all your questions, answered!

At Metalia we love fun piercings but also take them seriously. They require care and responsibility that may not be suitable for all age groups. That’s why we have chosen to set the minimum age for lobe piercings to 10 years old.

10yo - 13yo : You can get a lobe piercing (hooray!) but nothing that involves cartilage or another body part. You’ll need:

a parent or guardian present

proof of ID for both you and your parent or guardian

Medicare card displaying both your name and your parent or guardian’s name

14-15yo: At 14 you can get anything on your ear (including anything with cartilage) nose or navel pierced. You’ll still need:

a parent or guardian present

proof of ID for both you and your parent or guardian

Medicare card displaying both your name and your parent or guardian’s name

16-17yo You can get anything on your ear (including anything with cartilage) nose or navel pierced. No need to bring a guardian or parent but you will need to bring some I.D with proof of your age. 

18+ : Congrats! You can get any of the piercings Metalia offers (ear, nose, nipple or navel), you just need to bring some I.D with proof of your age. 

Unfortunately, piercing is not suitable for those who:

Are pregnant

Are less than 6 months postnatal

Are breastfeeding

Have a blood borne disease

Have recently undergone surgery

Yes! All piercings include complimentary Medical Grade Titanium jewellery. We have a large, rotating selection so there is always something special for you to choose from and fall in love with. Solid 14kt Gold options are also offered as an upgrade.

We would say do your research before choosing the right studio, but given you’re deep in the FAQs on our website, you’re obviously very clever and don’t need that advice.  It’s incredibly important that your piercer is experienced and holds an Infection Control Certificate, as we do at Metalia.

Make sure you’re pierced with threadless or internally threaded, implant-grade titanium jewellery or solid 14kt gold  (it’s all we use at Metalia!). 

Consider your lifestyle vs. the piercing you want. Do you run with headphones? A healing tragus might not work for you. Do you have a dog that jumps on your lap a lot? Might be tricky with a navel piercing. Do you ride a bike and wear a helmet on the daily? Might make it hard for any ear piercing to heal. Enjoy regular ocean dips? May prolong the healing time of any piercing.

If in doubt, just reach out!

Give yourself up to 10 minutes to find on-street parking. Weekends can be a bit of  a squeeze in Paddo. 

Have a snack! We have sweeties in case you’re feeling light headed after your piercing but we recommend keeping your blood sugar up by eating at least 6 hours prior to your appointment. 

Bring I.D. We trust ya but it’s a legal thing. We need ID for proof of age and to sign our consent form. 

Be Covid safe. Have your AusGov vax certificate and a mask handy. 

Are you pregnant or post-natal? Congrats! You have a beautiful bub en route or in your arms, but your piercing will have to wait until you are at least 6 months post-birth or have finished breastfeeding. 

Are you under 16? As mentioned earlier we love all piercings. But to pierce you, we need you to bring a parent or guardian and a Medicare card displaying both names.

Of course, just let us know so we can make sure you’re safe. That means having a place ready for you to lie down and sweets on hand to get your blood sugar back up. We’ll make sure you’re smiling by the time you leave the studio.

First up is the fun part: choosing your new bling. Then we clean and mark the area to be pierced, which you can double (and triple!) check before placement. 

We prepare sterile equipment and single-use needles, the piercing is performed and VOILA, you have your perfect new piercing.

Before you leave, we’ll chat about aftercare in detail and send you home with written instructions so everything is crystal clear. And if you’re unsure of anything you can always email us at hello@metaliastudios.com. We’re always here to help.

During these Covid-y times, we ask that if you have any cold or flu-like symptoms that you stay home. Covid aside, being pierced when you’re sick is not recommended as the energy your body would use to heal your fresh piercing, is fighting off illness, exposing you to greater risk of infection. 

In short: stay home if you’re not well!

There are certain medical conditions and medications that stop us from offering piercings. Contact us by email at hello@metaliastudios.com if you’re concerned and we can discuss your options.  Rest assured, we  will never do anything to compromise your safety.

We cannot pierce anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding due to the risk of infection. Your body is working so hard to create and provide for a new life, which means your body won’t work as hard to heal a piercing. Clever body! 

Post-partum, your body is in recovery mode and the same principles apply. Once you’ve stopped breastfeeding, we recommend waiting a minimum of 6 months before you get a piercing glow up. 

Oh, and probably goes without saying but we do not recommend getting a nipple piercing if you are lactating (even if you are not breastfeeding) as your risk of mastitis exponentially increases. Ouch!

