Once you have chosen your jewellery, you will be taken into the piercing room, where you will be asked to make yourself comfortable on the treatment bed. Your lip will be cleaned with alcohol to remove traces of dirt and make up. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME ALCOHOL SHOULD BE USED TO CLEAN THE SKIN. Once the skin is pierced you should never use alcohol to clean the piercing.

Your skin will be marked with 2 spots using an antiseptic called " Gentian Violet ". This serves 4 purposes:

1. It marks your skin so that the piercer knows where to place the piercing.
2. It kills any organisms that are present on your skin.
3. It cleans the piercing as the piercing is made and then;
4. keeps the piercing bacteria free for up to 2 weeks.

Once the marks are checked for accuracy your skin will be held very lightly in a pair of custom made clamps. DON'T PANIC. The clamps most people are used to are called Duval Clamps. These are vicious, toothed clamps that are clicked down to cut off blood supply so that you feel less from the piercing. DO NOT USE DUVAL CLAMPS.