Elayne Angel on Body Piercings, Self-Autonomy, and Her Legendary Career

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As a legendary pioneer in the piercing industry, Elayne Angel has played an unparalleled role in bringing professional piercing from the fringes of subculture to widespread mainstream acceptance.

From cutting her teeth at Jim Ward’s illustrious Gauntlet, the first professional body piercing business in the Western world, to opening Rings of Desire, New Orleans’ first licensed body art business, Angel has blazed an indelible trail by pushing the boundaries of both creativity and artistry within the medium.

As an ardent advocate for safety and professionalism in body modification, Angel has also played a crucial role in educating others in the trade, writing the canon piercing tome, The Piercing Bible, in 2009 to roaring acclaim.

Through decades of her groundbreaking work, Elayne Angel has proved that body piercing is more than adornment — it’s a statement, a story, and a form of liberation.

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KP: I feel like I have to start at the very beginning.

I remember watching Pink’s Try This tour DVD when I was ten – in it, while performing in Berlin, she immediately went backstage after the show to get her nipple pierced at the arena. That was the first experience I had viewing any type of body modification and going, “Wow, I need that.” So it took me eight years of waiting to do it legally here in New York, but when I was eighteen, that was the first non-traditional piercing I got. 

Do you remember the first piercing you saw that piqued your curiosity? What's the story behind it?

EA: Long before I ever saw any exotic piercings, I searched my own body for possibilities beyond my ears. Lacking knowledge about more reasonable options, I pierced a pinch of skin below the prominent bone of my wrist and inserted a small gold ring there! It was the 1970s; I was a teenager, and I had already pierced my own ears multiple times despite this not being remotely popular at the time. I also held informal “piercing parties” during high school in which I pierced the ears of my friends and classmates.

Later, at the age of 21, I saw a couple at the Southern California Renaissance Faire with pierced nipples. The man was shirtless, wearing an open vest, so his nipple ring was on full display. The lovely lady had a collar with a chain disappearing into each side of her abundant cleavage, hinting at the same type of treatment. I was beyond smitten and ran over to them to inquire about their unusual adornments. She was clearly pleased and proud to show off her chained nipple piercings upon request. They explained that they had been pierced by a professional at a shop in West Hollywood called Gauntlet. Wow!

Knowing that it was possible to pierce a nipple, I simply couldn’t wait. I went right home and shoved a small, sharpened gold hoop through my own nipple. Having seen some properly done piercings, I could tell that it wasn’t quite right, so I removed it and vowed to seek help at Gauntlet. The following day, I went in and had both of my nipples pierced. I was hooked, and my life would never be the same.

KP: You first became a client of Gauntlet’s in 1981, becoming a “relentless customer,” which led to you befriending Jim Ward, helping him, and assisting them through demonstrations. After going to school and studying marketing and management, you applied for a job as manager of Gauntlet, and Jim hired you.

Being so early on the scene, surely everything that you guys did was a historic first, but did you know or feel at the time that it was as special as it was? 

EA: In fact, working at Gauntlet, experimenting and pushing boundaries did feel incredibly special during that early time. It would be hard to explain, but there was a palpable sense that we were engaged in a unique and important endeavor. I didn’t quite know what we were gestating and bringing forth into the world, but it felt vital and extraordinary. There was a unique, electric energy to that time. Nearly every occasion of experimenting with a new piercing placement, technique, tool, or style of jewelry reverberated like a stone thrown into a pond. The eventual effects of some of these attempts were truly massive, though I couldn’t have imagined how generally accepted and popular this form of adornment would later become.

I think a lot of people have no idea that in the 1980s and years prior, piercing was considered a very freaky, fringe activity. At that point, most Westerners literally didn’t even know that it was possible to pierce anything other than an ear – or possibly a nostril. I used to tell people that my tongue stud was a form of acupuncture for weight control. Nobody disbelieved me because they had never heard of a tongue (or other exotic) piercing! And they didn’t ask the usual body art inquiry, “Doesn’t that hurt?” Instead, they wanted to know, “Does it work?” I would explain, “Oh yes! It’s effective because it slows down your eating, you never ingest food without thinking about it, and it satisfies your palate.” People totally bought it.

Piercing was so misunderstood that my former gynecologist broke patient confidentiality (and the law!) to tell my parents that I had my nipples pierced – even though I was 21 years of age. They thought that I might need to be institutionalized for harming myself! That probably sounds absurd now that piercing is so widespread, but it’s a good example of how esoteric it was back then and how differently piercing was perceived just a few decades ago.

