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Use this guide to check power grid and voltage standards when selecting electronic devices to use in your studio.

Not sure what size gloves you need for your next procedure? This glove size chart will help you find the size you need for a proper fit.

If you're a new business owner or are thinking about opening a studio, it's important to know what's involved in successfully managing a tattoo shop. What elements, tools, tips, and tricks will help you stand heads and shoulders above your competition? What do you need to know to protect your clients physically and yourself and your staff legally? In this article, we touch on all the basics from shop safety to managing day-to-day operations to marketing your business and beyond. Even if you're an established tattoo shop owner, you're sure to learn something new.

Proper skin prep is an important part of the body modification process. It eliminates any bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms clinging to a client's skin so that they aren't pushed beneath the dermis and given easy access to a person's bloodstream, where they could wreak havoc on your client's immune system. By properly cleaning a person's skin before modifying them, you're preserving your client's health and protecting yourself from potential legal recourse. Learn the best skin prep methods for tattooing, piercing and scarification in this article.
 

Microbiology is the study of microscopically-small organisms. It involves understanding viruses, bacteria, fungi, molds, and other microorganisms, which is why it's relevant to piercers. It should be every piercer's top priority to protect their clients from dastardly microscopic organisms, but you have to understand them first to combat them. This article will teach you the basics of microbiology so you're better equipped to keep your work space free of bad microbes and ensure that your clients are being pierced in a safe, sterile environment.

Whether you're a parent of a child who wants to get pierced or a piercing artist trying to follow the rules, it's important to know your state's laws regarding piercing minors. To help you gain a better understanding of your state's regulations, we've put together a chart of rules for piercing minors by state. We've also included details about the legal repercussions of unlawfully piercing a minor where applicable.

The thought of getting your shop organized can be daunting, but our organizational tips and helpful accessories make it a breeze. In this article, we walk through the most common tattoo and piercing shop areas that need organizing and make suggestions for how to setup each area to merchandize products in the best way, keep each work space organized, and ensure that your employees can work as efficiently as possible.

Each time you finish a tattoo or piercing, it's important to clean your workspace thoroughly and properly prepare for your next client. In this article, we talk about the four main steps in this clean-up and prep process that will ensure you're ready to do the next modification on your schedule: properly disposing of used supplies, cleaning surfaces in your workspace, cleaning and sterilizing your reusable tools, and prepping your workspace for your next body mod.

Tergazyme and Alconox are two leading brands of ultrasonic cleaner detergents that you can use in your personal or shop's ultrasonic cleaner to more thoroughly clean body jewelry, tattoo equipment and piercing tools before autoclaving them. We discuss the differences between these two product lines so you can pick the best one to use in your tattoo and piercing shop.

What is an ultrasonic cleaner, and why do you need one for your tattoo and piercing shop? How do you use ultrasonic cleaners? We answer these questions and more, including what type of detergent to use with your machine, in this informative article on ultrasonic cleaners.

Skin prep is an important first step in the body modification process, but with so many options available, what's the best skin cleanser for a tattoo or piercing artist to use? What are the benefits and drawbacks of the various pre-tattoo and -piercing skin prep options? We cover all of the most popular topical skin cleansers and skin prep options available and tell you which ones are best for which types of body mods so that you can make an informed decision about the skin prep supplies you use in your shop.

Autoclaving is by far the most effective and efficient sterilization method for tattoo and piercing shops to utilize, but for a small shop, an autoclave isn't necessarily an economical option. What alternatives do you have if you own a small shop and can't afford to purchase an autoclave? We'll share our tips for sterilizing your tattoo and piercing tools and body jewelry effectively while on a budget in this article, Sterilization Alternatives for Small Shops.

If you've ever wondered if it's really all that important to wear gloves when performing body modifications, then you need to read this article. In it, we talk about how gloves protect you and your clients, as well as what types of gloves are available and how to decide whether latex gloves or nitrile gloves are the better option for you to use in your shop.

It's important to regularly check your autoclave to make sure that it's working properly--a task you can accomplish using a variety of chemical indicator (CI) tests. There are 6 different classes of CIs, 5 of which check to ensure that different components of an autoclave's core processes are working and 1 that includes an additional biological testing component. We break down the 6 classes and explain why tests from some classes are better than others.

Which disinfectants should you use to clean surfaces in your shop, like tattoo chairs, piercing beds, walls, counter tops and floors? Which disinfectants are best for cleaning instruments? Is there a proper procedure for applying disinfectants? In this article, we compare the top disinfectants for tattoo and piercing shops and provide tips on which ones to use on what. We've also included some helpful sterilization tips and resources for your reference as you clean shop.

In this third installment of our Sterilization Series, we delve into the process of sterilization by steam using autoclaves. We discuss the differences between vaporization and condensation, explain saturated steam's role in the sterilization process, break down the cycle that occurs when you sterilize objects using steam, detail potential issues, explain how standard tattoo and piercing shop autoclaves work, and name sterilization by steam the King of Sterilization Methods.

Consumer Guide: When you get a new tattoo or piercing, your body has to heal the resulting wound. From the time you get your new mod to the time it heals, the wound will be highly susceptible to bacteria. It's important to find a reputable, sanitary and generally well-kept shop to do your new body mod for you to minimize your risks of taking bacteria or other evil microorganisms home with you when you leave. Not sure what to look for to know with certainty that you've chosen a good tattoo and piercing studio? Don't fret, because this guide will help you pinpoint problem areas when you do a walk-through of the shop.

In our Sterilization Methods article, we list the various ways you can sterilize tattoo supplies, body jewelry, piercing supplies, and other body modification tools. Here we take a closer look at the heat-based sterilization methods. We explore sterilization by steam, dry heat, boiling, flame, and complete incineration in more detail, including the benefits and drawbacks of each heat-based sterilization method..

Piercing safely means looking out for your clients' health and well being, and it also means protecting yourself and your staff both physically and legally. We talk about business licenses, handling intoxicated clients, piercing and minors, what products and tools to use to keep your shop clean and sterile, and everything else you need to keep in mind for your clients' and your safety.

This article includes a sample Body Piercing Release Form that you can use as a template to build one for your business.  Please note that you should consult with local counsel before using this release form or any derivative of it.

This article details a Sample Tattoo Release Form for reference purposes.

It's imperative to your clients' safety that you setup a sterile field before each piercing or other body modification procedure you do, and that you maintain that sterile field throughout the modification process. In our How to Setup a Sterile Field article, we walk you through the process and point you to helpful tools, like where to purchase sterile medical supplies and convenient aftercare instructions you can share with your clients.

It's important to properly clean, sterilize and lubricate tattoo and piercing tools so that they last over time, as well as to protect your clients. Tools that have been improperly cared for may cause a client to develop infection or even tetanus. It's even possible to transmit blood-borne diseases between clients if you don't clean and sterilize your instruments in between each modification you perform. Learn the best way to care for your tools in our Proper Tattoo & Piercing Tool Maintenance article.

Learn ways to keep your tattoo and piercing shop and tools clean, so that you can maintain a safe environment for your clients and staff alike. We discuss popular cleaners and what each can be used to clean, autoclaves, ultrasonic cleaners, resources for sterilizing clients' skin before modifying them, and other sterilization tools and techniques in this article, Maintaining a Sterile Work Environment.