Some of the things to think about before your appointment

It's best if you don't drink alcohol the night before and are fully hydrated before your appointment. Your body will be in much better shape and the experience will be much more comfortable.

It's a good idea to have a light snack a couple of hours before your appointment so that your blood sugar levels are good but not a heavy meal because this increases your chance of feeling nauseous.

Think about the clothes you are wearing. It is important that you don't wear tight clothes that rub against your new piercing. Comfort is more important than fashion today!

If you are having an oral piercing, it's a good idea to have visited your dentist beforehand so that you are not likely to need any dental work doing whilst the piercing is healing. And please brush your teeth!

DON'T FORGET TO BRING ALONG SOME ID (see Age Policy).

Some piercings will bring a tear to your eye (whether you like it or not!) and some will bleed.

Some people enjoy the experience of being pierced, some people find it uncomfortable. The piercing itself will feel like a sharp pinch and it's over very quickly. So try not to get worked up about it before hand.

If the jewellery looks a perfect fit right after the piercing then there will be trouble in the days ahead. The piercing site will swell so the initial jewellery needs to be long enough to accommodate the swelling. For most piercings the initial piercing jewellery needs to be 2mm longer than what you will end up with and for some piercings need to be considerably bigger, e.g. the tongue can double in thickness after a piercing.

You have to be prepared to be patient and have jewellery which, once the swelling has gone down, looks too big. Once the piercing has properly healed, (which remember, can be several months), you can downsize.