HOW TO HIRE · BEAUTY & GROOMING

How to hire a body piercer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Piercing is licensed by the council, under a different law in each UK nation. Here is how to check the studio, what to ask, and what to do if it goes wrong.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a body piercer in five steps

  1. Find the licence on the wallA council registration certificate or licence, with the byelaws, displayed in the studio. In Wales, the piercer's own licence or lanyard.
  2. Ask about the needleA sterile, single-use needle opened in front of you. Ask before you book, not in the chair.
  3. Check the jewellery metalAsk what the starter jewellery is made of, especially with a nickel allergy.
  4. Bring IDStudios ask your age; in Wales intimate piercing of anyone under 18 is an offence.
  5. Get the aftercare in writingHow to clean it, what to avoid and when to come back to change the bar.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Council licence or registration

In England, where the council has adopted the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, both the body piercer and the premises must be registered for cosmetic piercing; in Greater London (not the City of London) the borough issues a Special Treatments Licence instead. In Northern Ireland, councils that have brought in Article 14 of the 1985 Order register the same work. A body piercer needs insurance that covers piercing itself; a general beauty policy may not. Ask about cover if you are booking a cartilage or other piercing that is slow to heal.

Look for the registration certificate and the council's byelaws on the wall of the body piercer's studio, or ask the council's licensing team. Ask for the insurer's name and the line on the schedule that covers piercing. gov.uk →

Special procedure licence (Wales)

Since 29 November 2024 anyone doing cosmetic piercing in Wales needs a personal special procedure licence from the local authority under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, and the premises or vehicle needs an approval certificate. A body piercer licensed elsewhere in the UK still needs the Welsh licence.

Search the body piercer on the national special procedures register, and look for the licence displayed or worn on a lanyard. specialprocedures.co.uk →

Skin piercing and tattooing licence (Scotland)

A business offering skin piercing or tattooing in Scotland needs a council licence (the 2006 Order under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982), whether the body piercer works alone or in a studio.

Ask the body piercer to show the council licence, or ask the council's licensing team to confirm it. legislation.gov.uk →

Age rules for piercing

In Wales the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 makes it an offence to perform an intimate piercing on anyone under 18, or to arrange one; the intimate parts listed include the tongue, nipple and genitals. Outside Wales, the minimum age a body piercer works to is set by the studio's policy or the council's licence conditions.

Ask the body piercer what ID and parental consent they ask for, and get the answer before you bring a teenager. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A piercing is a standard-rated service, charged VAT at 20% by a registered studio. A studio over the £90,000 threshold must register and show the VAT on the receipt; for a consumer the price on the board should already include it.

Ask whether the studio is VAT-registered, and for the VAT number on the receipt. gov.uk →

“Is the studio registered or licensed with the council, and can I see the certificate?”

A good answer: "It's on the wall." In Wales, the body piercer can also show their own special procedure licence.

“Do you use a sterile single-use needle?”

A good answer: Yes, opened in front of you. A body piercer should be able to say how everything else that touches you is cleaned.

“What is the starter jewellery made of?”

A good answer: A named metal and a reason for it. With a nickel allergy, this is the question that matters most for the piercing.

“Why that placement for my ear or nose?”

A good answer: A body piercer who looks at your anatomy first and tells you if a piercing will not sit well there.

“How long will it take to heal, and when should I come back?”

A good answer: A realistic healing time for that piercing, and an appointment to swap to a shorter bar once the swelling goes down.

“What ID and consent do you need for someone under 18?”

A good answer: A clear policy. In Wales the piercer will refuse any intimate piercing under 18.

“What do I do if it gets red, hot or swollen?”

A good answer: Who to call at the studio, and when the body piercer will tell you to see a doctor instead.

Getting the quote right

  • The piercing and the jewellery priced separately, so an upgrade is your choice
  • What the starter jewellery is made of
  • Whether the check-up and the downsize to a shorter bar are included
  • Aftercare products — included, or extra
  • Who actually attends: the body piercer named on the council registration or licence, not an apprentice, and whether they are employed by the studio or subcontracted; ask whether their insurance covers piercing itself
  • The studio's VAT number, with VAT shown apart from the piercing and the jewellery

Walk away if

  • No council registration or licence on display, or in Wales no licence and no lanyard
  • They cannot say how their tools are sterilised, or whether the needle is single-use
  • The body piercer does not ask your age or your medical history
  • Jewellery they cannot name the metal of
  • No aftercare advice, or aftercare that is only "keep turning it"
LOW
£20
TYPICAL
£45
HIGH
£70

