Nomad Piercing Studio

My husband and step daughter both got their ears done today by Blake. The whole experience was great from start to finish. Blake explained the whole process to the little and made sure she felt comfortable before moving forward which I really appreciate. I highly recommend Blake’s services to anyone!

Would not recommend! We had an unfortunate experience with Blake and did not appreciate his follow up and customer service. Our 5 yo daughter had been asking to get her ears pierced for over 2 years and we had made her wait till she was 5. She was very excited and watched the videos on the website as Blake had instructed. When we got to his studio, she was feeling nervous and shy and wanted to sit on my lap. Instead of greeting her and giving her some time to warm up, he immediately said “this is not going to work. She has to be able to talk to me” and my daughter started to cry. He just kept repeating “this isn’t going to work. Did you guys not watch the videos”. An experience that she was so excited for and ready to do instead left her feeling sad, scared and deflated. We attempted to follow up with Blake later that day to get specifics on what our daughter needed to be able to do before he would move forward with the piercing and he responded with “who is your child again” and then we never got a response. We tried multiple times to see if our daughter wanted to try again but she would always respond “no I am scared”. We then reached out again to Blake asking for a refund given that he didn’t provide the service and that she was not comfortable with him and he responded with “we don’t give refunds and that was clearly communicated when scheduling”. We were not told about the no refund policy and it is not clearly noted on website!Takeaways:- Intimidating, non welcoming studio for children- Blake was not welcoming or good with children in our experience, even though he kept telling us he has his own young children.- Poor communication from owner/piercer- Waste of money and time if your child is not successful in getting piercing because he will not refund you!

I took my infant here and, later, my 7 yo. I liked how efficient they are and how committed to clean products. A needle is a better, less painful choice than a gun, of course. The studio is tucked away in the building. Overlook what can sometimes be a gruff attitude booking (he wants to make sure the right people come) and it’s a good experience

Papa Nomad was amazing with my kid and it was the most pleasant piercing experience I’ve ever witnessed. It’s so much better than when I got my ears pierced in the mall by a gun many moons ago.To prepare my kid for the experience I made sure she watched all the kid’s ear piercing videos so she knew exactly what she was getting into, from the environment, the procedure, who would be piercing her ears as well as after care and what could happen if you don’t follow after care protocol.Do make sure your kiddo is ready to get their ears pierced. They need to be able to sit still and listen/respond to Papa Nomad’s instructions and questions. My kiddo has been asking to get her ears pierced for months and after showing her the videos and talking to her step by step what would happen she said she still wanted it done.

McKenzie got her nose piercing today. Blake was so kind and patient with her! Very informative as well. Well get a free adjustment in a couple of months too. I highly recommend Blake!

Blake is great! Hes clearly a highly experienced expert at his craft. After discovering his studio, I wouldnt go anywhere else. I got two more earlobe piercings last week and have been really happy with them. Blake makes ALL the jewelry there, which is so cool! Hes making some custom jewelry for me too. He takes the time to do things right and is really supportive throughout the aftercare process which is appreciated. Ill be back for more piercings. Thanks Blake!!

He did such amazing job with my cheek peicings. Hes quick and, adequate. In my experience, Ive gone to a few different peicings shops. Hes by far the best!. He has such a steady hand, which made it painless as the needle, and jewelry is switched out. I cant say it enough! This guy is so talented. 110% recommend.

I went there years ago and got my navel pierced. A piercer was talking recently to me about Blake and I Googled to make sure it was the same place. He was great when I went and I would definitely recommend it. Its far now from me but its definitely worth a trip.

My 11yr old daughter and I just had a wonderfully pleasant experience with Papa Nomad for her very first piercings.He was kind, and chill, informative, and clean.I believe Papa Nomad is the only one who uses hoops for first-time ear piercings and that along with his diligent hygiene practices and passion for doing things right the first time was what sold me.He expects you AND your child to do your research, watch his videos, and understand the importance of the aftercare.We thoroughly appreciated him and his work today.

