How Much Do Piercings Cost in San Diego?
The Quick Answer for 2026
Most piercing studios in San Diego make you call or DM to find out what anything costs. We think that's backwards. The Piercings Club publishes every price, for every service, at both of our studios — Bay Park and La Jolla — and this guide goes further: what piercings actually cost across San Diego in 2026, what drives the differences, and how to tell a fair price from a false economy.
At a professional San Diego studio in 2026, expect $50–$90 for most piercings. Ear lobes run $40–$50 per ear around the city; cartilage piercings like helix, tragus, and conch run $50–$70; septum and navel $60–$80; industrials $80–$100. At many shops, jewelry is a separate charge on top — anywhere from $30 to $300+. Baby and toddler ear piercing is its own category, from about $60 at a pediatrician's office (with a piercing gun) to $160 with a needle specialist.
Below is our complete price list — and the honest explanation of every number on it.
Our Full 2026 Price List — Every Service, Published
The same prices at both studios. Every price includes a basic implant-grade titanium stud — the price you see is a complete price, not a piercing fee with a jewelry decision waiting at the counter. Jewelry upgrades start at $35 a piece. No deposit required for piercing appointments.
EAR PIERCINGS — Ear lobe single $50 · Ear lobe pair $90 · Helix $70 · Forward helix $70 · Tragus $70 · Conch $70 · Daith $70 · Rook from $70 · Snug $60 · Other ear cartilage from $70 · Industrial $90
BABY, KIDS & TEENS (needle-only, by our baby specialists) — Baby ear lobes, pair, 6 months–4 years: $160 · Kids ear lobes, pair, ages 5–10: $120 · Teen ear lobes, 11+: from $50
FACE & BODY — Nostril $70 · Septum $75 · Eyebrow $70 · Lip $80 · Bridge $80 · Navel $70 · Nipple $70 single / $120 pair · Dermal $80
JEWELRY & STYLING — Ear curation styling session, 45 min: $50, fully credited toward same-day jewelry or piercings · Jewelry upgrade at piercing time: from $35 per piece · Jewelry change or removal, including downsizing: $15
Baby & Kids' Ear Piercing — Three Price Tiers in San Diego
Piercing a baby and piercing a teenager are different disciplines, and San Diego's prices for little ears fall into three tiers.
Around $30–$60: retail kiosks and pediatric offices. Both use spring-loaded guns or cartridge devices — the same mechanism, different marketing. Fast, cheap, and blunt-force, with jewelry quality to match the price.
Around $100: some tattoo shops advertise baby ear piercing at about $99 a pair. Ask who on staff specializes in infants, what metal the studs are, and what follow-up is included.
$160: a needle specialist. At The Piercings Club, baby ear lobes are $160 a pair — and we're the only studio in San Diego where babies (from 6 months) are pierced with a needle, by a specialist who does this every week, in a private appointment with implant-grade flat-back jewelry included. The difference over the tattoo-shop price buys the two things you can't retrofit: the right method and the right hands.
We keep dedicated quiet hours for little ears — mornings at La Jolla (Thursday–Sunday, 9–11am) and Monday & Tuesday at Bay Park.
The Real Cost of a Cheap Piercing
We re-pierce other people's work every week, and the story is almost always one of the same four.
Pierced with "surgical steel." It sounds medical; it isn't ideal. Most surgical steel jewelry contains nickel — the most common metal allergy there is — and a healing piercing is exactly the wrong place to find out you have one. Implant-grade titanium exists precisely because steel causes reactions.
Butterfly backs. The bent-wire clasp on mall earrings traps hair, product, and bacteria against the healing hole, and the post is usually too short for swelling. Professionals pierce with flat backs for a reason.
Jewelry that tarnishes. Plated and mystery-alloy pieces look like gold for a few weeks, then the coating wears through — into your ear. If the price seems impossible for real gold, it isn't real gold.
A gun instead of a needle, no aftercare guidance, weeks of irritation — then paying twice. A crooked or reacting piercing usually has to be retired, healed for months, and redone. The $40 you saved becomes $40 lost, plus the redo, plus the months.
One more number worth knowing: downsizing. Most new piercings start with a slightly longer post to allow for swelling; 4–6 weeks later it should be shortened so the piercing heals straight against the ear. Some shops treat that as a surprise fee. Ours is published like everything else: a downsize or jewelry change is a flat $15.
San Diego Piercing Price FAQ
How much does an ear piercing cost in San Diego? A single ear lobe runs $40–$50 at most professional studios in 2026; at The Piercings Club it's $50 single or $90 for a pair. Cartilage piercings typically run $50–$70; ours are $70.
How much does it cost to pierce a baby's ears? From about $30–$60 with a gun or device at kiosks and pediatric offices, around $100 at some tattoo shops, and $160 with us — the only San Diego studio where babies are pierced with a needle by a specialist, implant-grade flat-back jewelry included.
Do prices include the jewelry? Often not elsewhere — many shops quote the piercing fee only, with jewelry ($30–$300+) charged separately. At The Piercings Club, a basic implant-grade titanium flat-back stud is included in every listed price, and upgrade pieces start at $35.
Do I need a deposit? Not for piercings — no piercing appointment requires a deposit, baby appointments included. Deposits apply only to ear curation styling sessions (the $50 fee, fully credited toward same-day jewelry or piercings) and special jewelry orders.
Should I tip my piercer? Tipping is customary but never required. If your piercer took great care of you, 15–20% is a normal thank-you — and mentioning them by name in a review helps even more.
Why are studio piercings more expensive than the mall? A sterile single-use needle instead of a reusable gun, implant-grade metal instead of plated mystery alloy, a trained specialist instead of a sales associate, and an appointment instead of a queue. The piercing takes seconds; what you're buying is everything around it.
Every price on this page is live and bookable — Bay Park open every day, La Jolla Thursday–Sunday. Prices current as of August 2026; we update this guide when they change.