Barbella Studios, Costa Mesa CA

I went to Kat when i first got pierced. Very professional had great suggestions and have great hours they even tale walk-ins. Check it pur!

Amazing service! I had my helix pierced here and 2 days later it started getting swollen and had an agonizing pain. My ear was a purple-pink and was about to swallow it. I came around 3, which was the time they went on break. Kelsea, however, kindly helped me with my emergency and had an extremely friendly demeanor. Parker was extremely kind as well and helped me with my piercing with minimal pain. I was intimidated by some staff when I first came, but I’m happy I came back! Free of charge. Thank you so much, Kelsea and Parker! (´ `) <3

Do not engage with any services provided here.

TLDR: I dealt with Ariel and Derek and my experience with each of them was unprofessional and uncomfortable. Pricing was not provided up front, questions were not welcomed, and no consultation or conversation was offered prior to being told to fill out consent paperwork. Body modifications are a very personal experience. There should be communication established to build trust between all involved. Unfortunately, that was not the experience I had here.

I came here after a recommendation and after 3 visits in 2 days I have walked away without piercings and with a lot of time lost. I spoke with Ariel and expressed my desire to get pierced and to have it done by Derek. It was busy but I was more than happy to wait. Ariel was unable to give a time or guarantee if I waited that I would be pierced by Derek and kept mentioning that Cat can pierce me. I continued to request Derek. First, Ariel told me that he would be leaving early, then told me that she didn’t know when he would be free, and lastly told me that he was feeling unwell. I asked if Derek would be in the next day. She said that he would be in at 12 pm.

Derek was not there at 12: 15 pm the next day, so I am told by Leesh that he will be in at 3. So I come back at 2: 45. Derek then arrives after 3 and brings me back to begin the piercing. At this time, I had not been asked by Ariel or any staff member what I wanted to have done or any conversation about pricing. Derek then tells me he is ready to pierce my lobes. I responded and let him know that I was not ready to get my lobes pierced and that I wished to discuss with him some custom options. Without answering anything I said, he tells me that I need to go back to the reception desk and communicate my wishes.

Derek then comes out to the lobby manipulating my ear and telling me that I had small ears, that doing anything custom would take months, and that he did not think a custom piercing option works for me. Overall, from his demeanor and the way he spoke to me, I was left feeling that he just generally did not want to pierce me. I was also not comfortable having a consultation so publicly. Derek retreats to the back and leaves me with Ariel and lets me know that the only piercing he would be willing to do on me is two lobe piercings on each ear, which I accept.

Ariel asked me what I was looking for with jewelry and I expressed I wanted my jewelry to be gold in color and internally threaded. She showed me some jewelry for me to pick out what I would like. During this whole process no conversation was had with me about pricing and there is no pricing visibly listed. She lets me know that cost for this appointment will be over $1,100. I was shocked. The jewelry I selected was their smallest gold ball earrings. My wife and best friend had accompanied me and when my friend saw my reaction, she laughed at me (If the cashier felt that my friend had been laughing at her that was certainly not the case. She directly said that she had been laughing at me and at my reaction, and I even told my friend directly to get herself together).

I then let Ariel know that I was not prepared to spend that amount of money and asked if there was a way to reduce the pricing. After several back and forth reductions in jewelry cost, we finally get to a price point of around $300. I agree to the $300 total prepared to pay with card in hand.

At this point Ariel disappears into the back of the shop and Derek returns. He is short and rude, letting us know that the staff (I presume Ariel as I have not spoken to any one at length but her) has been having a hard time with me and that they will not be piercing me.

I do not understand how I have given anyone a hard time, I returned to them 3 times despite the abysmal customer service and the only push back they received from me was pricing. Throughout my experience I felt disappointed, confused, surprised, and ultimately offended.

Super friendly and knowledgeable piercers. Check ups are free and very extensive answers to my questions! All my piercings here have healed well

Got my nose pierced here in March and it had trouble healing. The piercer didn't help much and just brushed off a lot of my concerns and invalidated my experience. I was told "we expect you to have discomfort and come back to us so we can change the ring" so how is my piercing supposed to properly heal with jewelry put on intended to cause "discomfort"? I wish I would've gone somewhere else.

