I can't say enough good things about Steeve and the entire Release Body Modification team! This Iowa City gem is easy to walk past on Linn Street as it's not super flashy on the outside. They're open Tuesday through Saturday and take appointments with a $20 deposit. Peep their website for specials and availability, as it's appointment only. My nine year old had a horror story from a botched Claire's piercing years ago. (Long story short, it wasn't done properly and her lobe ripped. Eek.) Fast forward a few years and after letting her lobes heal fully-- I felt we were ready to try again. I contacted Steeve and he was confident we'd have no issues and I set up an appointment! We popped in on a Tuesday (buy one piercing, get one free). The staff greeted us with smiles! My daughter, Cora, went to the jewelry case and selected a bubble gum pink opal set that were reasonably priced. There was quite a selection: tons of sizes, metals, etc. Steeve was a calm, professional presence that treated Cora with respect and care. He walked her through the process and showed her what he was doing or going to do. He let her know he'd stop whenever she wanted and really emphasized it was ok to be nervous. He had her do deep breaths throughout as a way to countdown when a piercing was going to happen and even jammed some Taylor Swift during the appointment. It was refreshing as a parent to not be the one he was talking to, but Cora, instead. It's her ears after all! Cora was a rockstar (not even a tear was shed) but I attest it is partly because Steeve and the entire team set her up for success. Reminder-- bring an ID! Even for littles it is required. Release Body Modification is a piercing shop that can do just about anything you want, piercing wise. Quality is definitely the #1 priority from the piercing itself to the jewelry sold here. Beyond that, I can't emphasize enough that it is a compassionately run shop. Set up your appointment today! read more

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I came in after seeing all the positive reviews, and this place is fantastic! The staff are friendly and made sure that my entire experience was comfortable. Steeve took his time to make sure the placement was what I wanted and he explained everything as he did it. The jewelry gets sanitized with the same equipment I used as a dental assistant, so you know it's actually sterile. Since then I stopped in to look at swapping out the jewelry. The person who helped me recommended that I wait a little longer before swapping it. It's clear that they care about the art and their customers' safety! read more

It has been several months now and my septum has healed perfectly! Had no issues with healing and it looks fantastic! read more

Release Body Modification - Piercing - Piercing Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

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I went here a while back to get my septum pierced. The place was dope, and the people where inviting and attentive. When getting the piercing the guy explained everything very well, and preped me for it. It went well, not very painful, and honestly a cool experience. They then made sure I knew after care info before sending me on my way. Would very much so recommend this place! read more

Just had my 5th piercing- a conch. Kyle was helpful in selecting both jewelry & placement. As always, everything was very professional.

I've had four piercings done here and three turned out great! I even had a piercing done elsewhere that wasn't healing properly and they were able to help me out with that one. My one piercing from here that did not go well was my belly button. It was by far my most painful piercing and I had to go back to get a new bar for it since the original was too small. Did bother me that I had to pay for the new bar since they gave me the one that was too small to begin with, but that was a few years ago. That's the only reason it's not five stars. read more

My friend wanted to get her nose pierced for her birthday, so I took her here! It's a very clean place, the staff was super knowledgeable and made sure to walk us through their sterilization process. The stud was high quality, and while it's a bit expensive, it was totally worth it. Would recommend to anyone looking to get a piercing in Iowa City. read more

Steeve made one terrified woman feel calm. He didnt rush the process which allowed my nerves and head to relax. he explained everything in great detail and assured me over and over the cleanliness of facilities. I asked if it was a covid thing or every day thing. he said everyday, i can definitely tell they take great pride in their business and are dedicated to providing exceptional service! I drove over an hour to get to him. He was highly recommended by a classmate of mine and I'm so thankful he did! I will not go anywhere else for any further piercings... only Release! Thank you! read more

Super helpful!! I went in to get a recommendation on a piercing I had received somewhere else. They were willing to remove the jewelry after explaining that is was not salvageable, and gave me feedback on when, If I wanted, to get it redone. I was also given advice on another piercing I was considering getting, and said I could call back anytime to set up an appointment. Masks are still required here, so for those that are worried, you are safe! read more