I decided to get a very intimate piercing and after searching far and wide Blake was highly experienced, local, passionate about body art and communicative through text message. He referred me to his site where I could see videos, awards and pictures of his career journey. I booked my appointment and came in next day alone. I was greeted by him and his son, I loved that he involves his kiddos. His son took my ID/information while he got my jewelry and the space ready. He verbalized everything he was doing for my comfort and privacy. The area was quite sensitive so I did flinch at first, he was very kind to me and gently told me this will be nothing like having my two kids and he promised to be quick, I took a deep breath and it was over just like that. A big pinch and then nothing. He showed me in the mirror and it was everything I wanted and more! He showed me how to clean it, move it, what to use if I had to go in a pool or river since it’s hot. And we talked for a good ten minutes afterwards about life! He’s a good dude and I will be coming to him for any and all future piercings.

Awesome first nose piercing, couldn’t have been happier with the setting and how easy it was.

The shop is a little hard to find. Its upstairs, you can find the elevator in the breezeway.My 8 year old had her ears pierced here. Blake made both of us feel very comfortable and made sure that she was prepared for the piercing and aftercare. My daughter didnt even flinch. Its worth the price!

I had a wonderful experience with getting my PA tapered. Blake is very professional and carries himself with cross cultural knowledge on piercings and body modification that eased my anxiety throughout the procedure. Thanks again Blake ✌🏽

Just had my first piercing done (lobes) this morning and had a wonderful experience.The space was small but nice and professional, and the proprietor and his assistant were great.I had a bit of an intense reaction to the pain, but he made sure that I was alright and supplied a juice box 🧃 to settle me down.If I ever decide to get more piercings I will definitely return, for sure!

Got our 6 year old daughters ear pierced by Blake today. He was very thorough in educating my daughter and myself about the process and after care. He has great jewelry avaliable. Fair price compaired to other studios. He was all set up and ready for our appointment time. I would highly suggest Nomad piercing.

Unfortunately we had a really negative experience here with Blake. He pierced our daughters ears with 14 gauge earrings, much larger than expected. He’s overpriced (quoted $80-160 over the phone, but charged $180 per child), cash only, handed my daughters the most expensive and overly large earrings in his store (apparently, due to low inventory), charged us $20 up charge per child due to lobe size, provided no complimentary after care solution (he did give me an open bottle of Bactine after I inquired) and whisked us out the door (within 20 mins). Six months later neither of my daughters ears have healed fully and have had continued problems with the larger gauge. He did mention that it would take a full year to completely heal. We just saw a different piercer in Sellwood who changed her earrings for us, with a reduced 16 gauge and smaller jewelry-so far that’s made a notice difference after a few days. We had the best experience here.On a positive note Nomad/Blake was available via text messaging for days and weeks post piercing to help answer questions as to why my daughters lobes were bleeding excessively.

Love this place so much!! One of my girls went through the process with very little pain and NO INFECTION! Which I cannot stress enough is so important! I’ve seen many infections in little ones ears as a nanny. Even in my own. My other daughter was scared and he was so sweet and kind to her. We will be going back once she’s truly ready!

I recommend his service for anyone looking for a piercing of any complexity, not just kids and entry-level stuff. Blake was very impressive. He was knowledgeable, professional, and made the whole experience painless. Very happy with the whole process.

As a pediatrician who has treated multiple infected piercings and has had to dig out more earring backs than I can count, I was pretty selective when my oldest wanted their first piercing. Blake was recommended by a friend and I not only appreciated his expertise and years of experience with children, but also his cautious approach; he makes sure kids know how to care for their piercings, gives excellent infection-prevention advice, and advises patience to allow full healing before changing earrings out. Ive seen too many kids who were eager to change their earrings too soon and developed complications.I especially appreciated his diligence with infection control, from using sterile equipment to aseptic techniques during the piercing, and his commitment to high standards for piercers. Blake is one of less than 200 licensed piercers in the entire state of Oregon (and the majority of those are earlobe piercing only licenses).Yes, he is expensive, but worth it. In fact, we had a bit of sticker shock after the first piercing years ago, but the very next day a friend shared their teenage piercing story (raging Pseudomonas infection, sepsis, prolonged hospital stay, weeks of antibiotics via PICC line, and loss of ear cartilage) that 100% affirmed our decision to go to Nomad! While I am in no way a piercing expert or qualified to discuss the pros and cons of a piercing needle versus gun (and my lobes survived multiple gun piercings in the 80s!), he is the only one I would allow to pierce my children. We are headed back to Blake tomorrow for my oldests third piercing (which reminded me to write this long-overdue review).

