Are pop-up events for piercings & tattoos legal?

The simple answer to this question, is no. But let’s get into all the details.

First off, what is a pop up event anyway? A pop-up is a temporary event hosted in a unique place in order to showcase brands and services in a fun way - just for the day, weekend, or other short duration. They are especially fun because of their temporary appearance and the fact that if you don’t make it, then it’s gone!

“Pop-Up: A temporary event hosted in a unique place in order to showcase brands and services.”

I absolutely love attending these events. I have found some amazing brands that I love! Just last week I came across a company named Hey Everybody Threads that I purchased custom made Stranger Things clothing from for my Stranger Things obsessed daughter. I found another hand made jewelry company (I can’t remember their name, so sorry!) that makes resin jewelry out of wild foraged herbs - right up my alley! I picked up the cutest wild foraged yarrow necklace. And one of my all time favorite things I’ve found at a pop-up is permanent jewelry! My daughter and I got permanent jewelry together from Formed Permanent Jewelry. It was so fun!

The disturbing trend I’m seeing lately is tattoos and piercings at pop-ups. At first thought this sees like so much fun! I loved getting my permanent bracelet, so it seems like a blast to pop in and get a tattoo or piercing too. But when you really think about it, the two are very different. One is a simple bracelet, and the other is a body modification that includes bodily fluids, the implantation of jewelry or permanent ink, and potential blood borne pathogen exposure.

So let’s get more into that.

A piercing is done with a hollow needle, pushing it through the skin to create a fistula. Implant grade jewelry is then inserted into the fistula and then the healing begins. Most piercings take a minimum of 6 months to heal, but some can take as long as 2 years. This is a serious procedure. Although piercings are usually done for fun and appearance, the actual procedure is a serious one, and the environment in which it is done in is crucial that it is clean and inspected by the health department.

A few things that the Utah County Health Department requires in the body art industry that pop ups cannot guarantee to provide are the following: a sink, soap, a covered trash can, solid floors, no rugs/drapes/carpet/curtains, non porous furniture, a sharps container, walls, a clean environment… to name a few.

I’ve observed many piercers at local pop-ups that simply do not wash their hands between clients because there is no sink. This is the bare minimum of sanitation standards. Client (and piercer) safety has to be the number one priority, and simply not washing hands between clients can spread blood borne pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis B - serious and life threatening conditions. If the piercer comes in contact with blood from one client that is HIV positive, then doesn’t use the required sanitation and sterilization techniques between clients, then each one of the next clients after (and the piercer) have the potential to be exposed. At pop-up events there could be hundreds of people getting pierced in a matter of hours - and each person is at risk thereafter.

The body art and medical industry uses something called Universal or Standard Precautions. This means that we are to treat each exposure like it could possibly be contaminated with a blood borne pathogen. We don’t know who is and isn’t, so we use things like hand washing, gloves, barriers, single use products, ultra sonics, and autoclaves to ensure a sterile and sanitary experience for everyone. Pop-ups cannot provide this, so they are therefore not approved, and not legal.

It is entirely possible to host a pop-up event that could be a legal event. This would require planning. The health department would have to inspect and license an approved space - but an open warehouse, clothing or furniture store, farmer’s market, etc. isn’t it. A great alternative is to ask your piercer if they would be willing to host an event in their licensed studio with multiple friends! Then everyone stays safe and still has a fun experience.

Help spread the word about this - doing so keeps people safe, and the body art industry accountable. It is important that body artists follow the rules so that we can all continue to practice our art/craft - and so that the public can feel safe in receiving these services too.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!

XO - Kaycee