The dude that pierced my nose was so great and the woman working the front desk was super sweet. Very chill, friendly, and welcoming place. They took their time, made sure everything was clean, and talked me through the whole process. It was quite painless. I've had piercings done here before and won't go anywhere else in Iowa City. Quality service with quality people. Keep it up, you guys rock!! read more

The level of kindness & care was genuine and top knotch! Once I got inside I felt so comfortable right away adding another piece of art to my body! Always a little nervous at first but that fanished immediately! They had my piercing done before I could complete one full exhale and I didnt even feel it! 100% 100% 100% recommend this business to anyone! Want another piercing just to get the same respectful & safe treatment all over again and I was there only an hour ago!!! Go! read more

Excellent place to go for piercings! I came here in February to get my helix and tragus pierced and had a great experience. Very clean and professional, would definitely recommend. read more

I've been a client of Release for several years and they've never disappointed. They have beautiful jewelry and the studio is immaculate. Steeve and Julia are knowledgeable, skilled, and meticulous with their safety and education. I highly recommend them! read more

I hate piercing and tattoo shops. I really, really do. I hate them because I am consistently dissatisfied with the level of professionalism that I've experienced in nearly all of my body modification endeavors. You walk in, they judge you immediately for not having enough tattoos/piercings, lecture you the whole time about proper terminology ("they're *plugs*, not gauges"), and just practice general assholery. I am more than happy to report that is not the case here. I wound up in Iowa because I was visiting my friend for her twenty first birthday, and we decided on some spur of the moment piercings and were pleasantly greeted by Steeeeve!!! (no really) Easley, the owner. Like I said before, Steve was totally nice and unpretentious despite my novice status and he was very helpful when it came to picking the jewelry. One negative side note, he calls girls baby a lot. Creeepy much. Everything was very clean, I think he sanitized the entire store like 8 times while we were there waiting. All in all, just a really great experience for a really great price (2 plugs + 2 piercings for $80!) and if I find myself in Iowa City again I will be sure to come back here. read more

What an awful experience! Staff was super rude (especially the girl) and they were not at all accommodating to my special needs friend. Save yourself the money and go somewhere else! read more

I went to Laughing Buddha piercing/tattoo shop in Seattle for three body piercings and Steve from Release was covering for the owner for two weeks. I knew I wanted these done but was nervous because I've had these three done before and know how PAINFUL two of them are. Steve was really cool about it. First, he had some great chill music (Emancipator) playing. He explained how all the instruments he was using were sterile. He also explained exactly what he'd be doing and made sure I was comfortable before proceeding. He was also really cool about my bf being in the room and holding my hand the whole time. My bf, being an engineer, had a lot of questions and Steve answered them all. Anyway, the piercings were definitely painful but Steve was calming and very patient, letting me relax and breathe until I was ready for the next. He explained the best way to help the piercings heal and really answered all of our questions in detail. He was very nice and personable. I haven't been to Release but I highly recommend Steve from Release! read more

Everyone is super fun and chill, they helped me figure out what piercings I wanted to get and what would look best with my ear anatomy! They are super sterile, they sterilize everything right in front of you and they talk you thru the whole process and everything to do during and after the piercing has been done. I can't wait to go back for more piercings! read more

I've gotten all three of my cartilage piercings done at Release and I couldn't be happier with them! The shop is clean and they make sure everything is sterilized every time they pierce. They have a great selection of jewelry and are super knowledgable about it. Their prices are a little higher than some other piercing places, but you really get what you pay for: quality jewelry, fantastic service, and a well done piercing. read more

A top notch place from start to finish. I have only had positive experiences here and I love their professionalism. You walk in and your immediately greeted. You are asked to sign forms and all that good stuff. They hire some incredible piercers that KNOW THEIR STUFF! I have gotten two cartilage piercings here and they were done super well. I must say though it is pricey. But the earring they give you won't fall out and you can come in to get the size changed after a few months. They sterilize everything, and I mean everything. go here if you need a piercing! read more

Super nice guy, but I bought a tragus jewelry and he put in a post that was wayyyyy to small for the piercing. 24 hours later i went to a different shop who had to pull out the post that was imbedded in my ear. My whole ear is hard and swollen from irritation, bled when the jewelry was removed and now I'll have to get it repierced. Not to mention the pain of getting the too small jewelry removed was way worse than the actual piercing and even after 12 hours of having it removed my ear is still immensely sore. If you buy jewelry from him require that he takes the time to measure your piercing to ensure that this won't happen to you read more

