FEATURE: Body piercing is for all - even '˜cool grannies'!

All1Tribe on Adam and Eve Street has revealed a cross-section of Harborough locals, including pensioners and office workers, are flocking to the studio looking for funky body art designs.

Manager Louise Falcini said: “A body piercing studio has been a long time coming for Harborough, and it’s showed with the variety of customers we see.

“When we first opened a lady well into her seventies walked in requesting quite a risqué piercing. She was a cool granny, no doubt about it. Our eldest client was a woman in her eighties.

“Times have really changed. When I started working in the beauty industry 20 years ago, certain piercings and near enough all tattoos were frowned upon, yet they are now considered part and parcel of modern life.

“The council official who granted my licence actually came back and had a piercing herself. We’ve also had estate agents popping in on their lunch break, so there’s been a real eclectic mix of customers who have visited so far.

The studio was opened after All1Tribe’s tattoo parlour changed ownership last December. The new owners have pledged to make body art “accessible, transparent and fun” and have launched an advice clinic to assist anyone wanting guidance for piercing or body art aftercare.

Louise added: “Piercings carried out by unlicensed premises, by friends or even self-piercings have proved to be quite common. We decided to offer an advice service which is wholly customer-
focused, as we know there are many charlatans that act with abandon and ultimately risk infection.  

“No matter where the piercing is, the correct procedures and aftercare need to be carried out.”

The studio has also seen a steady flow of people wanting tattoo cover-ups for fading or poor artwork. Resident artist Stuart Rowles said: “We’re starting to get a reputation as the place that fixes dodgy tattoos. I am not sure how that came about.

“A man came in last week with a strange looking portrait which was supposed to be the rapper Eminem, it looked more like Donald Trump.”

Harborough District Council said anyone aware of body piercing businesses or tattooists operating in the district without a licence should contact the council’s environmental health commercial team.