Thinking about a new ear piercing, or dreaming up a whole ear stack? Good news: your ear has so many cute spots to decorate! Each one has its own vibe when it comes to pain, healing and jewellery. So here are 25 things to know before you go, packed with everything we’ve learned since we started piercing in 1998.
Your ear: the basics
- Your ear is made of soft tissue (the lobe) and cartilage (pretty much everything above the lobe).
- The lobe is soft and usually heals the fastest: think around 6 to 8 weeks. Healing is very personal and depends on many factors, so see these times as a guideline.
- Cartilage piercings take longer to heal, often 6 to 9 months or more. Beauty takes a little patience.
- Earlobes can be pierced with a sterile, single-use piercing gun. Cartilage is always pierced with a needle, never with a gun.
- Your first piercing jewellery is a bit longer to make room for swelling. Once the swelling has gone down, we swap it for a shorter bar in the studio.
And one golden rule before we dive into all the cute spots: we always ask for your approval first. We mark the spot, you check it out, and only after your "yes!" do we pierce. Nothing happens without your consent.
Popular ear piercings
- Tragus: the little flap in front of your ear canal. Small but so pretty. Clean your earbuds regularly while it heals. Read our tragus guide.
- Double tragus: possible on some ears. Your piercer checks if there’s enough room.
- Anti-helix (snug): through the inner ridge. Not every ear has the right shape, so an anatomy check comes first.
- Helix: the upper rim of your ear, a real classic. Read our helix guide.
- Forward helix: the front of the rim, near your face. Hello, selfie angle!
- Flat: the flat area between helix and anti-helix, perfect for a sparkly top.
- Conch: inner or outer conch, in the middle of your ear. Read our conch guide.
- Daith: the fold just above your ear canal. Changing it yourself is tricky, so let your piercer help.
- Rook: the ridge just above the daith. Read our rook guide.
- Industrial: one long bar through two holes in the upper ear. Bold! It needs extra patience to heal. Read our industrial guide.
- Orbital: two holes connected by one ring. We usually start with two separate studs and switch to a ring once both are healed.
- Anti-tragus: the bump opposite your tragus. Not every ear has enough room for it.
Jewellery tips
- For fresh piercings titanium is the very best: light, nickel-free and great for sensitive skin. Gold is possible too, and a titanium bar with a gold top is a popular combo. A little edgy, a little chic. Check out our first jewellery in titanium and gold.
- In the studio we use internally threaded jewellery, so no rough thread scrapes through your fresh piercing.
- Start with studs. Rings and hoops move more and can irritate a fresh cartilage piercing; wait until it’s fully healed. Then the real shopping begins!
- Have your first jewellery change done in the studio. It’s hard to tell yourself whether a piercing is really healed.
What clients say
Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what others wrote. Click a name to see the original review:
"My daughter got her first real piercing here (helix). A really warm welcome, we got an explanation and filled in the necessary paperwork." (translated from Dutch)
– Daniel van Straten, Google review
"She took her time meassuring the distance and making sure it was centered when I was getting pierced."
– Kaithlyn Liew, Google review
"I’ve got done here most of my piercings in the most random moments and every single time there’s someone very professional to help me"
– Jennifer Tatiana Castañeda García, Google review
Healing and aftercare
- Try not to sleep on a fresh piercing. A travel pillow with a hole in the middle really helps (yes, it feels a bit silly at first).
- Watch out with hairbrushes, hats, scarves and headphones while you heal. They love to snag.
- Planning a full ear project? We do a maximum of 3 piercings per visit, so your ear doesn’t get overloaded. A great excuse to come back!
- Be patient! Healing is personal, so don’t rush it.
How to look after it
- Clean it twice a day with the AphraHeals wipe (our favourite: practical, sterile and safe; more at aphraheals.com). It fits in any bag, right next to your lip gloss.
- Prefer a spray? The AphraHeals aftercare spray works great too, for example at home.
- Wash your hands first, and no twisting or playing with your jewellery. Not even when it looks this good.
- Want to read it all again in peace? Download our aftercare instructions.
Is your piercing getting red, warm or swollen, more painful instead of calmer, or does it stay inflamed? Contact your piercer or a doctor. We’re always happy to take a look.
Please note: all healing times mentioned are an indication. Healing is very personal: for some people it goes faster, for others it takes a little longer.
Why get your ear piercing at Piercings Works?
- Experience: we’ve been piercing since 1998, and we’ve been at Reguliersbreestraat 46 in Amsterdam since 2004. That’s a lot of happy clients walking out the door.
- Hygiene: we were the first studio with a GGD licence, and the GGD re-inspects us every 3 years.
- Know-how: we’ve trained more than 100 piercers.
- You decide: we always ask for your approval first. We never do anything without your consent.
- Safe jewellery: in the studio we use internally threaded jewellery, so no thread scrapes through your fresh hole.
- One step at a time: we do a maximum of 3 piercings per visit. Even if your bestie yells "one more!"
- Questions in your own language? Our team speaks several languages, usually 6.
- Age: check our minimum age page first.
Ready for your new ear sparkle? Book your appointment here or just walk in. Bring your bestie for the selfie afterwards!
Curious about the history of piercings? Visit our free online Piercing Museum.
FAQ about ear piercings
Which ear piercing heals the fastest?
The lobe, usually in around 6 to 8 weeks. Cartilage takes longer, often 6 to 9 months or more. These are indications.
How many ear piercings can I get at once?
A maximum of 3 per visit. Your curated ear can grow step by step.
Can I get a ring in a fresh cartilage piercing?
Better not. Start with a stud and switch to a ring once it’s fully healed.
My piercing is red and swollen, what should I do?
A little redness at the start is normal. If it gets worse, warm or more painful, contact your piercer or a doctor.
VIP with us is pure benefit, zero risk: join for €50, €100 or €200 a year and get the same amount back as a gift voucher, plus 10% off for as long as your membership runs and free piercing changes.
From Ira, with love
Ira Lutvica is co-owner of Piercings Works, which she runs together with her husband Mensur Lutvica: since 1998, and since 2004 at the same spot on Reguliersbreestraat 46. Ira writes the books herself and runs the piercing course (in Dutch), where she has trained 100+ piercers. Want to know more about this topic? Read her e-book The Art of the Ear: The Master Ebook on Ear Piercings. Also read Piercings Works in the media.