small pond

Divcology

Body Pierced Fine Body Jewelry

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His Pierce Is Fierce

Columbus Studio Has Grown Along With the Piercing Industry

by Alisa Caton

Patrick McCarthy never intended piercing to be his career, but 23 years ago when he was fired from his publishing job in Pennsylvania after a coworker outed him, he had to rethink everything.

"I remember being devastated when I was fired for being gay, because I loved what I did," he said. "But it made me be able to be me."

McCarthy's friend, Jim Ward, the "grandfather of piercing" and founder of the Gauntlet in LA, was teaching seminars on piercing in Chicago. Ward taught McCarthy all the basics of the craft, and he began piercing inside KUKLAS, a body jewelry store in Columbus.

"At first, I only did piercings I was comfortable with, and as my confidence grew I started doing more and more advanced piercings," McCarthy said. He pierced clients on a sheet-draped chair in the back room.

After a couple years, McCarthy decided he wanted his own studio. He opened Piercology in Columbus in 1994.

"I laugh still at some friends when they asked me 20 years ago, 'What are you going to do when the fad stops?" Well, I can proudly say it has not and I don't see it stopping in the future."

Far from it. McCarthy recently pierced the ears of a 92-year-old woman who came in with her grand-

14 august 2014

children. After watching the kids get pierced, she spontaneously decided to share in the experience.

"You're never too old to do it," he said.

But while piercing in general doesn't seem to be just a trend, some types of piercing have peaked in popularity.

"There was a time in the '90s when all we did was tongues. Tongues! Tongues! Tongues!" said McCarthy.

He's even had a dominatrix bring her sex slaves to get genital piercings. But some of the most common piercings he does now are the nose, the tragus (the part of your ear that projects over the ear canal) and forward helixes (the top part of your ear closest to the head).

McCarthy also explains that he's had to advise potential customers to forgo certain piercings because of not having the right anatomy, like enough skin in a certain area or a ridge above the belly button for a navel piercing.

Aside from building Piercology, McCarthy has spent much of the past 20 years building the industry as a whole. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the first elected president of the Association of Professional Piercers, a national organization. Recently, he started a new group, the Association of Body Art Professionals, which includes all forms of body art.

He said he wants to make sure studios learn the correct way and the safe way to perform body modifications. "We will teach you how to become better."

McCarthy has helped the industry in Ohio, too. He was in on the creation of state regulations for body art businesses, and he's currently helping rewrite studio standards for the Ohio Department of Health. He wants to make sure state inspectors are properly trained to examine studios.

"It makes me feel like I'm contributing," he said. "I would rather be on the forefront than other people trying to do this for me and doing it wrong."

Now McCarthy is looking for a location in Gahanna to open to Body Art Solutions, a first-of-its-kind center that will offer a full week of training in each of several specialties: piercing, tattooing and permanent cosmetics. After the program, trainees will be able to find apprenticeships in studios that use the correct methods.

There are ways for customers to tell if a piercing studio is up to par, McCarthy said. Look at their aftercare programs and the quality of their jewelry. Ask about their piercers' experience and ask to see spore tests, which are sterilization tests. After a piercing, you should clean the area with soap, water and then a sea salt soak.

Kara Warren has had five piercings done at Piercology and has loved each experience.

Congrats, Pat!

"They do awesome. It has always been clean, and it has always been friendly, too," she said.

Piercer Mike Chance said their love for the art form creates the welcoming vibe. "We all love what we do and that makes us humble."

Piercology

190 W 2nd Ave, Columbus, 43201 614.297.4743/piercology.com

Piercology will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Aug 9 with a blowout bash at Skully's, 1151 N High St, Columbus, 43201.

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro will emcee, with performances by acrobats, a band, a DJ and drag queens Soyna Ross, Diamond Hunter and Hellin Bedd.

Dave Navarro photo: Luke Ford

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