We called to find out how much it would cost to pierce our 7 month old daughter and we were blown away. It would be 180 dollars.Eventually I gave in and went to see the shop and meet the owner. From the very beginning I felt at ease. He had so much experience and knowledge so I paid him.It was over in a blink and the piercings came out amazing. If I were to do it again with another child in the future I am definitely coming back here, and if it were to cost more I’d pay with no hesitation.

Blake is honest, no BS, and is the longest practicing piercer in the world at Nomad. The museum is absolutely beautiful, rich with indigenous culture and history. The hand made jewelry is astonishing, organic and original. If youre a true enthusiast in the industry, and serious about who you support in the community, Blake is the person to see.

Blake has to be the rudest and unprofessional individual to deal with children. My friend had her girls get their ears pierced here and it was a horrible experience, not to mention over priced for the worst customer service on Earth. This person should NOT be allowed to deal with anyone under the age of 40!!! Please do yourself a favor and do NOT take any child to this establishment. You will regret that decision. Don’t let him deceive you because his child is there. That means absolutely nothing.

I went and got my nose pierced today. It turned out perfect. I was nervous and he calmed my nerves by explaining how simple and pain free the procedure is. It barely hurt. I felt the owner/piercer was very knowledgeable, he explained everything very well. I havent had a new piercing in years so I needed the memory update. Thanks for the great experience! I will be returning.

Always been an excellent experience going here for piercings. Fast, efficient, virtually painless each and every time.

Highly recommend!!! I brought my 5 year old daughter in to have her ears pierced. I was impressed with Papa Nomad. He immediately started a dialog with my daughter and directed his attention toward her, as she was the client. He let her choose the bead colors she wanted (2 different colors!), which were immediately put in sterilizing solution. He was very professional the entire time, explaining the process as he went. There is definitely an emphasis on keeping things clean and sterilized. She even got a juice box after! Her little sister played in the childrens play area while he did the piecing. What a wonderful place with great ambience. Papa Nomad is very knowledgeable and great to work with. Well be back for the little sister when its time! *^_^*

NOT Kid Friendly. Their website seems to indicate they are good with children. Our experience was the EXTREME OPPOSITE of this.I understand piercing and what is needed to do it safely but I also know children. We watched their videos together with our daughter and discussed what would happen. We had prepared her as best we could at home and our daughter wanted to proceed. The proprietor/piercer did nothing to make our daughter feel good about her decision/experience. He was unfriendly and short with her. You need to have a little patience with children but there is NONE at this shop. At one point, he said to her directly that it would be a “blood bath” if she didn’t sit still. This was before he even started anything. This experience that my daughter was excited yet anxious about was completely ruined.Our daughter had some tears after the first ear but was sitting still just as instructed. The proprietor/piercer refused to do her other ear while constantly throwing ethics and morals at us. I know my daughter and she would have been good finishing the job as but the proprietor/piercer wouldn’t listen. Before starting he even joked about sending people away at his whim and keeping their money and that he had his own kid troubles and didn’t have time for ours. I guess I dont understand why morals and ethics dont apply all the time instead of when they are convenient. Unfortunately we didn’t see these red flags until we had already paid.We will not be getting her other ear pierced at this shop. We have since visited another piercer and our experience was exactly what we wanted for our daughter the first time. I wish we would have heeded the other reviews before selecting this shop.

Papa nomad is a very straight forward, no nonsense kinda man. For specializing in kids piercings that surprised me. He was very professional, and he is good at what he does. Youre not going to have a warm fuzzy experience. If your kid starts crying (like mine did), you will have to come back to finish the piercing, Im not complaining, it is what it is, I get it. Those are the rules-just be aware. You do have to pay additional when you come back. And everything is cash only. No checks. No cards.The studio is a little hard to find, if you are on main, you have to walk around into the parking lot and there is a small nondescript door with his logo.