These are the only people I will let pierce me. They are amazing at keeping things sterile and they even show you the proof that it is. The customer service is out of this world. They are so very nice and informative. I highly recommend Release Body Modification!!! read more

Best piercing place ever! Made me feel so comfortable the whole time. Sterilization process is the best I've ever experienced before a piercing. Down side, this is their busiest time of year so walked in on a Monday and had to wait about 2 hours, along with many others because they only have one piercer Monday's! Other than that, I have no complaints, will definitely get more piercings here (: read more

Chris, the lady body piercer was sooooo cool. Got a piercing for 50 bucks. It was painless and would come back again!

Tye was super professional! Yet so full of life. I sterilize medical equipment for a living and they have a table top heat "sterilization process" that was really amazing! He changed his gloves multiple times and used hospital grade operation gloves for the final process. All I can say is Wowza! Also for newbies to non ear piercings, he put a dot to make sure I liked placement. Iodine, alcohol and I can't remember the interior nose disinfectant name... But awesome. They scheduled a free follow up call in a month just to make sure it's healing well. read more

Got an ear piercing done here by Pat, he was so friendly and professional - did exactly what I asked him to do. I had such a great experience with him and the place in general! Not intimidating at all, everyone was hilarious to talk to. read more

My roommate and I got pierced by Hunter. He was super professional and explained to us every single step of the process.He was extremely careful and made sure that everything was sanitized, he changed gloves multiple times thought the piercing process.It was not painful and he kept checking to make sure I was ok.The prices were super reasonable and I would definitely go back again to get any work done read more

Went in to find a new rook earring. Amazing customer service and changed earring for free. Loved this place and totally recommend it anyone!

It was great! Went in for my first ear piercings and he was good at it and he walked me through everything I needed to know. I would give it all 5 but they didn't have a lot of small earring choices and the the kind I wanted there were only one of them. read more

First of all, if you're on here and reading this post, YOU ARE CONSIDERING A PIERCING AT THE BEST SHOP in Iowa City, possibly all of Iowa!! I stopped in a little over a month ago to talk to get a second opinion about a nostril piercing that I had gotten the year before at another shop (to remain nameless...) that I ended up having to abandon because of hypertrophic scar. Anyway, Weaver was in the shop and he was SUPER HELPFUL!!! He spent at least a half an hour talking to me about my options as far as re-piercing or just piercing the other side. He told me why my first piercing was likely rejected and how to AVOID that happening again. I made an appointment for the following week (so all that time he spent talking to me and I WASN'T EVEN GETTING PIERCED THAT DAY) and for all he knew I might never come back. That made Weaver an A+ guy in my book right off the bat. The day of my appointment I had a at least 20 questions, sterilizing techniques, how the equipment worked, how he was going to pierce it, etc. I whined about how painful the last piercing was... This shop has THE MOST advanced sterilizing procedures. Weaver sterilized EVERYTHING that he was going to use AND he scrubbed the area getting pierced with iodine like he was about to perform surgery! I have never been so confident that my health was being looked after. I've got 6 tattoos and I don't think I EVER had this much concern for avoiding infection!!! Weaver has an amazing technique for nostrils, he pierces the nostril from the inside to the outside, and OH MY GOD it barely hurts, his technique was NOTHING LIKE my first piercing!! Piercing inside out I had almost NO bleeding, very little swelling and very little pain. AMAZING!!!! I was also advised on which cabachon I should get based on my skin tone, how often I would change the jewelry and what would heal best. Which included advice on leaving my piercing the hell alone! Don't clean it excessively, don't play with it (ever), change your pillowcases nightly for the first month, and drink water and let your body heal on it's own. Best advice I could have ever gotten. I am nearly a month out and the piercing looks amazing, no swelling, no issues and NO BUMP!!!! Around this time during my first piercing the dreaded bump had already appeared and the salt soaks didn't do squat to help. What I'm saying is Weaver is a true professional, and Release is NO JOKE! I stopped in a week ago to get my piercing looked at for general healing and I got to talk to Hunter (WHO IS ALSO FANTASTIC!!) we looked at jewelry, talked about my experience at Release and chatted about whether or not I should change the gauge or length of my post. He was so knowledgeable as well. I just can't recommend this shop enough!!! Go check them out, you won't regret it! read more

