Tattoos and piercings have a history of being controversial and stigmatised in our society. However, the attitude towards body modifications seems to change as younger generations like Millennials and especially Gen Zers, have formed a new narrative for tattoos and piercings. Body modification is being appreciated as an art form, offering youth the chance to experiment with their appearance and personal aesthetic rather than being seen as a symbol of degeneracy.
As a fellow Gen Zer, I share this narrative that body modifications are a great opportunity to customise your appearance. I currently have thirteen piercings and nine tattoos, with plans to get more of both (despite my mother’s protests). As someone who’s had her fair share of body mods done, I’ve visited a handful of places in Victoria that offer tattoo and piercing services, so I’m going to walk you through them with a few pros and cons for each place.
PIERCINGS
Janza Studio
Starting off strong, Janza Studio is my favourite and current piercing parlour that I frequent. I’ve had all seven of my cartilage piercings and my nostril piercing done here, and they’ve all healed rather easily. Janza is run by Rick and Jane Janzen, who offer a variety of services. Rick does piercings and tattoos while his wife, Jane, offers hairdressing services. I’ve only visited Janza for their piercing services, so I can’t speak for their other offerings. Piercings cost $100 each and include basic titanium jewellery. Janza has a deal that if you get two piercings, the second one is free, so you can get two piercings for $100. Or, if you bring a friend and you both get one piercing, it costs $120 split between the two of you. The shop has other jewellery options besides the basic titanium jewellery but it costs extra to get pierced with the non-standard jewellery. The only downside to Janza Studio is that it’s located in Sidney, so it can be a bit out of the way if you live closer to downtown Victoria. However, Janza’s piercing prices are unbeatable and make the trip worth it for the great service and comparatively minimal dent to your bank account. To book an appointment, give the studio a phone call and ask about available times. You can also try walking-in, but a time slot may not be available.
Elemental Body Adornment
Next on the list is Elemental Body Adornment, a high-end body-piercing studio located in downtown Victoria on Yates Street. I had my belly button pierced here and it was an excellent experience. The space is very clean and has a minimalist aesthetic with separate rooms for privacy when you get pierced. The team at Elemental are very well trained as they will discuss the piercing and healing process thoroughly with you. Elemental also offers consults for piercings that require specific anatomy like navel and other, more intimate piercings. The main con with this studio is that the prices are steeper. Standard piercings cost $65 and do not include jewellery. Elemental’s website lists all piercing prices as well as the basic jewellery costs which start at $45 for the majority of piercings. Elemental also sells high-quality jewellery that you can view—no appointment required to go browse and purchase! One thing to note is that they use an online booking system to schedule piercing appointments. Overall, Elemental Body Adornment is a very reputable and responsible piercing studio that offers a great range of services and I definitely recommend visiting them, especially if you have a more intimate piercing you want to have done.
Piercing Honourable Mention: Proper Poke Piercing and Tattoo
Proper Poke is a piercing and tattoo studio located in downtown Victoria on Government Street. I’ve put Proper Poke as an “honourable mention,” as I’ve actually never been to this piercing studio before. However, they have excellent online reviews, and their website details their body modification services thoroughly. Their website also mentions all the costs for their various piercing services, with the lowest costing $50 and the most expensive coming in at $150. Like Elemental, jewellery costs are not included in the service fee and vary based on metal quality and design. Proper Poke also uses an online booking system to schedule piercing appointments. This studio is on my list to visit, and I’m hoping to go check them out sometime in the near future!
tattoos
Ophidia Tattoo
Now moving on to tattoos… Ophidia Tattoo is a quaint tattoo studio located in downtown Victoria, near Chinatown. The parlour space is a renovated studio apartment, decorated with vintage furniture. I had a back tattoo done here this August by the artist Ellen, aka percephonie, and had such a good experience. I had one of her larger flash pieces tattooed which took just under two hours and cost me just under $350. Ophidia Tattoo has seven in-house resident artists but does occasionally host visiting tattoo artists as well. All of the artists have their own pre-designed flash pieces available but also offer custom tattoo designs upon request. The booking process is all detailed and linked under each of the artists’ profiles on Instagram under Ophidia’s main page where you can scroll through each artist’s aesthetic and find a style that suits you.
Government Street Tattoo
Located on Government Street near Chinatown in downtown Victoria, Government Street Tattoo focuses primarily on doing traditional-style tattoos. Two years ago, I walked in for a same-day appointment and was immediately helped with designing the custom tattoo I had in mind and I was able to get that same tattoo done later that day. The walk-in flexibility is an aspect of this tattoo parlour that I really appreciate and it’s not something that’s common among tattoo studios. The pricing was reasonable and I felt comfortable the entire time. Government Street Tattoo currently has six in-house residents. Like Ophidia, all the information about booking and different artists’ aesthetics is available through their Instagram.
Tattoo Honourable Mention: Black Cat Tattoo
Like Proper Poke, Black Cat Tattoo is a tattoo studio that I haven’t yet visited but definitely hope to someday. Located on Johnson Street in downtown Victoria, Black Cat has nine resident artists and occasionally hosts visiting tattoo artists. Each artist has their own unique selection of flash designs and also offers custom pieces. I love the aesthetic of several of the artists and definitely plan on booking with someone there soon. All of the artists’ booking info is available on Black Cat Tattoo’s Instagram. However, this tattoo studio is normally busy, making it more difficult to book an appointment. This is because the artists only open their books for limited times on certain dates. That being said, I highly recommend you try and grab a coveted spot with your favourite artist as I’m sure you won’t regret it!
This is just the list of body modification places that I’ve been to and heard of in Victoria, but if nothing is standing out to you, don’t worry—there are new studios popping up all the time! It’s important to research what piercing or tattoo parlour is best for you based on your personal desired body modification aesthetic, but I hope I’ve managed to give you some options to consider for when you do decide to finally go get that cool new mod! If you’re looking for tattoo ideas, check out the UVic Her Campus article “10 Tattoo Ideas from UVic Students” by Liv Sutton for inspiration!