“I’ve been to Forest a few times now for both piercing and jewellery changes. The studio is so nice and welcoming and there is a beautiful selection of jewellery to choose from” Sarah via Google

 

FAQ

What are your age restrictions?

What is your sales policy?

Where are you located?

What is your studios level of accessibility for wheelchair or impaired mobility users?

I have a Guide Dog for my hearing and or vision, will they be permitted access?

Can I request a silent appointment?

Can I come in to the shop to look at jewellery in advance or view your jewellery in an online catalogue?

Can I just come in and do an anatomy check?

I’ve been pierced somewhere else - Can Forest help me?

Do I need an appointment?

How many Piercings can I have done in an appointment?

When should I arrive and can I cancel?

Can I get pierced on a site where I have had cosmetic surgery or filler?

Can I bring my own jewellery?

Can you pierce me with jewellery I’ve already worn?

How do I care for my jewellery?

What kind of jewellery do you use?

Can I order jewellery from you if I can’t see it in your store?

How can I pay at Forest?

Do you sell gift certificates?

Is there anything I should do to prepare?

How do I care for my piercing?

Do you offer numbing?

Can I bring someone with me while I get pierced?

Can I be pierced if I have a diagnosed medical condition? Why do you ask this on the consent form?

Do you offer Genital Piercing?

What behaviour is considered inappropriate during genital or any piercing enquiries? 

Can I have a genital piercing performed on my period?

Can I have a genital piercing performed with an erection?

Can I have a genital piercing done if I have undergone gender affirmation therapy or surgery? 

Can I be pierced when I am pregnant?

How long do I have to wait after being pregnant to be pierced?

Will my pregnancy affect my current piercings?

What are your age restrictions?

Click here to visit our age restriction page We are an adults only studio, you cannot bring children to be pierced and you cannot bring children including babies in prams to your appointment while you are pierced.

Where are you located?

We are located at 121B Douglas Street, Glasgow, G2 4HF. We are a 10 minute walk from Charing Cross Station or Cowcaddens Subway Station.

What is your level of accessibility for wheelchair or mobility impaired users?

The shop is a ground floor premises with no threshold step.

The front door is 69cm wide at it’s widest point allowing for “standard” wheelchair access but unfortunately it does not allow access to a fully inclusive size range of wheelchair, regrettably due to the structure of the property we are unable to alter this feature and we do apologise for the inconvenience.
Inside the property there is space in the waiting room for a waiting wheelchair user. The glass viewing case is visible from a height of 82cm and the counter top is 97cm high.

The bathroom has space for a wheelchair user and a personal carer, however please be advised the toilet does not have a grab rail.

Our piercing room bed is 83cm high with a footstool and has a weight limit of 500lbs (35.7 stone). We can lower the bed height by several inches if requested and we can perform many piercings on clients from a seated position in their wheelchair if preferred. Due to size restrictions in the piercing room itself, we only have room for one wheelchair at a time, this means if you require a personal carer to be with you they must be able to stand.


I have a Guide Dog for my hearing and or vision, will they be permitted access to the studio?

Your guide dog can go everywhere you can in accordance with the 2010 Equality Act and we are happy to make accommodations for this. No animals other than Guide Dogs are permitted studio access. Clients with Guide Dogs are welcome to send us an email to arrange an appointment at the end of the day, this means no clients will be using the space immediately after you, so if we need to spend a little more time with you we can. You can also book in online like everyone else but these appointments are time sensitive so if you feel you may benefit from more time just drop us an email and we’ll be happy to help

Can I request a silent appointment?

Our piercing style is very much to tell you what we’re doing and let you know when and how specifically we are going to touch you, however not all clients want to know the details and not all clients wish to even make small talk - and that is completely OK! The Silent Appointment is for you. Just select this option on your paper consent form and we’ll do our best to keep talking to a minimum. There will be times we absolutely have to talk to you, to verbally* obtain your consent.

*If you are unable to provide verbal consent because of a physical or mental health condition, please notify a member of staff. This can be done prior to your appointment or at your appointment. You will be asked to provide in writing via your consent form your preferred methods of physical communication, for example hand gesturing, head nodding or the use of typed instructions. This is done to determine that consent has been obtained from you at the time of your marking and piercing.

Can I come in to the shop to look at jewellery in advance or view your jewellery in an online catalogue?

