When AWOL Piercing expanded into their new location at the end of 2021, they set out to become so much more than a simple piercing studio. Under the leadership and guidance of owner Áine and manager Steph, AWOL Piercing has come to be something incredibly special for many people.
Since opening the studio doors at 44 Abbeygate St Upper, AWOL Piercing has worked to curate a safe and comfortable environment where everyone feels welcome. As Steph explains; “the most important thing for us is that it’s a really safe space. It’s a space where someone can come and feel that they can express themselves with no judgement and that’s been our ethos for a long time because body piercing is a way of owning your body and claiming it back for yourself and we want everyone to feel access to that.” Áine adds; “One of the reasons I wanted to open this studio was because in addition to our broad spectrum of clientele, my clientele are also getting older. Piercing is becoming more accessible to much older clientele and over at the other studio, it’s obviously a tattoo studio. It looks like a tattoo studio, and feels like a tattoo studio. I wanted to open a space that looked more like a jewellery shop so when you walk in it feels like a jewellery shop. It looks like a jewellery shop but we happen to do piercings.”
As soon as you step through the door, you can appreciate the level of care and attention to detail that Áine and her team took to develop the space into what it is today. The unique and eye-catching décor beautifully emits a feeling of ease and genuinity that is carried throughout the studio. Áine tells us; “We wanted to keep it really neutral, so there are no dominant colours. My own personal taste is quite gothic and witchy and occult but we didn’t want it to be scary, despite the fact we have a massive upside down cross.” All the artwork you’ll see in the studio has come from independent artists and creators, and there’s definitely loads of interesting pieces to admire when you call in. When considering what décor they wanted for the studio, Steph and Áine wanted to create an atmosphere that made people feel comfortable, relaxed and most importantly excited for their piercing and they knew they wanted people to feel that from the moment they stepped into the studio. “We want good vibes from the minute you come in the door,” says Steph.
To everyone that has visited AWOL Piercing over the past two years, Áine and Steph expressed both admiration and gratitude for them. “We are so honoured that people choose us to help them express themselves and we are so grateful for it. It’s a sacred thing, so the minute you come in we’re grateful that you are here and we want you to be happy while you are here,” says Steph. Áine continues saying; “we appreciate every single person that walks through that door and we do not take that for granted. It’s a lot of gratitude and a lot of respect.”
AWOL’s clientele includes people from all walks of life and for them getting that new piercing can hold a variety of meanings. From queer youths finding AWOL to be a place where they can be open without any nervousness and trans masc and trans femme people coming in for their first post-surgery or gender affirming piercing, to ladies in their 50s, 60s and 70s, who are rediscovering their youth and reclaiming their lives. It’s no wonder that their favourite parts of the job highlight the human interactions they have on a day-to-day basis. Speaking about this Steph enthusiastically explains; “Helping someone feel more comfortable in their body, to become more confident, and to feel like they own their body is just such a wonderful thing. To see someone come into the studio and leave feeling good about themselves and wanting to look in the mirror, it’s amazing.” Agreeing, Áine adds; “One of the perks of this job is helping people claim their own body and be the boss of their own body.” she continues; “I love when we see someone walking down the street and they’ve loads of piercings and we can be like ‘we did that’. We help them become that version of themselves.”
At AWOL Piercing, they offer an array of services from facial and body piercings, to jewellery and aftercare products. While they offer various piercings to those aged 16yrs+ and 18yrs+ on Sundays, they offer ‘Sunday School’ which is ear lobes piercings for children aged 8-15 years. The reason for this additional service is because they wanted to provide a hygienic and safe piercing experience for children, to ensure that they receive a high quality aftercare experience. After getting their piercing, children receive free check ups and downsizing when needed. For information on their guidelines for this service, please tap here.
Telling us a bit about their piercing practices, Steph says; “We take it really seriously because with piercing it’s of course good to have a high level of hygiene and standards and practices so while making it really accessible we wanted to really increase our techniques and what we are capable of doing and ensure that everything is as safe as possible, basically.” Once the piercing process is complete, the relationship between client and piercer does not abruptly end and Áine, Steph and the whole team don’t want it to either. Steph says; “People are encouraged to stay in contact with us after their piercing, aftercare for piercings can take months and months and months. We want them to constantly come in to us and check with us, things like that they are not left on their own.” Overall, they simply want each of their clients to have a good time, a good experience with them and to leave feeling much happier than when they first came in.
Pay AWOL Piercing a visit at 44 Abbeygate Street Upper or give them a call at; (091) 441 942 and find out all the answers to any queries you may have. Give them a follow on their socials -Facebook and Instagram - to check out their latest creations and be inspired to book in for your next piercing.
Photos courtesy of AWOL Piercing
