When I was around 12 years old and my sister was about 8, she decided that she needed to get her ears pierced as soon as possible, or she would die. Since it happened to be a Saturday and we had no other plans, my Mom loaded the two of us into the car and drove the hour and a half down to Denver, where the nearest Claire’s awaited us. My sister sat in the uncomfortable-looking chair with her back to the glass windows at the front of the store, and some teenager drew little dots on each of her earlobes with a ballpoint pen.
At the ripe old age of 12, I knew that wasn’t where I wanted to get any piercings. Always the cautious sibling, I was afraid of the harsh piercing gun, the unfriendly and (probably inexperienced) piercer, and the public nature of the whole thing. The idea of an infection because of the unprofessional setting scared me, and I put off ever getting my ears pierced in fear of something going wrong.
When an ad for Rowan popped up on my Instagram feed this year, I was instantly intrigued. Of course, I wanted to get my ears pierced; earrings are so fun and such an easy way to express your style! But what really caught my eye was Rowan’s policies of prioritizing aftercare, using hypoallergenic earrings always, and, most of all, having licensed nurses perform all piercings. Also, it was super accessible to me — their location is right in the center of Boulder, about a block north of Pearl Street.
So, when my 15-year-old sister came to visit me over fall break, and I was stressing about how to keep her occupied for the days she was here, I decided to pose the question, “Want to go with me to get my ears pierced?”. Although surprised, she said yes, and we drove on over to Pearl Street.
To be honest, the worst part of the experience was parking — anyone who’s ever been to Pearl Street Mall knows what I mean. But once I had completed the struggle of parallel parking and battled with the Pay-to-Park meter, we headed up the street. Even from the outside, Rowan is aesthetically pleasing. It’s in a white building, and the inside is likewise noticeably bright. There are pops of color in the furniture, walls, and products hung up on the wall. Overall, the vibe is very friendly and clean, which made me feel confident immediately.
While they do take pre-scheduled appointments, I was a walk-in, and the nurse working inside accommodated me very easily. She explained their two methods of piercing, both needle and using the “device” (which seems to be a more gentle form of a piercing gun), and showed me the piercing stud options for both. She illustrated what the overall price would come out to for both the piercing studs and the piercing itself (priced separately) and let me take my time to decide whether I wanted to make the financial commitment at the time. I chose a relatively inexpensive route, opting for the device piercing and a $50 pair of studs (hypoallergenic, of course), and with the cleaning solution she provided for me later, it came out to about $130.
Before she actually pierced my ears, the nurse took time to clean the area surrounding where the piercing would go and used a skin-safe marker to draw dots where she would aim the device. She had me look in the mirror and help her place the dots, and she changed where they were if they were uneven or if I wanted somewhere different. Overall, I felt very in control of my piercings. She took the time and care to make sure they were exactly how I wanted them to be.
The device itself, though it looked like a piercing gun, was much smaller and gentler. It didn’t make a super loud sound when it pierced, and I was surprised how painless it was. The earrings that I had picked out (which were cute little heart studs, by the way — they were not short on options) were already loaded into the device, so there was no awkward switching from one to the other. The device misfired one time on my left ear, and she had to do that one again. However, it was super easy and painless the second time around as well, and I got a free earring out of it!
After I was done, the lovely nurse gave me a cute little spray bottle of cleaning solution in a fun and colorful bag. Inside was a slip of paper with the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of aftercare and a code for 20% off a new pair of earrings from their website. Follow-up appointments (if needed) are free of charge, and I should be able to start changing my earrings after six weeks.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience at Rowan. It felt safe and clean, and my piercer was very friendly and knowledgeable. She answered any questions I had and made sure to make it a positive experience. I feel prepared and educated about how to take care of my piercings now, and I look forward to going back there to get new, high-quality earrings and possibly another piercing one day!
Rowan is located at 1601 Pearl St Unit 105, Boulder, CO, and is open from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 12 p.m.–6 p.m. on Sundays. They can do any (safe) ear piercings and make sure their clients are well taken care of. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you’re looking for a welcoming and professional environment for all things ear piercing!