We don’t have an online catalogue and we can’t send you options to look at in advance, but we do now offer walk-in Saturdays, so if you’d like to drop by on a Saturday afternoon and browse you are very welcome to! During the week and on Sundays we work with private bookings not walk ins, so we might not be able to assist you but if we’re free we’ll do our best to help.

Can I just come in and do an anatomy check?

Only on Saturdays, pop in and let us take a look and we can confirm what we can do for you. You can also do anatomy checks via email for some piercings, but often times we can only give you an indication whether or not you’re suitable via email, not a “guarantee”.

We don’t offer walk in anatomy checks for genital piercings, for staff safety, absolutely no one is able to walk in off the street and be alone with a member of staff for a genital exam without prior notice and ID verification.

I’ve been pierced somewhere else - can Forest help me?

Of course! A huge amount of the work that we do is maintenance on piercings not performed at Forest. There are a couple of limitations on what we can and cannot do but not many. Those are as follows:

-We will not insert jewellery you’ve purchased somewhere else, we only insert jewellery purchased at Forest. 

-We are an adults only studio, we’re not able to accommodate minors that have been pierced elsewhere.

Please check out our age limit page for a full list of our minimum age requirements.

-There may be very rare instances where we physically cannot remove jewellery from you, if you’ve inserted jewellery not purchased at Forest and it’s become broken or damaged, or if of inappropriate design for use.

-If you’ve been pierced somewhere else and you’re worried your piercing is infected or that you’ve been pierced with the wrong jewellery, we cannot do a jewellery change for you on a piercing less than 30 days old pierced outside of Forest.

This is because we cannot accept the liability for any physical harm that has been done to you by the original studio. We can only be responsible for work we have actually done.

Once your piercing is more than 30 days old, you should be past the point of initial physical trauma such as bruising or other tissue damage or bacterial infections that may have been caused by the other business specifically.  We can then look at your piercing and see what condition it’s in and how best to proceed if you’d like to keep it.

If you need help and you either can’t go back to your original studio or don’t want to, we can still offer advice via email and we can also remove your piercing for you as well providing it doesn’t appear to be infected and that removal wont cause you further harm.

If your piercing appears to be infected or in anyway a danger to your health we suggest to seek medical advice from a health care professional.

Please do not get pierced anywhere that is unwilling or unable to provide you with safe follow up care in the weeks immediately following your piercing. It is not uncommon for piercings, even perfectly done piercings, to require follow up care.

Other than those restrictions, we are happy to do jewellery changes and check ups on all piercings

Do I need an appointment?

Most of the week we are private and appointment only so bookings is recommended, or you can do a drop in on Saturday.

Our booking platform is online and can be accessed for scheduling 24 hours a day, click here to book. It’s not possible to book without a valid credit or debit card. Your card will never be charged in advance but when booking you agree to our cancellation policy and the cancellation charge in the event you don’t turn up for your appointment at the time you’ve selected.

How many Piercings can I have done in an appointment?

We will not do more than 3 ear, cartilage, body, or facial piercings or any combination of them in a quantity of more than 3.

We recommend waiting at least 6 weeks in between appointments to allow for the initial swelling and tenderness to pass before having more work done to make after care manageable and mitigate infection risk. You cannot waive your rights and ask to be pierced more times than this, as we always maintain the right to set safe boundaries on the work we perform. We recommend that you work on one ear at a time when having cartilage piercings performed, to leave yourself one side to sleep on, however if we can offer this service safely with your informed consent we will.

Cancelling an appointment

Please arrive for your appointment on time to maximise your browsing time. Once you are 10 minutes late this is considered a “no-show” and your card will automatically be charged the cancellation fee you agree to when booking. We know plans can change on the day and that’s why we give all customers the flexibility to cancel their appointment at their end online 100% free of charge for up to 5 hours before their appointment. To do this simply go into your confirmation email and click the button “Manage Appointment” to cancel or reschedule.

If you cancel with less than 5 hours notice you will be charged a re-booking fee of 50% your minimum appointment cost.

If you “no show” you will be charged 100% of your minimum appointment cost. This policy is displayed when you book your piercing and is enforced.

