Here at Immaculate, we take safety very seriously. We’ve worked hard to earn our reputation as Columbia’s cleanest, safest body piercing studio. When you decide to get pierced, you trust your piercer not only to give you a beautiful piercing, but also to protect your health and safety. You should never assume that any studio is looking out for your best interest, always ask for proof.

Sterilization

– We use autoclaves to sterilize items used during the piercing procedure. An autoclave is a machine that uses a combination of steam, heat and pressure to sterilize by eliminating bacteria and spores.

Spore Tests

– A spore test is the ONLY way to know that an autoclave is working properly and is effectively sterilizing. Our autoclaves are spore tested weekly and results are reported by an independent lab. All results are available for your review at our front counter.

Sterilization Monitoring

– For each load that is run in our autoclaves, we use two forms of monitoring. Each load contains a sterilization integrator, individually packaged and stamped with the date and load #. Pouches containing single-use needles and body jewelry also hold a sterilization indicator strip (stamped w/ the corresponding date and load #). These monitoring devices allow us to see, via a color change, that the correct parameters for sterilization are being met.

www.safepiercing.org is a great resource for learning what to look for in a safe piercer and studio. They even have a checklist that you can print and use as a guide. We encourage you to use that checklist (or to make one of your own) when visiting any studio, including ours!

Client Education

– Prior to your piercing, you will have a chance to review our sterilization procedure. We welcome any questions you may have about our sterilization procedure and will happy to answer them for you. Once we are in the room, your piercer will show you the Sterilization Indicators packaged with your needle and jewelry BEFORE opening the pouches in front of you. After your piercing we will attach these strips to your paperwork and record the sterilization dates and load #s and ask for your signature to verify that you have seen them.

Sterilization Rooms

– Our studio operates two completely separate areas dedicated to the sterilization process. This extra space allows us to perform disinfection and sterilization in two different rooms, and when coupled with extensive employee training, virtually eliminates the likelihood of cross-contamination… that protects you and our employees and makes a studio a much safer place to visit. You can view both of the sterilization rooms online, or you can stop by and ask for a studio tour. We are proud of our studio and the steps we take to protect our clients.

DHEC Permit

– All legally operating studios in SC are inspected annually by DHEC and are issued a permit. This permit should be displayed in public view. It means that the studio met minimum state standards on the day that it was inspected. DHEC does NOT certify piercers… There is no such thing as a “Certified Piercer” in the state of SC.