyone was very nice! And when I got in the chair and my piercer drew the dot on my nose, I could tell it was higher than I wanted it, and I told him so. He said not to worry, the piercing would be below it, and he was just marking it to get a general idea. So I said alright. It turns out, he put it right on the dot, too high on my nose. Go figure! Price was great, service (in person) was good, actual piercing experience, not so much!

I got my second holes done at a different shop and one never healed properly. It became really bothersome this week and so I went into Pins and Needles to have it removed. I was really nervous because I had a feeling it was going to hurt really badly (and it did). Alex, the piercer, was great though. He explained what he was doing and was as gentle as possible considering I had growth around the second hole.
He even gave me tips on keeping it clean, getting rid of the growth with tea tree oil, and the types of metal I can safely use in my second holes. I will definitely be going back to Alex when it’s healed to have it re-​pierced.

Let me start by saying I went to Portland hoping to return to Utopian Tattoo & Piercings, only to find that they’re out of business. Too bad, as I had LOVED my first true (needle) piercing experience there ~2008. So I turned to Unilocal to find another recommended shop and found Pins & Needles.
Emily pierced my nose at Pins & Needles. At first, I was a little apprehensive to allow her to do it based upon what I perceived to be a bad attitude, but as we talked more I learned that her attitude is not bad — she just has a dry sense of humor that caught me off guard! For example, when I asked her what my choices were for initial nose rings, she replied, «Ugh, you’re gonna make me get up?» without cracking a smile (she was seated when we walked in and was talking to me from her chair.) As we chatted, I realized she’s just very matter-​of-​fact and literal.
She did a great job piercing my nose and I was done in five minutes. By the way, they are CASH ONLY but have an ATM on-​site if you need one. My piercing was $ 35.

I went out to Portland, ME around this time last year (August of 2012) and I got some stuff done at this tattoo shop. I was tattooed by Stephan Stelmach, and my experience was good overall… He was a fairly nice guy to talk to, and my tattoos turned out fairly well. I just feel that I was overcharged a little for what I got. I also got a lip piercing done here by a male piercer, but I forget his name. I believe I paid $ 50 for that. As for tattoos, they charge by the piece here. So all in all, if I ever come back to Portland, I would come back here (or check out another place).

This is a great place to get a tattoo; they don’t make actual pre– arranged appointments, unless you’re looking to get a large piece done. They almost always run their business on just walk-​ins.
I went in yesterday to get a simple piece done on my arm, and Mike was great. He frequently asked me if it was what I wanted and if he could make it better for me. I was a bit worried that it would fade quickly, as it is red ink, and he informed me that he’d gladly touch it up if I went in and saw him. He was very friendly and thanked me for my business, which I have found to be a sort of rare thing for shop owners to directly say. Mike was really great, polite, and focused on getting my tattoo to look exactly like I wanted it. This was my fourth tattoo, and I love it. It looks great.
I did get 2 clavicle dermal anchors done at the shop about a year ago, and sadly, they recently migrated out of my skin. When I got them removed by a piercer at another shop closer to me, they were at catching on everything, and that piercer told me that a simple scratch or one more catch could have easily scratched the dermal right out. Upon removing the jewelry, he also found that one of them was incorrectly inserted, and that was the reason it was almost completely out of my skin.
The piercer that incorrectly inserted my one dermal is no longer at Pins & Needles, and when I expressed my dissatisfaction to Mike during my tattoo, he was really understanding, and he explained that dermals unfortunately do migrate sometimes. They do have a new piercer, who I have heard is great at doing dermals, though I am hesitant to go back there now. But in terms of tattoos, I do recommend this shop.

Not an amazing experience, but it did the trick.