We understand lateness/forgetfulness happens and if it does, you will be welcome back to the shop for your next scheduled appointment no questions asked however you will be billed the previously agreed amount. We will decline further work for individuals with outstanding no-show balances with the studio.

Can I get pierced on a site where I have had cosmetic surgery or filler?

Cosmetic surgery is very common and can be performed for a variety of essential and non-essential reasons and can include procedures such as ear lobe reconstruction, breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and tummy tucks. All surgery will cause scar tissue, which can cause healing complication in piercing which in turn can cause more scar tissue. You should wait a minimum of 12 months to allow for scar maturation to take place before attempting to be pierced on or near a surgery site. Your doctor may tell you the you are “cleared” sooner than this, however this doesn’t change the fact that scar maturation takes at least 12 months.
We do not pierce and do not recommend that you ever attempt to pierce sites that contain filler such as the lips or cheeks, as this can result in filler seepage, rejection and may also exacerbate infection due to the presence of a foreign body spread through internal tissues. We recommend you wait until your filler dissolves, have the piercing you want done, wait for it to heal fully and then start having filler done again if you wish as a healed piercing channel or “fistula“ will help protect you from these potential side effects.

Can I bring my own Jewellery?

We only perform fresh piercings with never before worn jewellery purchased at Forest on the day of your piercing.
If you would simply like your jewellery changed in a healed piercing we can do that for you as long as the jewellery was purchased at Forest.

We do not insert any jewellery bought online or in another studio. If another shop has advised you of this, they have not asked us about it and are mistaken.

Why can’t you pierce me with jewellery I’ve already worn?

All jewellery arrives are forest new and unworn and we then sterilise it on site in a clean facility.  As only clean jewellery is processed in this space, if we take your jewellery which has been exposed to your bodily fluids and bring it into that clean environment we are contaminating that space. If we take jewellery from many clients and introduce them all into the clean environment, that creates a serious public health risk as bodily fluids can carry pathogens such as Hepatitis and HIV. We cannot decontaminate your jewellery, re-sterilise it and polish back to like new condition.

Each new piercing  = 1 new piece of jewellery. A re-piercing is a new piercing, any time a needle is used it is a new piercing.

How do I care for my jewellery?

The jewellery we pierce you with is implant grade, what that means is that it’s biocompatible and will not break down over time when exposed to the heat and moisture of your body. Implant grade jewellery is not affected by things like showering, but exposure to harsh chemicals, for instance peroxide in hair dye, may tarnish jewellery. When wearing gold jewellery, please remember this is a soft metal, and like a delicate chain it can break is pressure or force is applied to it. This is another good reason to have your initial piercing post downsized to help minimise the risk of “snagging“ your piercing.

What kind of jewellery do you use?

We pierce with implant grade titanium ASTM F-136, stainless steel ASTM F-138 and Niobium. We also pierce with 14 and 18 karat gold rings and attachments on titanium posts. We are are extremely selective not only with the materials we use but the surface finish and overall craftsmanship of the jewellery too. Whether you opt for a simple titanium item or a solid gold item the overall standard of product we supply does not change.

Can I order jewellery from you if I can’t see it in your store?

Yes please visit our custom order page on this website to see how to order. Not all orders are accepted but we’ll help as much as we can!

What methods of payment do you accept?

When you book an appointment you need a credit or debit card to make your booking. This will never be charged in advance and is taken to secure your booking in accordance with our cancellation policy.

In store you can pay cash, card or contactless phone payments. We also now accept Glasgow Loves Local gift cards, however please be advised:

As we are not the purveyor of these cards we do recommend an alternative payment method is available to you in case your card experiences technical difficulties that we aren’t able to overcome.

You will need a smart phone with you if you are planning to use a Glasgow Loves Local gift card as we will need to send the payment link via SMS when you pay.

Do you sell gift certificates?

Yes we do! Please visit out Gift Voucher page on this website for details

Is there anything I should do to prepare?

  • If you have many questions to ask prior to getting pierced, please feel free to email the shop at forestpiercingenquiries@gmail.com before your appointment and we will answer as much as we can in advance, this helps to maximise your time in store to browse jewellery and have the piercing done as the appointments are set blocks of time.

  • Please cancel your appointment if you’re sick. If we get sick and can’t work, we have to cancel on dozens of clients, so we’d much prefer it if you cancelled on us rather than us having to cancel on many.

