Haven Body Arts: Updated studio policies

To keep everybody safe during this new normal, we will need to be very strict in keeping with our new policies. Thank you all for your understanding and also for your patience as this will be a big adjustment, and a whole new experience for us as well. There will most likely be some changes as we go, but for now these are the things you will need to expect. Please make sure to read all of the policy changes before booking your appointment.

OVERALL SHOP RULES

All services will be done by appointment only, there will be absolutely no walk-ins. When booking your appointment online, you will be required to completely read and fill out your release form and submit pictures of your current legal government issued photo identification. If booking your appointment by phone, you will be emailed the same information and need to return to us the completed forms along with a photo of an acceptable ID.

Next, to secure your appointment you will need to provide us with a non-refundable & non-transferable deposit. Once completed, you will be emailed a confirmation as well as reminder emails and texts in advance of your arrival. Make sure you have double checked this date and time in your calendars because ALL PIERCING DEPOSITS ARE 100% NON-REFUNDABLE.

When you arrive for your appointment, you must have all your matching valid ID’s to show for confirmation to a gallery assistant.

INSIDE THE STUDIO

Inside the studio, you must adhere to all social distancing recommendations which will be clearly marked to help remind you of where to stand. While in the studio you must maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet in between you, our staff, and on the off-chance you encounter other clients. We will be trying to stagger appointments to avoid client interaction, but in case you cross paths, please maintain a 6 foot distance.

While inside the studio everyone, including minors, are required to wear a mask or facial covering at all times, except if you are unable to wear a facial covering due to a medical condition or disability. When you arrive you will be asked if you have an appointment by our gallery assistant, and once we confirm your appointment, you will be asked to use hand sanitizer by a gallery assistant. 

We ask while you are in the studio to not touch your body jewelry, whether or not it is in a body piercing. If you brought in jewelry from home for some reason please keep it in a plastic bag and do NOT place it on the counter.

Appointments will be for only one person at a time. To minimize the amount of people in the studio, we will not be allowing friends or hand holders at this time to accompany you to your appointment. Anyone other than the person who has the appointment, will need their own appointment. We may be able to let you know when the next available appointment would be, but other than that, we will have to ask you to leave the studio. The same thing would go for anyone else you brought with who doesn’t have an appointment.

PIERCINGS

All piercing services are appointment only (ie; piercings, jewelry changes, and stretches). Most appointments can be scheduled online, except for the following piercings: All genital piercings, Frenulum, Labret, Vertical Labret, Lip, Nostril, High Nostril, Philtrum, Vertical Philtrum, Septum, Smiley, & Tongue, which must be booked by calling the studio and scheduling your appointment with a gallery assistant. You may also call the studio and schedule your appointment with a gallery assistant if you would like to apply a coupon, other discount (such as $30 off 18th birthday piercing), or use a gift certificate for payment. Piercing fees do not include the cost of jewelry, and all jewelry for initial piercings must be purchased from Haven Body Arts (jewelry prices start at $25).

MINORS

We will not be offering infant lobes at this time, though we will still offer children’s earlobe piercings for minors between the ages of 7-12 years old who have the required documentation for both the minor, and parent or legal guardian. Children ages 7-12 years old can only be booked for the last appointments of our shifts on Sundays through Wednesdays, in case they need a little extra time, it will not interrupt the rest of the day’s appointments. We as piercers, do not mind if we have to leave a little bit late that day to make sure children do not feel rushed during this special time. You must call the studio to book an appointment for your minor’s ear piercings. Make sure you have proper identification for the minor and their parent or legal guardian ready to send when booking. Acceptable forms of identification can be found below.

Minors between the ages of 13 and 17 years old can get most other piercings (excluding nipple piercings & genital piercings), and will be done at the piercer’s discretion. One of the reasons that some piercings may not be a good idea for our younger clients, is that a child’s body is still growing and changing. Occasionally, a piercer may feel they are not ready for a particular piercing. An example would be if the client is currently wearing braces, and would like an oral piercing. The piercer may explain that an oral piercing would cause unnecessary damage and braces may cause additional trouble healing, along with suggesting other piercings that would be safer and heal better. 