ETA: Should I also call other shops and reputable piercers to see if they just ignore the concerns brought up by the client? Because that's how I was treated at Barbella when I went back for the follow up. Thank you for your lengthy reply to something I was already explained at the shop. Again, that was not the main issue so much as the way I was talked over and given generally unhelpful advice at aforementioned follow-up.

We visited Barbella 2 weeks ago to get my 14yr old daughter’s nostril pierced. I ended up walking out with my nostril pierced too! When my daughter said, “mom, you should do it with me” I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. Parker was our piercer and he was fabulous. It truly wasn’t what I thought it would be. Pain was minimal, like a 3-4 on a scale of 1 to 10. They had a nice selection of jewelry. The gal at the front desk was also super friendly and helpful. I also loved that we didn’t need an appointment…just walk in and do it.

They are amazing here. Friendly, know their stuff, only place we go for piercings! Even my 15 year old.

Excellent! I was recommended this place from my friend after she had her nipples peirced. Great place. I had mine peirced on new years day and I'm going back to have my belly button periced tomorrow. The guys are very nice, they make the experience very comfortable, they even play whatever music you like while you have it done. They were also very informative on cleansing, sizing, etc. They are my exclusive go-to pericing place for sure. Will always go back.

Date of Visit: 05/06/2023
Piercing: Septum
Piercer: Cat

The staff at Barbella are truly fantastic. Piercers are APP certified and everyone was willing to answer all my questions. I went in about 1 month prior to ask about their practices (sanitation, sterilization, protective personal equipment, disposal of sharps/materials, etc.), sizing advice, and aftercare. I probably spent 30 minutes just asking questions and they were 100% open, honest, and patient.

When I went in for the piercing (my first ever), the staff discussed metal options with me. They seriously took my nickel allergy into consideration for the recommendation and quoted me the total for the piercing and jewelry. I paid after the piercing was complete. My piercer, Cat, walked me through everything for the septum piercing step by step. They went over sizing options and recommendations since I have to maintain a professional appearance at work. I wanted to have a thicker gauge and still be able to flip the horseshoe inside my nose comfortably. They evaluated my nose (curvature, potential septum deviations) and made sure the piercing would be straight and compliment the shape of my nose. They also used alcohol and iodine to sanitize the piercing site before proceeding. Cat marked my nose to make sure everything aligned and demonstrated how they would line up eveything. Due to the gauge (10G), it was more painful than I was expecting, but Cat coached me and encouraged me through it. I very much appreciated Cat and their light, good natured sense of humor. I was nervous and they made me feel more at ease. Overall, they were an awesome piercer and I would recommend them to anyone.

Barbella is completely LGBT inclusive and a great place to have work done.

Barbella and the staff there are amazing and I highly recommend them.

I am a bit of a nervous Nancy when it comes to piercings and did a lot of research before choosing this place. I’m sooo happy I did! Derek was my piercer and made me feel totally comfortable. The girls at the front desk took time with me and answered all my millions of questions when I’d stopped by to inquire. This coupled with the clean and professional vibe of this studio are why I chose to come here for my piercings. Come here for your piercings. They know what they are doing and provide a great service.

Derek and Stephen are absolutely wonderful. I've been a few times since they initially did my piercings last year and their staff and them have been very professional and informative through the healing process.

Very professional piercers and very kind people. I don't know why people complain about their prices. They seemed very fair to me. I guess you could save a couple of bucks by skimping on material quality by going somewhere else, but is it worth it? Will be coming back for future piercings!

Cat the piercer was funny sweet and made us feel very comfortable. Kelsea the lady in front was so patient and helpful with us deciding on jewelry. Such great advice from both ladies. My friend and I had fun. We will be back.
Had to replace my nose jewelry. It came out while I was sleeping. They were very helpful luckily it didn't close yet.

I finally got my dermals removed today at Barbella studios. I was greeted with very friendly staff and they helped me right away. Shwayze was the one to remove the dermals. He was very very nice and gentle. He walked me through what he was doing and was very confident in his practice. I would definitely recommend this business to anyone looking for these types of services.

Great shop with amazing artists! Took my teen daughter in and we each got a helix piercing. Very easy process! Shop was super clean! Highly recommend!