I don't usually write reviews of places, but my experience at the Gothic Alternative was so strange I think I should make an exception. I honestly went here because it was $45 to get my ears pierced, instead of the usual $75+. Now I understand why.
I got my lobes pierced (simple enough, it's not my first piercing) - but the man who pierced them was so unprofessional, it made me feel really uncomfortable. They don't take debit, you have to pay cash, and he didn't have any change (he stuck the bills in a drawer behind the counter). There was zero record of our transaction, and he didn't have us sign any kind of form about the possible health problems/infection.
The actual earring selection was minimal. About three choices, nothing simple (spikes or... dice...?), all kinda tacky. The place also didn't seem very clean. There was a "manicure station" as well, with a chair and some random bottles of nail polish that were all very dusty. Looked as if they hadn't been touched in quite a while.
He gave a lot of strange piercing "tips. He RECOMMENDED going swimming in pools, which for every other piercing I've gotten (or anyone I know has gotten), the piercer always recommends going 3-4 weeks before going swimming. He said the chlorine would help keep it clean and make it heal faster (?!) and when I told him what other piercers had said, he got really rude and started asking "Well, if there was bacteria in pools, would you go in it? Period. Period." (????) He also said that oceans were good (something to do with kelp). And he said to put moisturizer "in" the piercing if it gets dried about as most moisturizers are "anti-bacterial" (uh, no). He also said you shouldn't soak it in salt water (but the ocean is okay apparently???) but just hot water. The only thing he was right about was not to touch it.
Anyway, if you go here, don't take his advice. Listen to literally any other piercer and keep your piercing out of the water, don't put f-ing moisturizer on it, and just clean it with hot water (boil it, let it cool some) and salt (sea salt is best). I did that with my ears + nose + eyebrow and they all healed fine.
The actual piercing job was... okay, I guess. He pierced mine kind of high on my lobe (after he drew on the dots, I told him to put it lower but it's still really high).
He was generally not very friendly, didn't make the experience all that great, gave some AWFUL advice... so 1/5, if you're going to get something pierced, AVOID THIS PLACE. read more