Edited to add - we just had my daughter’s piercing removed, and not only was a larger gauge used than is standard (even for an adult), but the hole is crooked so we have to let it close over before it can be redone. The hole in the back of her ear is so crooked that it’s almost in the crease of where her earlobe meets her head. We had it fixed at TLC, where the owner was amazing. She came in on a day she was closed just to help us out, and she didn’t even charge me. We made an appointment with her to have them redone. I would highly recommend going to TLC instead. She is kind, patient, and is great with kids.Here is what I wish I would have read before I made this appt. My daughter flinched twice with her hands while she was getting her ear pierced and so she wasn’t allowed to have the second one done. She didn’t touch her ears, her hands maybe went to her mid torso. She was told that we could come Back next week when she could behave better. She was made to feel about an inch tall, and she’s 8. She sat still and didn’t say a word, just flinched. We were told he doesn’t coddle and that’s fine, but I didn’t expect her to be treated like an adult. I wasn’t allowed to sit by her or hold her hand. There was zero patience taken with her, and she left feeling absolutely terrible about herself. The tears spilled over as soon as we walked out the door and she felt embarrassed and humiliated. She didn’t even want to look at me. We were also triple booked so there were 4 people standing in the hall watching and waiting while this was going on.I’m so disappointed and I wish i would have never taken her here. She feels absolutely terrible about herself and we’re getting the earring taken out somewhere else because she doesn’t want to go anywhere near him again.

Blake did my right side nose piercing and my belly button at Nomads Bend Oregon shop. I wouldnt go anywhere or trust anyone else. Hes amazing!Plan to go there again very soon for several more piercings. Thank you Blake!

I got my first body piercing there and it was very quick. He didn’t provide any piercing aftercare and it was pricy. I recently got a piercing out of town and I call him for downsizing since I had been pierced by him before and he said they should have taken better care of me and hung up in my face. It’s not even a studio. I’ll never go there or refer anyone there again

I had a Fantastic experience here having some piercings changed out at this studio. I will recommend this place to anyone looking for a piercing studio for corrections and or general new poercings. They know what they are doing like a science.

Blake and his studio are more relaxing than being at the beach.Blake is the ONLY person I will allow to put holes in my body. His raport with children is absolutely amazing.If you want the best and only the very best...Go see Blake @NomadPiercingStudio...Go...NOW! 😍

I only needed replacement jewelry, since my old tongue barbell fell apart over the weekend. The shop owner was great! the selection is slightly higher end, but the shop owner will tell you why he has chosen to go that route. He also said his jewelry is guaranteed for life. I like this place. Highly recommended. Oh, should note, they are cash-only.

Took my daughter here on her 6th birthday and papa nomad was great. No nosense, made sure she understood what was going to happen and how to care for her piercings after. They even chatted about tattos and getting follow up piercings. We will definitely be return customers! Also loved that this is a family business with the kids around.

If youre looking to get your little one pierced whether theyre a month old or 10 years old, Nomad is the place to go. He is professional and comes backed with years of experience and knowledge. No guns. No trauma and 10000% worth every penny! Just remember, CASH only. :)

I came here to get my nose pierced and it was my first piercing that I had gotten done since I got my ears done when I was like one. The shop is very clean and at first it seems like a really nice atmosphere but the owner who actually pierced my nose was really rude and condescending. Naturally I had a lot of questions regarding after care and he would reply with really short and snappy answers. When he marked the location of the stud he handed me the mirror and said dont argue with me on the location. Im the expert so I know where it should be. I thought that was really rude but I was already in the room so I decided to just go through with it. I would not recommend Nomad to a friend because of the horrible customer service I received and since then I have been going to Black Hole whos staff is incredibly friendly and professional.

The staff was no-nonsense, but polite and knowledgeable. they helped me stretch my labret piercing to fit the oversized jewelry that some other piercing place had negligently sold me. they entertained all my questions, and gave me a business card just in case i had any complications or needed anything else. their prices are steeper than what im used to, but the A+ customer service made up for it!

Blake is the only person I trust with anything having to do with piercings. Ive never met someone more knowledgeable and I cant imagine ever going anywhere else. Hes also super friendly and nice to me every time despite my overarching awkwardness and debilitating anxiety, lol.

Super rad dude! Extremely knowledgeable and knows his stuff! As someone with an autoimmune deficiency, I highly recommend this studio for is safe and clean practices!

If you want the best, this is the place to go. The best quality jewelry, the best service, and Blake makes you feel at home there. I got two piercings there today, and before I knew it I was done. Very professional, very skilled. Nomad is well worth your money. Go there if you want the very best.