  • Make sure you have had something to eat or drink at least 4 hours prior to your appointment.

  • Do not abuse drugs or alcohol before your appointment.

  • Do not get pierced if you are about to go on a holiday where you may be swimming or may not have access to clean running water.

  • Do not get pierced if you know you may have to remove your jewellery before it has healed for work/school purposes.

How should I take care of my new piercing?

Visit our Aftercare section for all the details on daily care and troubleshooting

Do you offer numbing?

No we don’t offer numbing and we don’t recommend you attempt any personal numbing at home before your appointment either. A piercing is similar to getting an injection at the doctor or dentist - it’s not nice, but it takes 2 seconds and then it’s over. Numbing products are medical products and do pose a risk in terms of allergens and skin irritations, they also “vasoconstrict“ which means they starve the skin of blood which is harmful to a new piercing because a strong healthy blood flow is needed to start the healing process. In addition, numbing products can contort the skin, so we could mark a certain placement on you and hours later as the numbing product wears off the piercing placement could relax and shift. In summary - piercings hurt, we don’t like it but it is part of the experience and we’re hear to make that process as quick and easy for you as possible.

Can I bring someone with me while I get pierced?

We recommend coming alone as we’re not always able to accommodate guests. Only one client is permitted in the piercing room and if a staff member is working solo, they may decline to let additional people enter the studio space for safety and security. Personal carers and interpreters are welcome for clients who need assistance.

Can I be pierced if I have a diagnosed medical condition? Why do you ask this on the consent form?

If you have an immuno-compromising condition, heart condition or seizure disorder, please consult your health care provide prior to booking to ensure this doesn’t pose an unreasonable or dangerous risk to your health.

Most medical conditions will not prevent you from being pierced, however piercing does come with a small risk of infection and for individuals with weakened immune systems that risk may be greater and doctor approval may be required.

Glasgow City Council’s piercing license is conditional that if you suffer from a contra-indication for body piercing that you GP first verifies it is safe for you to proceed. Any information you provide us with is kept strictly confidential. This is done for your safety and we will only refuse service if we believe there is a genuine risk to your safety.

Do you offer genital piercing?

We do not offer genital piercing or genital jewellery changes on a walk in basis. Under no circumstances will a member of staff enter a private room with you without a booking. Genital Piercing is however offered by private invitation only. We have a waiting list specifically for genital piercing work, which you can find here We welcome clients of all body types including intersex, transgender and cisgender clients. All genital piercing is 18+ and a valid photo identification is required.

 What behaviour is considered inappropriate during genital or any piercing enquiries? 

Inappropriate client conduct includes but is not limited to:-

Enquiring about the age, gender and physical appearance of staff.

Making comments of a sexually explicit nature towards staff in person, by phone or via email. 

Attempts to touch staff.

Attempts to inappropriately touch yourself.

Attempts to contact staff outside of professional channels via social media or in person.

Forest has a zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment.

Any inappropriate client conduct in the studio will result in us immediately placing down our equipment and telling you to leave the premises. The incident will be recorded along with your personal details and if necessary a report will also be made to Police Scotland. 

Inappropriate conduct prior to or following your appointment via telephone, social media or in person prior to piercing will result in a lifetime ban from the premises. 

Can I have a genital piercing done when I am on my period?

Yes, it is completely fine to have a genital piercing performed while you are on your period however you are required to wear a menstrual cup or tampon as opposed to pad, if you are not comfortable inserting menstrual aids please wait until your period has ended before being pierced.   

Can I have a genital piercing done with a penile erection or an aroused vulva?

First and and foremost please be aware that this is a non-sexual service and we will not tolerate the sexualisation of staff.

Though many clients will seek out genital piercings to express their sexuality, which we fully support, the actual act of piercing you is not a sexual act and we are body piercers not sex workers in this situation.

Having said that, during the process of a penile piercing it is not uncommon for blood to rush to the site of the piercing and this can result in the clients becoming erect or partially erect, we understand this is involuntary and it will not affect our ability to complete your piercing in a professional manner. If however you have an erection prior to being pierced or are exhibiting behaviours as stated in the  “What behaviour is considered inappropriate during genital or any piercing enquiries?” section, then we may refuse service as you are expected to have a level of self control to let us do our job properly and pierce you safely.

