The Alley Piercings

Okay,  4 stars only because the guy who did my piercings (Scott Jania) back in 200? left Progressive, I guess. That's a damn shame. He was an excellent piercer. I go to a great guy now and I'm loyal to both my piercer and my tattoo artist, but Scott was definitely top notch.

Let me say this: the previous reviews are right on. For all the bitchiness of The Alley employees, Progressive more than made up for it. I was super nervous going for said piercings (which shall not be named here!) and the guy at the front desk really made me feel at ease. Scott took about a zillion years talking to me and made me feel calm and comfortable--never rushed, and never like I was an inconvenience. It was awesome--a truly great experience. I know I'm going a few years back, but they didn't charge an arm and a leg (as some hot spots in the city are known to do) and that was also very much appreciated. Man, they lost a great piercer with Scott Jania leaving. If he were still there, I'd give a solid five stars all the way.

I hadn't been to the Alley for a piercing since the Scotts left a few years ago, however, I was getting anxious for something new and thought I'd give the new guy a chance.  I figured I'd talk to them a bit, see how I felt, then decide if I trust him.

I have to say, as great as the Scotts were, I really like Bryan and his apprentice.  They were really friendly and willing to talk and explain things before, during and after the piercing.  Bryan is professional but still friendly.  I felt completely at ease with him and trusted him fully.  He showed me that everything was sterile, he explained each step of what he was doing, talked to me about jewelry, answered all my questions, and joked around with me in between.

Sure, is it pricey compared to other piercing studios?  Of course.  However, I go because I know it's clean, and I know I won't regret it.  I'm willing to pay for better jewelry and a piercer who knows what he's doing.  

Especially after the horror stories I've heard about, this is the only place I trust to get pierced, especially for more unusual piercings.

I miss Scott.  In fact, I miss both Scotts.  Jania was the reason I started going and once that other (jackass) piercer left and he brought in Barrs, I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

I called shortly after they both left only to deal with assholes both times.  Turns out my favorite Alley employee was no longer there either, and when I asked when Scott would be in no one mentioned neither worked there anymore.  They hung up on me twice (the first time I called) and days later were extremely rude when I asked if they happened to know of any scarification artists.  

Before completely ruling them out I stopped in, and whoever was behind the counter was completely uninterested in anyone and just leaned on the case like he was bored out of his mind.  From now on I'm going to Johnny at Native Rituals, even though it's not convenient AT ALL........he reminds of Scott Jania.  It's too bad both of the Scotts are gone, they were great and I always recommended my friends go to them.  Now, I send people elsewhere, even if it's just for jewelry.