DOCUMENTATION

Identification Requirements:

You must present one of the following forms of identification:

1. State-issued driver’s license or state-issued identification card
2. Resident alien card
3. Military identification card
4. Passport
5. Birth Certificate w/ another photo ID
   Minors:
   We offer a wide variety of piercing services to minors. The policies we’ve established regarding minors are designed to protect minors, their parents or legal guardians, and our studio. We strongly encourage minors and their parents or legal guardians to stop into the studio and speak with one of our piercers. This will allow us to go over or clarify all of the details of the procedure, the jewelry, the required documentation for the booking, and answer any questions you may still have.
   We do not perform nipple or genital piercings on anyone under the age of 18:
   We do not do any piercings, with the exceptions of earlobes, on anyone under the age of 13.
   We will do earlobe piercings on minors.  Children and babies under the age of five are done by appointment only, please call the studio for more information. (CURRENTLY NOT OFFERED)

Both the minor and the parent or legal guardian must present one of the following VALID forms of identification:

1. State-issued driver’s license or state-issued identification card
2. Resident alien card
3. Military identification card
4. Passport
5. Birth Certificate with another photo ID

*Surnames must match on identifications provided, if they do not, then a birth certificate or guardianship papers must be provided to confirm relation.

If you are the legal guardian of a minor, you must present court documentation demonstrating legal guardianship.

We reserve the right to refuse modification services to anyone at any time.

PLEASE BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TIME THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ARRIVE 15 MINUTES EARLY TO MAKE SURE ALL DOCUMENTS ARE FILLED OUT PROPERLY AND ALLOW TIME TO CHOSE YOUR JEWELRY FOR ALL SERVICES THAT MAY REQUIRE NEW JEWELRY!

For the time being, we suggest only booking piercing appointments a few weeks in advance, to allow for scheduling changes or policy changes that may come from the government, in the change that restrictions are lifted, or the studio must close again. 

JEWELRY SALES

If you are unsure whether or not you’d like to purchase jewelry yet, and are just looking to browse, please take a look at our new online jewelry store at havenbodyjewelry.com. We have photos of our studio favorites available for sale, which we could either ship to you directly, or arrange a curbside pickup. If you need assistance with a jewelry change, you could make an appointment and we will take the cost of the jewelry change as a deposit, with the jewelry you select being a separate cost when you visit the studio on the day of your appointment.

JEWELRY FOR INITIAL PIERCINGS

We will not be able to offer jewelry reprocessing to be reused for new piercings until we no longer need to require appointments for piercing services. To help us to minimize traffic in the studio, we need to strictly enforce client appointment times, and we will not be able to properly process jewelry to be reused while still ensuring we will have enough time for their piercings. We are sorry for this inconvenience, and will be able to return to offering this courtesy once we no longer need to pierce by appointment only.

PIERCING CHECKUPS AND ASSESSMENTS

For the time being, we will be utilizing phone calls and emails for digital checkups and assessments. If you are experiencing trouble with a piercing, call the studio during our business hours, and we will take your phone number and information for a piercer to call you back. They may request photos if they need to visually see what is going on with your piercing. PLEASE DO NOT SHOW UP AT THE STUDIO LOOKING FOR HELP WITH YOUR PIERCING. To keep our clients and employees safe, we must regulate the amount of people in the studio, and keep it to a minimum. If a piercer feels they need to see you in person, they will have you set up an appointment for your checkup. 

TATTOOS

Absolutely nobody under the age of 18 years old can be tattooed in Northampton, Massachusetts. There is NO PARENTAL CONSENT for tattooing, NO EXCEPTIONS. Tattoo appointments need to be booked through communication with a gallery assistant. You will be required to leave a deposit of $60 or more, depending on the amount of time needed for your tattoo. To book your tattoo, you must receive a price quote for your tattoo, and a time frame to book your appointment for, from the artist you are scheduling with. 

You can correspond with our artists by emailing them directly using their personal emails found on our website, along with their portfolios. If you prefer to get tattooed by whichever artist has the soonest availability, you can email our front desk at hbaemployee@gmail.com, though we encourage you to choose an artist whose style you most connect with by looking at their portfolios on our website, or checking out their work on our social media. 

Your tattoo deposit will be deducted from the final cost of the tattoo, it is NOT in addition to. ALL TATTOO DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE AND NON-TRANSFERABLE BETWEEN ARTISTS but can be rescheduled as long as rescheduling rules have been met. When you book your appointment, a copy of these rules as well as a confirmation email will be sent to you. 

LATE POLICY

Please plan on arriving to your appointment at least 15 minutes early. When you find parking, please call the studio to let us know you have arrived. We will let you know if we are ready to have you come into the studio. If you know that you will not be on time for your appointment, call us immediately, as anything over five (5) minutes late for your appointment will result in forfeiture of your deposit.