Similarly vulvas may also become aroused involuntarily, and this will not affect our ability to pierce you safely however we will withdraw services if you are exhibiting the behaviours stated in the above  “What behaviour is considered inappropriate during genital or any piercing enquiries?” section.

Can I have a genital piercing done if I have undergone gender affirmation therapy or surgery? 

Absolutely! Though you may have to stabilise certain gender affirming medical treatments prior to being pierced if it’s a treatment that can cause changes to your genital anatomy, as that may disrupt a healing piercing, potentially causing it to migrate or reject.

For example, if you have recently started HRT, you and your GP may wish to review or alter your dosage at regular intervals and changes to your hormone levels can cause things like tissue growth or shrinkage. Even having facial piercings during this time period can be challanging for persons who develop hormonal acne or facial hair. That’s why we recommend that your treatment is stable at the time of being pierced and throughout your healing, this typically takes at least a year of HRT but alterations can continue to develop for up to 5 years.

In the instance of surgical alteration, it’s not always possible to pierce surgically altered tissue and you may need to wait several years to see the final results of your scar maturation before piercing is a possibility.

Can I be pierced when I am pregnant

No new piercings can be performed while you know yourself to be pregnant or believe you may be pregnant. This is because piercings are a voluntary procedure that can result in infection. We will not knowingly pierce any pregnant person and are not permitted to do so by our local authority or insuring body and we advise against being pierced 6 months post pregnancy.

If you’d like to have your nipples pierced specifically, we suggest waiting for 6 months from the point at which you have ceased breast feeding to have your nipples pierced to allow the nipple time to stabilise as breastfeeding can change the size and shape of your nipple substantially.

How long do I have to wait after being pregnant to get pierced?

We recommend waiting 6 months postpartum before having any new piercings performed, this is regardless of whether or not you have chosen to breastfeed.

In the event you have suffered a miscarriage: if you have been through a still birth, vaginally or through cesarean section, please also give yourself a minimum of 6 months to allow your body time to heal.

If you have suffered a miscarriage prior to 24 weeks and/or have not been through the birthing process with your baby, you may still have pregnancy hormones in your body for up to 2 months, our recommendation is to wait 3 months in this instance before having any new piercings performed to allow your hormones time to stabilise as this can affect wound healing.

If you have undergone an outpatient termination of up to 10 weeks, please wait either 2 months or until your next period (whichever comes first) to be pierced again, if you have undergone an inpatient surgical termination our recommendation is to wait 3 months before having any new piercings performed.

In all instances please consult and follow your medical practitioners advice.

Will my pregnancy affect my current piercings?

Potentially yes, it is a common phenomenon that during pregnancy pre-existing piercings can flare up and become sore. There are a few reasons for this. Significant hormonal changes can cause your skin to become oilier or dryer than usual which may irritate your existing piercings. For some this may only be a minor phase during their pregnancy and not one that requires piercing to be removed.

Pregnancy can also trigger allergies that were previously not currently active, so for example if you have a piercing you’ve worn jewellery in for years that contains nickel, it may never have bothered you before but pregnancy could trigger that allergy and the piercing may become inflamed. If your piercings become irritated enough the skin may break down leaving you open to infection, so for some having longer, implant grade jewellery fitted may help.

As your pregnancy progresses you may find your navel jewellery becomes uncomfortable to wear or that your nipple jewellery becomes too tight. If you have genital piercings you may find they also might become tight or uncomfortable as the vulva will increase in size when you come near the end of your pregnancy as the body produces significantly more blood in the run up to childbirth which can cause vascular areas to enlarge.

This increase in blood production can also cause your temperature to rise significantly, and overheating can also cause piercings to become irritated through increased sweating and tossing and turning at night. For some, retiring existing piercings may be the safest option. For example if you are planning to breastfeed you should retire your nipple piercings as it is a choking hazard to place nipple jewellery into your infants mouth no matter how tightly it’s believed to be on. Genital piercing jewellery is often required to be removed prior to giving birth in the event of emergency so it does not interfere with the work of medical professionals.

It is still possible to have jewellery removed or replaced during pregnancy however we are unable to remove dermal anchors as this would be considered a skin breaking treatment, for this reason dermal anchor removal during pregnancy should only be conducted by a medical professional as it would be a violation of our studio licence.