KP: Especially being a woman in the field, did you ever intend on shattering all of the ceilings that you did for other women to follow in your footsteps?

EA: Since body piercing was so marginal and extreme at the time, it was all about helping to usher piercing into the world – more so than being a woman in a man’s world – even though I was. I felt beyond thrilled to be immersed in the field of piercing, and my attention was firmly on the task at hand. In retrospect, I’m extremely glad that I did pave the way for other women, but I wasn’t specifically focused on that at the time.

KP: You worked at the Gauntlet locations in both California and New York before becoming the Vice President of Southern California Operations. As a native New Yorker, I’ve heard enough New York vs. California debates to last me ten lifetimes. 

Was there ever a difference between the energy or clientele in New York and California? Did you prefer working at one location more than the other?

EA: There was a difference in the vibe of the clientele between the East and West Coasts. However, I only visited NY and guest pierced there (and at the branch in San Francisco). I never actually lived in New York for an extended period. I grew up in L.A., and the West Hollywood Gauntlet was always my home base.

The main thing that stands out is how many of our early clients in Los Angeles were from the music and entertainment industries – and the BDSM/kink and gay communities. There was an abundance of celebrities, and they definitely had their own energy. In contrast, in New York, the clientele seemed more diverse and shared no particular industry or background.

KP: After leaving Gauntlet, you went on to open your own piercing studio, Rings of Desire, in New Orleans. It was the French Quarter’s only licensed body art business for over twelve years as well as the first to receive a Commercial Body Art permit.

What was opening Rings of Desire like? What did it teach you?

EA: When I opened my studio in 1993, it was before piercing really hit the mainstream. I went in for a business license, but there wasn’t a category for body piercing. Tattooing was illegal in the French Quarter at the time, ostensibly as a result of some biker gangs firebombing each other’s studios. So, there were no body art businesses there at that point. I obtained a license for “Ear Piercing and Jewelry” and got to work. Once the state finally did legislate body art, my studio got grandfathered in.

I learned that I really did have a flair for marketing and promotion and that what took place at Gauntlet in L.A. wasn’t only about being in the right place at the right time for the popularity of piercing to explode. I distributed over 10,000 business cards during my first year of business in New Orleans. I was so accomplished at developing and promoting a brand (long before the days of social media) that a professor from a local university brought his MBA students in each semester for me to lecture on the topic. My business grew so connected with my angel wings tattoo that it became the first body art – and human feature – to be registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office! It wasn’t my idea, but a patent-attorney client suggested applying and handled the submission and multiple appeals over the course of about five years.

There were plenty of additional business opportunities that I could have pursued. I might have opened additional studios, entered the body jewelry business, developed aftercare products, etc. Those enterprises surely could have made me more money, but I didn’t think that they would have made me happier or improved the quality of my life. I had a studio manager so that I could avoid becoming an administrator because I learned that I was most content when focused on piercing.

I also learned that it is possible to practice what I call “compassionate capitalism.” I charged a fair price to my customers, treated my employees extremely well, and still managed to earn a decent profit.

“Exercising one’s freedom to do whatever they choose to with their body is a statement in and of itself.”

KP: My aforementioned nipple piercing was an absolute nightmare to heal – I honestly think it took a full eight to ten years to finally settle in, and I truly think the only reason it ever did was by me finally reading The Piercing Bible, which is now the mainstay book for piercers and piercees alike.

What led to you writing it? Did you anticipate that it would become as canon as it has within the piercing world?

EA: I’m terribly sorry that you had to go through such a ridiculously delayed healing time! That is not standard or necessary when some know-how is applied!

The education of piercers, piercees, and the folks who deal with us (like medical professionals) has always been a big part of my life and career. I’d long thought about writing a book and knew that one was badly needed. The project began when I was approached by a woman who is not a piercer. Lee Bass was a piercee and an avid reader who wished that there were a reliable reference text on the topic. She had already started to write such a book but knew that she needed an experienced piercer to author much of the content. We collaborated closely on it for several years. I make no secret that the original outline and much of the non-technical information were initially hers. In fact, the first edition is dedicated to her. But as we got closer to publishing, she dropped out, and the book became mine alone. Ultimately, it was about a five-year journey to get the book written and published.