What a body piercer costs: £20–£70 per piercing

Body piercers price per piercing, with the jewellery either included at a basic level or priced on its own. Piercing price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Body piercers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Consultation and IDPlacement, jewellery and your medical history talked through; age checked and a consent form signed.
  2. Clean set-upGloves on, the area cleaned and marked, the sterile needle and jewellery opened in front of you.
  3. Mark and checkThe mark shown to you in a mirror before the needle goes in — your last chance to move it.
  4. The piercingA single-use needle, then the jewellery fitted straight away.
  5. AftercareWritten aftercare, a contact number at the studio and a date for the downsize.

Cosmetic piercing
The term the 1982 Act uses for body piercing in England; the studio and the piercer are registered for it.
Special procedure licence
Wales's personal licence for piercing, tattooing, electrolysis and acupuncture, since 29 November 2024.
Downsize
Swapping the longer starter bar for a shorter one once the swelling has gone.
Implant-grade titanium
A metal many studios use for starter jewellery; ask the piercer why they chose it.
Cartilage piercing
A piercing through the firm part of the ear (helix, daith, conch), slower to heal than the lobe.
Byelaws
The council's hygiene rules for the premises, which must be displayed with the certificate in England.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the aftercare sheet and receiptThe date, the placement and the jewellery are what a doctor or another piercer will ask about.
Clean it as you were toldFollow the body piercer's aftercare and keep your hands off it otherwise.
Go back for the downsizeA long starter bar is changed once the swelling has gone; ask whether the piercing check-up is free.
Leave the reviewOnly booked piercings can be reviewed on Locufy. If something is wrong, use the make-it-right step first so the body piercer can put it right.

STEP 1Tell the body piercer, in writingRaise it within days, by message, not just in the chair. If the piercing was below the reasonable care and skill the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires, ask for a repeat or a reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyGive the piercing under four stars and we ask whether to send it to the body piercer first; we follow it through with them, and then you review.
STEP 3Hygiene or an unlicensed studio — the councilThe council that registers or licenses a body piercer is who to tell about an unregistered studio, a piercing done without a licence or poor hygiene; in Wales it also runs the special procedure licence. For a money dispute, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, Advice Direct Scotland or Consumerline.
STEP 4Small claims, if it comes to moneyIf the body piercer will not refund or redo the piercing, you can claim without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a body piercer: questions people ask

Yes, in every UK nation, though the law differs: council registration in England where the 1982 Act is adopted (a Special Treatments Licence in Greater London), a personal special procedure licence in Wales, a council licence for the business in Scotland, and council registration in Northern Ireland where Article 14 is in force.

In Wales it is an offence to perform an intimate piercing, including the tongue and nipple, on anyone under 18. Outside Wales the minimum age is set by the studio's policy or the council's licence conditions, so ask before you go.

£20–£70 per piercing, typically around £45. An earlobe costs least; cartilage piercings and implant-grade or gold jewellery cost more. The piercing price guide explains each factor, and a search above lists body piercers working in your area.

Ask the body piercer which they use and why. If it is a needle, it should be sterile, single-use and opened in front of you; if it is a gun, ask how it is cleaned between clients.

In Wales, only if their vehicle or premises has an approval certificate as well as their personal licence. In England a registration covers the premises named on it, so ask where the body piercer is registered to work.

Follow the aftercare and contact the studio; speak to a pharmacist or GP if it does not settle or you feel unwell. Tell the body piercer in writing if you think the cause was the studio's hygiene, and the council too.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in beauty & grooming

How to hire: Tattoo ArtistHow to hire: Cosmetic TattooHow to hire: Permanent MakeupHow to hire: Eyebrow MicrobladingHow to hire: Henna & Mehndi ArtistHow to hire: WaxingHow to hire: FacialsHow to hire: MicroneedlingAll 701 hiring guides →

Body piercers near you

Body piercers in LondonBody piercers in ManchesterBody piercers in BirminghamBody piercers in GlasgowBody piercers in BelfastAll body piercers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales), with London's Special Treatments Licence
  2. Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, Part VIII
  3. gov.wales — licensing scheme for special procedures
  4. Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Skin Piercing and Tattooing) Order 2006, article 2
  5. Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, Part V
  6. Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, Part 5 — intimate piercing
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register