We can offer up to 4 piercings in one sitting to allow for effective healing. We know it’s addictive, but we also suggest waiting a few months before adding any more piercings to the mix. The more piercings you get, the longer they may take to heal.

If you’re getting cartilage pierced, we limit it to one ear at a time to allow for comfortable sleep and a more effective healing process.

We respect you too much to sugar coat it– all piercings are going to hurt, even if it’s just a teeny tiny bit. Everyone will experience the pain differently, as we have different pain thresholds. But the good news? It’s over in a flash. Closing those gorg eyes, wriggle those little toes and focus on your breathing. Voila! Piercing complete.

In most cases, yes! We will undertake an assessment of the tissue first to make sure it’s safe. In severe cases, it may not be possible, but our team will happily chat with you about other options!

14kt Solid Gold and Medical Grade Titanium. We have a range of internally threaded labrets, threadless labrets, hinge rings, seamless rings, horse shoes, barbells, and curved barbells - we’ll always discuss the best options for your fresh or healed piercings.

Our solid gold earrings are dainty and should always be handled with care. Solid gold is a soft metal and if not handled delicately can be easily bent or distorted. We recommend cleaning your jewellery with a polishing cloth to keep them sparkling.

We recommend spraying your new baby right up until it has healed (which will differ piercing to piercing). Even after healing, you may want to continue to clean it regularly as your body will constantly produce natural oils that can occasionally have an odour. Yeah, we thought you might want to keep spraying.

The jewellery used to pierce is longer than usual, to allow for swelling. If you continue to wear the original jewellery after the initial swelling has subsided, chances are the jewellery will knock about or get caught on fabrics, which will prolong irritation and delay healing.

Depending on the type of piercing and the individual healing process, most piercings can be changed within 6-8 weeks, pending our assessment. Our checkup and downsize appointments (using sterile equipment and jewellery) are encouraged because we really, really want your healing process to be successful. Please don’t wing it on your own!

Are you putting any pressure on the area?  Think: headphones, sleeping, bike helmet, etc. Are you wearing ill-fitting or poor-quality jewellery? These things can have an impact. Changes in weather and climate or a struggling immune system can also contribute to an unhappy piercing. 

Reach out if you are still unsure or simply book in for a check up, even if you were pierced elsewhere, we always love to help.

If you’re a regular side sleeper, our top tip is to grab yourself a travel pillow to support your head without putting pressure on your ear – trust us, it’s a game-changer!

Otherwise, you should be able to side-sleep once the piercing has fully healed and you’re wearing appropriately sized jewellery. Until then, pretty please try and get some zzzzzs on your back.

Any body of water ocean, pool or bath) contains bacteria or harsh chemicals that can harm lead to infection. Yes, even the ocean! We recommend avoiding submerging the piercing until it has fully healed.

Never remove the jewellery when cleaning a fresh piercing. We will always send you home with aftercare spray and if it runs out, come back and grab some more! And always make sure it is alcohol-free and not past its use-by date. 

Spray the area twice daily. We know it’s tempting but never pick the crusties off. It’s akin to picking a scab before it’s healed. Not advisable.

And whatever you do, no turning and twisting. Despite what you may have heard elsewhere.

We’re never gonna tell you not to rock blingy fashion jewellery for a special event or a night out but it shouldn’t be a long term option. For daily wear, always use implant grade titanium or solid gold jewellery (which is what we pierce you with).  Sometimes it really is worth spending a little bit extra on the good stuff.

Online orders are processed Monday through Friday. 

Because we use a third party shipping provider, we don’t have control over exact delivery time (if we did, we would abra-cadabra your jewellery to you within seconds). But as a guide:

Domestic Shipping (Australia)

Same-city deliveries arrive overnight; and

Deliveries to nearby cities within 2-3 working days.

International Shipping (Outside Australia)

Depending on your international zone, deliveries can take anywhere from 5-30 business days.

Please refer to our Shipping and Returns page for more information. Or contact us at hello@metaliastudios.com for any questions.

We do not offer returns or exchanges for earrings, due to hygiene reasons (save for some exceptions).

We may provide a refund or exchange for  jewellery (other than earrings) if the request for refund or exchange is made within 14 days of purchase and the goods are unworn and in perfect saleable condition.

We will provide a refund for any items if it turns out that you never received your product and it was entirely our fault.

Please refer to our Shipping and Returns page for more information. Or contact us at hello@metaliastudios.com for any questions.