A dozen years after that, the fully expanded and updated second edition was released in 2021, with a marvelous young piercer, Jef Saunders, as a contributor. Honestly, I was hoping that someone else would have taken the reins so I wouldn’t have to do it again, but so much had changed in the industry, and a new text was desperately needed. I do not plan to work on any further editions.

I don’t identify as a writer; I feel like a piercer who manages to write. It takes me forever, and I don’t particularly enjoy the process, though it is extremely rewarding once done. I’ve found that being an author is not a great profession for a perfectionist, whereas piercing is… perfect! It is difficult to discern when a sentence is flawless, but my eye definitely knows when a piercing hits that mark.

Since there were no other mainstream reference books on the topic, I knew it would be popular within its niche, but I had no idea how many copies it would sell. It still amazes me. I love that The Piercing Bible has been well-accepted by the medical community, too. Most healthcare practitioners don’t have any specific training on the subject in their curricula, so they need help with identifying the various issues and complications in treating pierced patients in general. I’m sure the credibility and legitimacy afforded by having a mainstream publisher (Penguin Random House) has bolstered its acceptance, too.

I was initially anxious about how the book would be received, but I hear all the time from piercers, piercees, and others how helpful it has been, and that makes it all worthwhile. I’ve had a number of people tell me that The Piercing Bible is the only book they’ve ever read cover to cover! That is both disturbing and gratifying.

KP: In a world that shifts more conservative by the second, with people publicly speaking out against others “marring” their bodies with piercings or tattoos, do you ever see body modification as political or an act of protest? Was it ever that to you?

EA: For me, piercing was in no way a rebellious act. It has been driven by a deep, internal imperative that I have felt since childhood. At the age of five, I pressed little pearl beads onto my earlobes so hard that they would stay on because my parents wouldn’t let me pierce my ears yet – despite ceaseless begging. All of my body art is a form of individual expression – a way of displaying visually on the outside who I am (or strive to be) on the inside. It isn’t about anyone else.

However, I do believe that body art can be used as a form of protest or a political act. When you think about it, the only thing a person has that’s truly theirs (or should be) is their body. In the US right now, they’re clearly trying to take that autonomy away from women, which is totally horrifying! Exercising one’s freedom to do whatever they choose to with their body is a statement in and of itself. I encourage everyone to do whatever they can to maintain bodily sovereignty – including with body art, if so inclined.

Also, the societal pressures, especially on women, to conform to a certain standard of beauty are very strong. So many of the other actions that women take in their quest to live up to that ideal, such as nose jobs, breast augmentations, Botox injections, etc., are conforming actions to look and be like everyone else, whereas in Western society, body art is meant to be individuating rather than conforming (or at least it always used to be.) Getting body art is a choice that a woman can make for herself that may relate more deeply to who she really is rather than how well she can emulate the prevailing beauty standards. That’s a form of rebellion in its own way, and it can be extremely empowering.

KP: Apart from having over forty piercings, you have also accumulated an impressive collection of tattoos.

Do you have a favorite piercing? A favorite tattoo? Is one the most memorable or meaningful to you?

EA: I’m so fond of all of my artwork and piercings that I couldn’t name a particular favorite right now. Over the years, people have asked, “What will happen when you get older – won’t you regret doing all of that to yourself?” Well, I’m approaching 65 now, and I have no regrets whatsoever. In fact, I credit my body art with inspiring me to take better care of myself and be the best canvas that I possibly can for the artists who did beautiful artwork on me.

Even though I’ve had most of my piercings for decades, I still derive a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from them, and I’ve gotten a few new ones in recent years, too. I’m still completely enamored with piercing!

My full-back neoclassical angel wings stand out because they were my first major piece. Putting the wings of an angel upon my back was an outward expression of my inner drive to be kind and helpful to others – as angelic as possible, if you will. They have served as a guiding force throughout my life and, I think, helped me remain on a positive, helpful, and altruistic track. My angel wings are deeply connected to my identity and how I relate to people and behave in general.

My mermaid tail (colorful scales that cover the lower half of my body, along with some gills and fins) is noteworthy because of the way that it was accomplished. I flew out from California to see the artist, Juli Moon, on the other side of the country. I was there for eleven days, and we did eight sessions totaling fifty-nine hours of work to complete the entire piece from my waist to my toes (including labia fins!). I guest-pierced on the other days that I was there. It was brutal, but I’m a “finisher,” so the idea of starting the piece and completing it later was just not an option for me. I love having all of this lovely color on my body and in my life. Possessions may come and go, but tattoos can be with you daily for life, and you can even take them with you when you go! There’s not much else for which that’s true.

