Laughing Buddha Seattle

I got a septum piercing reinstalled here, the staff were wonderful and super professional. They installed a silver hoop rather than the dark titanium I initially wanted, they actually mentioned it to me as I didn’t notice. I decided to stick with the silver because I thought it looked perfect as is but the receptionist went out of her way to discount me to the price of the darker one despite me agreeing to the slightly higher price point of the jewelry I ended up with. This is such amazing customer service and I would highly recommend this place. I would also like to stress that both her and the piercer offered to fix it and made completely sure that I was okay with the change in plans.

I’m honestly in utter shock at the price I was charged simply to change out a nostril piercing piece of jewelry. I completely understand that we’re in tough economic times and that the cost of doing business has gone up, but nearly $90 to swap out a tiny piece of metal felt like a huge rip-off. When the front desk person gave me the price quote, I literally made an audible gasp. To their credit, they did ask if I was okay with the price, and I begrudgingly said yes. I’ve been trying to get this particular jewelry change done for months, so in the moment I decided to just go through with it. Now, though, I honestly regret it and wish I had waited longer and gone somewhere else. I went in not knowing the prices and expected something in the neighborhood of $50 maximum, including a tip. I also wasn’t expecting the number of additional fees involved. I had never heard of a “sitting fee,” and I was surprised to learn that the tip is split between the piercer and the front desk staff. I do appreciate that Laughing Buddha is a very queer-friendly space, and that genuinely matters to me. But being queer-friendly and being financially accessible are two different things. I’m not a tech bro making a ton of money, and spending nearly $90 for a simple jewelry change is just not realistic for me. I understand that high-quality jewelry is a major part of their business model, and I’m sure there are people who feel the quality justifies the cost. But for what I needed, the final price felt wildly disproportionate to the service provided. I’m glad a space like this exists for people who can afford it, but unfortunately, these prices put it well outside what I’m comfortable spending. I highly doubt I’ll be returning for future piercing or jewelry services.

I’m as regular a client can be to a tattoo studio and I’ve been to 24 other studies between Portland and Everett. Always greeted kindly by front of house staff, always listened to, always taken care of, always delighted by the outcome. Bella has tattooed me twice and Khwezi has tattooed me 13 times in projects from small to large to re-dos including a full coverup on my husband. This is the place I send people.

Appointment only. Door is locked and you must check in online to be let in which is nice safety but didn’t feel great waiting alone outside in the dark. Very clean lobby, waiting area, and studio. Almost creepy nightmare fuel with the concrete walls, no windows, minimal furniture and bright lights. My piercer was LJ. Very nice and personable. Calm and quick with the piercing and switching out jewelry. 4 stars because of the pricing. Way overpriced. I have over 15 piercings and tattoos sleeves. It was $200 for one piercing, 3 pieces of the cheapest jewelry available, and for him to change two piercings. They also make it confusing because they charge separately for the two pieces per one piercing for the flat backs.

I have been to this shop twice. The first was to get 2 piercings by Hannah, guest piercer, and she was awesome and did a great job. I went back for another piercing and to downsize with one of the resident piercers. The additonal piercing I got was a good experience and painless. However, the downsizing of my rook was awful. It was so painful and took many many tries for the piercer to change it. I am now left with a bloody swollen mess. I am also worried it will not heal correctly, or it will take much more time to heal. I get mistakes can be made but I am still really disappointed and in pain. I won't be back. I did include photos because I do monitor how my new piercings are doing. The before was the day before I went in and the after I took was the evening after the change.