We took our 6 year, and his was amazing! He took the time to walk her through it all, and made her feel so comfortable and confident. If you want it done right the first time come here.

I really dont know why everyone keeps leaving bad reviews I have recommended a tone of people there they had no problems. Blake is the owner and piercer, me and my children have went there for 5+ years and got atleast 15+ peircings from dermals to nose peircings tounge peircings ect. Hes the only one Ive ever been that has good jewelry , 30 second peircings great healings . The jewelry he has is all real he warrantee is your jewelry if it brakes ball comes off ect. All that said if you want your peircings to be infected and nasty you get what you pay for go to 2 for $20

We got the reference of this place through our pediatrician. It was good clean place where he explained us the aftercare to be taken. He also showed us different earrings for babies n vdos. Only tricky part was figuring out the bldg.

Papa Nomad is legit. He knows his stuff. He has a strict code and follows it to the letter. He is a no nonsense, get the job done right kind of man. We will be coming back here for any future piercings. He is really good with kids, no coddling, straight and to the point.

I want to first say that I have gone to Nomad for years, YEARS. My daughter has been pierced here. I have always, ALWAYS had professionalism, straight forward truth and caring from Nomad. Never once have I ever had a problem but yet I am a forward straight shooter and would never be offended to receive the same in return. Anyone unpleased with Nomads service is clearly not capable for someone to give it to you straight. Nomad doesnt sugar coat anything, they tell you the flat out truth and do not have sympathy for people who dont listen. And if you dont listen and come back complaining there will be no sympathy. So taking their bluntness as rudeness or unprofessionalism enough to post a negative review is childish to say the least. Nomad is one of the longest piercers in business. People dont go to Nomad because they want sympathy they go to Nomad because they want the best. And that is what you are paying for.

Blake is an OG and all around patient and caring piercer. First and last person i’m going to for anything piercing related!

AWFUL!!! I delt with who I belive was the owner. His name was Blake. I went in to get a new piece of jewelry for my neck piercing. It was a surface piercing that went horizontally across the back of my neck, and the jewelry I had in had fallen out somehow. He said he would have to custom make a piece to fit the piercing. After taking some measurements of the piercing for the new jewlery, I had some questions. These were simple, probably frequently asked questions, about price and how long it would take. He replied with an attitude every time. He was very pushy and demanding. I was going in to look, not necessarily to buy. I had been looking at jewlery at several other studios. I felt pressured to pay for his custom made jewlery. He was able to have it done by the next day. When I went to pick up the jewlery it was nothing like what I wanted and had paid for. I wanted to have little jewels instead of plain metal balls on the end, and those were nowhere to be found. Also, the jewlery was not stright, but rather crooked and jagged. It looked like he had taken someone elses beaten up old body jewlery and said he hand made it. After I mentioned these issues, he came up with excuses as to why the jewels were not avaliable. He said they did not make jewels in this specific gauge size, which is total BS. It was a 14 gauge piece jewlery, one of the most common sizes!! He said he made the jewlery crooked and uneven because of the way my skin and neck curved. Since he was refusing me a refund, I was forced to were the jewlery due to not wanting the piercing to close . For aftercare instructions, he said to apply Neosporin multiple times a day. Anyone who has any experience with tattoos and piercings know that you NEVER EVER apply Neosporin to them!!!!! However, Blake has done nothing but pierce people for years! So I thought maybe he could be right about the Neosporin. Since he has been in this profession for so long, I thought maybe I could trust him with aftercare instructions. So I tried applying Neosporin. On top of that, the jewlery he custom made for me did not conture with the curves of my neck like he said it would. The jewlery was sticking out rather far on one end and would get caught on things all the time causing a lot of pain. Thanks to his special aftercare institutions, I no longer have a piercing on the back of my neck. The Neosporin in combination with the uneven jewlery made my body reject the jewlery. The surface skin tore open and the jewlery fell out. There was no way to fix this because the surface skin had torn, so no new jewlery could be held. I made the mistake of trusting this guy because he has been doing nothing but piercings for so long! Do not make the same mistake I made! This is the worst experience I have EVER had at any piercing or tattoo studio. I think it is absolutely astonishing that this guy has been in business for so many years. Not only does he not have any clue as to what he is doing, but he is EXTREMELY rude. I WILL RECOMMEND THAT NO ONE EVER GOES HERE. Do not support rude, inconsiderate people that do not know what they are doing. Especially when they have been doing it for years!