“Getting body art is a choice that a woman can make for herself that may relate more deeply to who she really is rather than how well she can emulate the prevailing beauty standards.

That’s a form of rebellion in its own way, and it can be extremely empowering.”

KP: What advice would you give young women who seek to get into piercing? 

EA: Follow your passion! (And if passion isn’t your primary motivation, then it is best to do something else.) Being a young woman does not make you less deserving or worthy! Be persistent, build your inner strength and self-confidence, and don’t be afraid to show that you have it.

There’s a chapter in The Piercing Bible, “A Career in Professional Piercing,” and I’d suggest it to anyone who is interested in getting into the field (along with the rest of the book). It includes a list of actions to take if you want to become a professional piercer. Persistence may be required, but don’t give up if you truly wish to dedicate your life to the field.

KP: You’ve pioneered multiple piercings, broken boundaries as a female business owner in body art, and have written a highly influential book in the process, all illustrious things to be incredibly proud of.

What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

EA: By far, the most gratifying part of my work as a professional piercer has been helping clients to enjoy better sex lives! For nearly two decades, I’ve specialized exclusively in genital (and nipple) piercings, which were also the most common placements back in the early Gauntlet days. The majority of my clientele are motivated by the desire for sexual enhancement. I’ve had piercees with primary anorgasmia (who never had an orgasm in their lives) become orgasmic after receiving certain genital piercings! That’s truly life-changing stuff, and when clients let me know, they often put it in exactly those terms.

Some could not reach orgasm through penetration alone or had never experienced multiple orgasms before but could do so after getting pierced. Additionally, many have never liked the appearance of their nipples or genitals or suffered from gender dysphoria, and the piercings I provide allow them to love and accept their bodies for the first time in their lives. Intimate piercings often boost self-esteem and body image; they can be truly transformational. Every time a client provides feedback about any of these aspects, my life’s work is validated!

My educational efforts are also extremely rewarding. I’ve taught courses at numerous body art conferences around the world, and many students have reported that my information has made them better piercers. I’ve also educated a considerable quantity of medical professionals about the care of patients with piercings, which has resulted in piercees receiving improved treatment.

More recently, I’ve been offering live, online, one-on-one coaching sessions to industry professionals, mostly regarding genital piercings. This form of customized continuing education is not available elsewhere, as far as I know. Student feedback makes it evident that I am helping them to do a superior job. All of that makes me feel like I keep earning my wings.

KP: I want to mention that you give piercing consultations online through your site, which I really, really, really wish I knew all those years ago, if you offered them back then hahaha. It would have saved me many years of frustration.

So if anyone has any specific questions, I want to forward them there, but if you could give one or two general pieces of advice regarding piercings, what would they be?

EA: Yes! I provide online (photo) consultations for piercing problems anywhere on the ear, face, or body, and also anatomy consultations for piercing suitability and placement.

If you think that you’re having a complication, deal with it promptly! Early intervention can prevent more severe problems and increases the likelihood of successful resolution. If your piercer is not helpful, seek out a different one (or an online consult with me)! I see so many cases of people returning to their piercer with a problem, but they’re told that everything is fine when that simply isn’t true. Some piercers don’t like to admit that they’ve made a mistake, or they really might not know how to help.

Troubleshooting is a separate skill from piercing, and even good piercers can be poor at assisting with complications.

Make sure your piercer is highly qualified to maximize the likelihood of successful healing (and minimize the risk of problems in the first place). My book teaches you how to select a truly competent professional. I also have a piercer referrals list on my site. Piercing is not well-regulated in many regions, and an abundance of substandard practitioners are working in the industry. Through my experience with online consultations, I see tons of poorly placed piercings (sometimes criminally so), use of inappropriate jewelry sizes and styles, outdated and harmful aftercare advice, and more. It is worth the effort to find and visit a qualified pro.

KP: What do you feel makes a provocative woman? 

EA: A provocative woman is unapologetically herself. She doesn’t care about prevailing trends or what everyone else is doing. She lives her own life on her own terms, forging her own unique path. She is self-confident and self-possessed.

Making your own way in the world and living as your true self is provocative indeed! And, yes, I do know this on an up-close-and-personal basis. ;)

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Photography (in order of appearance): Ashley Savage, Todd Friedman, Pamila Payne