Excellent service, friendly & knowledgable guys!! Totally recommend this joint for anyone needing piercings

Weever and Chris are the nicest people ever, and they know what they're talking about, too. They offer really great advice and Release hands down has the best body jewelry in town. All my metal has come from them :) love the place read more

I went in to have my nose pierced recently and they were extremily wonderful in guiding me through the process. I was helped by one gentleman I believed named Nick even though his shift had ended and he offered to stay later to do my piercing for me. I told him that it wasn't necessary so he introduced me to Hunter the other piercer on duty. Even though I was very nervous and asked a lot of questions they were both very kind and detailed in their answers. Hunter was extremily patient and talked me through the whole thing. I felt both comfortable and safe throughout the entire process. It has been about a week and I have had no complications with the jewlery or the piercing itself. I reccomend this place to anybody looking to get a piercing! read more

I just went in on a whim having wanted my nose pierced for a long time. Hunter was very professional. The last time I tried to go in to a different business the guy couldn't be bothered to answer any of my questions so I left. Hunter answered most of my questions before I even need to ask and was very open about the serialization process and the piercing process. I felt comfortable and informed the entire time. I will definitely be recommending him to my friends for future business. read more

My sister and I walked in without an appointment for an ear piercing. Kyle was the only one working, and was extremely patient with showing us the process and tools. Kyle was well educated about wound healing, metals, and body healing among others. He answered all questions we had. He was incredibly meticulous while placing marks for piercings. Don't let the modest appearance of the shop put you off- their service quality was expensive. The price was a bit steep, but that is expected for the quality jewelry and service they offer. Kyle followed strict sterilization protocol. Overall, a great experience. read more

I've had piercings done here by three different artists, and each one has done a fantastic job. This is the only piercing shop I go to now, and I have a wonderful experience from beginning to end each time. The piercings and jewelry are reasonably priced and high quality, and aftercare instructions are always clearly explained. Would recommend this place to anyone looking to get beautiful work done in at a clean, professional business that really cares about its clients! read more

Steph and Pat are fantastic! Clean and professional shop! Very friendly and warm! Great experience and would highly recommend

Great shop, very clean and very professional piercers. As someone has already mentioned, there shop is a 0 judgement zone. Unlike most shops, the staff are very friendly/personable and willing to answer any questions that are thrown at them regarding piercings. The shop is extremely well kept and clean. They have a ton of "top of the line" jewelry in stock and have about anything one could ask for, piercing related, on hand. I have gotten many piercings done at Release and the two piercers that I have had, Weaver and Hunter, were both extremely professional and helpful with the whole process, EVERY time. They walk you through the entire piercing process and make sure your extremely comfortable before they preform the piercing / piercings and give you a ton of time after the piercing is done to get comfortable, if needed. If for some reason they do not do a certain request of a piercing they will always give you a reason why they won't or don't do they particular piercing. Unlike a lot of shops that I have been to, that tell you "No, I don't do that piercing" with out any reasoning. I haven't had any piercing by the owner Steve but I have heard nothing but great things about him. I truly would not go to any other place for a piercing in Iowa City or surrounding area after experiencing this shop. Hands down the best in the area. read more

just had my jewelry changed but they were great from start to finish. helped me pick something that would fit my ear, let me know the exact price breakdown before i committed, and had the whole thing changed within two minutes. they were also extremely nice and i'd recommend them to anyone looking for a place to get their first piercing! read more

Everything was perfect! There was great service, Steeve Easley did my lip piercing and he did such a wonderful job with helping me pick out the jewelry giving me the pros and cons of each type of metal (not just trying to sell the most expensive kinds like most shops). The piercing was fast and very professional and priced well! I would hands down recommend coming here to get a piercing done! read more

This was my firs time getting a piercing besides my ears and I have nothing but positive things to say about Release. They kept me calm and were very informative as to what to expect, sterilization techniques, jewelry, etc. Everyone was very professional in the sense that they knew exactly what they were doing but were very friendly and kind. I would recommend Release to anyone and would go back there if I ever desire more piercings! read more