I went in a year back to get my tongue pierced and i was scared as every. when i went in i noticed his daughter was working the front while he was in the back busy. she was cute and very professional for her age. When it was my turn to go back i sat down and told him im scared of needles. He explained the prosedure and after care and answered all my question for me and told me it shouldnt hurt and i shouldnt feel anything but the clamp pinch me. as we went on to do it he talked me through and he was right all the way through. It didnt hurt and i didnt feel it. i recently took my brother there to get his done and he did the same thing for him. i tell all my friends about this awesome place and recommend him highly! THANKS NOMAD FOR HELPING ME WITH MY FEAR OF PIERCING! :)

Papa nomad was fantastic, talked me through the healing and after care, did a wonderful job placing and piercing both nostrils. I live in Seattle and Id travel just to have this man pierce me again.

Terrible experience, the whole thing was rushed, unneccessarily painful (just switching a piercing, not getting a new one) and HELLA overpriced, not to mention the owner/main piercer is rude and arrogant. Ended up going across the river and getting better quality jewelry for a lower price. AVOID at all costs for the terrible service if not for the culturally appropriative decor.

I got my cartilage pierce on my ear and my nose done there and it was great!!! The jewelry quality is great and everyone there was super friendly!! I would defiantly recommend Nomad to a friend and I actually have before.

I didn’t even go get a piercing but was calling to get an opinion and this guy cussed at me and hung up in the middle of my sentence. I won’t not recommend going there if that’s how he’s going to treat people

This talented small studio owner is crushing it. He is extremely experienced and passionate about quality. A true Portland experience of excellence and weirdness.

Called about pricing he answered just said hello I asked if they had 2 for $20 Piercings because said they did in the reviews if it was that price or not didnt matter I was still interested he says hell no thats for those ghetto shops and hung up in my face poor customer service!

Amazing job, made me feel comfortable and talked me through it all, can’t wait to go back for more piercings!

We arent looking for that kind of exposure, so you should just pass was the response I got when calling about basic lip rings. So you dont want any exposure and dont want to make money from a customer that will be in there for 3 minutes max?! Lol

I got three piercings here, two lip& my septum. He is quick and I barely felt it. I will never go anywhere else for piercings again.

Highly knowledgeable, decent service. Will be recommending everyone I know interested in getting piercings. Fixed up a poorly healing piercing.

The shop was super clean and the guy who did it was really cool. We were in and out in like 15 minutes. 10/10 would recommend

If I could give zero stars I would considering Ive been calling all week no answering machine and wasnt there when posted times of operation I have been to this company previously and was excellent but saddened by his un business like attitude. If you can get ahold of him Id recommend him for sure

I called and was asking about the prices on piercings and the guy that answered the phone was very disrespectful and hung up on me

Got my septum pierced a few months ago - this was easily the BEST piercing experience Ive ever had

Great customer service knowledge level of Blake is insane been going to him for over 18 years.

Blake is the best. He is skilled and kind and its always a pleasure visiting his shop.

Really knowledgeable owner and helped us choose jewelry that fit us. Clean space, prompt, and friendly!

Call a PEIRCING shop to ask them to remove a PEIRCING and get a rude “No.”And get dismissed with they only do that on the weekend.What? ?

Staff was rude and unprofessional, product was overpriced. When I tried calling to make a reservation no one answered and the voicemail box was full. Ended up going somewhere else.

Love my new septum piercing!!! Thank you so much Blake!!!

Got all of my piercings done here and i grew up having him be my familys piercer

Super knowledgeable, great jewelry too!

The best and the coolest! Thank you so much 🖤🔗

TAmazing piercing shop - the owner is the best in the biz!

A little tricky to find. Well worth the money. Bring cash.

Wonderful piercing expirce for my daughter!

Super friendly staff and handmade, local flair.

Completely rude on the phone and didnt seem to want to help.

Very unprofessional. was not happy with service.

I wouldnt go anywhere else

The only place i will go to get a piercing

Great job!

Love this man

The real deal 🤘

Place is dope

High quality work from some of the most skilled hands in the industry.