Long Beach Piercing Studio Somatic: Helix From $67

Somatic Body Piercing lays out every price as a sum: a helix is a $50 service fee plus titanium jewelry from $17, for a starting total of $67. The studio is at 3406 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803, on the low-rise commercial strip of Broadway east of downtown, and its store page lists hours of 12 pm to 8 pm Monday through Friday and 12 pm to 6 pm on Sunday. For anyone in the South Bay or the harbor cities searching for a piercing studio near me, it is a piercing-only shop with a fine-jewelry wall rather than a tattoo parlor that also pierces.

Somatic is run by owner and veteran piercer Ericka Smicenski. The team page tells the story through one of her staff: Elise began piercing at Somatic in 2011 as what the studio calls a homegrown piercer, apprenticing under Smicenski. That detail tells you something about the place. The studio has been training its own people for at least fifteen years, and new piercers still arrive, with one team biography noting that she joined the crew in 2026.

Time Out Los Angeles describes the all-female staff as known for patience and meticulous work, and the studio's own pages back up the careful tone with long policy sections. The shop is also a jewelry store in its own right, carrying collections from makers such as EMBLM, Métier, Kima Fine Jewelry, Tawapa and Jack + G alongside its house line.

Plan ahead here. The appointments page says the studio strongly encourages appointments for all services, which includes piercings, jewelry changes and styling sessions, and deposits are applied to your total balance during the visit. There are three kinds of slot to choose from online: a piercing appointment, a jewelry change or styling appointment, and a tooth gem appointment, which is a service many piercing studios do not offer.

The minors policy is stricter than most. Somatic does not pierce anyone under 16, even with parental consent. For 16- and 17-year-olds, a parent or guardian must be present for the whole service, and the minor's original birth certificate is required. The page specifies that an abstract of birth, photocopies and photos of documents are not accepted, so dig out the real certificate before you drive over.

The pricing page splits each line into three columns: service fee, jewelry starting price and starting total. A helix is $50 plus $17 for a $67 total. A nostril is $50 plus $25 for $75. A septum is $50 plus $17 for $67. An industrial is $60 plus $44 for $104. An earlobe carries a $25 service fee, and a jewelry change is $10 plus the price of the new piece. The page notes that the jewelry figures are for standard implant-grade titanium or stainless steel, and that stones or gold increase the price.

If you already know you want a full ear, the packages page is where the value is. Somatic sells curated piercing looks with 10 percent off all-gold and mixed-metal combinations and 15 percent off implant-grade titanium and stainless steel jewelry. The Sunday Morning set, two helix and two lobe piercings, lists a service price of $110 instead of $150, with jewelry not included. That is a sensible route for anyone planning several placements in one sitting rather than adding them one at a time.

A tip for choosing between single pieces and a package: bring a photo of the ear you have in mind, but expect the piercer to adapt it. Ear anatomy decides where a flat or a rook can sit, and a good studio will tell you when a placement in a picture will not work on your particular fold of cartilage. Booking a styling appointment first, then the piercing, is a slower but safer way to build a set you will wear for years.

The aftercare page asks clients to follow a sea salt soak routine and to avoid swapping jewelry for a set time that depends on the placement. Earlobes are listed at six to eight weeks, while ear cartilage and nostril piercings are listed at six to nine months. Write those numbers down. The most common way people lose a cartilage piercing is changing to a decorative hoop at week six because the outside looks healed. If you want to change the look sooner, book a jewelry change or styling appointment and let a piercer judge it.

Somatic's habit of putting things in writing extends to every step. The pricing table, the minors page, the healing chart and the appointment options are all published, which makes it easy to arrive knowing exactly what you are paying for and how long you will be babying the result.

East Broadway sits a short walk from two of Long Beach's best places to spend a slow afternoon. A few blocks north and west, Fourth Street's Retro Row is a run of vintage clothing stores, record shops and cafés that has been a local favorite for years. Head south instead and you reach Ocean Boulevard and Bluff Park, a long strip of grass on the cliffs above the beach where people walk dogs and watch the light change over the water late in the day.

Either walk suits a fresh piercing better than a beach day. Swimming in the ocean or a pool is on every studio's list of things to avoid while a piercing heals, so save the sand for later and enjoy the view from the bluff top instead.

Somatic Body Piercing is at 3406 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803. The store page lists Monday to Friday 12 pm to 8 pm and Sunday 12 pm to 6 pm. Appointments are strongly encouraged for all services, and deposits count toward your bill. Starting totals with basic titanium or steel jewelry: helix $67, nostril $75, septum $67, industrial $104. The earlobe service fee is $25, and a jewelry change is $10 plus jewelry. The Sunday Morning package of two helix and two lobe piercings is $110 in service fees. Minimum age is 16 with a parent present and an original birth certificate. Tooth gems are also offered by appointment.