Little Havana Piercing Studio Facet: Free Checkups

At Facet Piercing & Fine Jewelry, a lobe piercing costs $50 with basic jewelry included, and the studio will clean and check any piercing for free, even one done somewhere else. The shop is at 2226 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135, on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, and it opens from 12 pm to 8 pm Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday. If your search for a piercing studio near me starts in Brickell, Coral Way or the Gables, this is a short drive west, and the bilingual English and Spanish site makes it easy to book in either language.

Facet's about page introduces the studio as woman and Latina owned. Its founder, Samantha, is an APP-accredited piercer with more than six years in the industry, and the page frames her Association of Professional Piercers membership as a personal milestone. The studio adds that its staff are APP members too. APP membership is the clearest signal a client can check that a piercer follows published safety standards. Facet describes itself as dedicated to the craft, with sterile equipment and implant-grade jewelry.

The tone inside is closer to a small jewelry boutique than to a parlor. Glass cases hold titanium and gold, and the studio's online shop runs alongside the counter, so you can browse pieces at home before you come in.

The about page describes the studio as appointment orientated with limited walk-ins. The FAQ explains how that works in practice: walk-ins are accepted depending on the piercers' availability, but some services always need a booking. Paired piercings, large-gauge piercings and large groups all require appointments. If you want matching lobes for two friends on a Saturday, book online ahead of time rather than hoping for an open chair.

Facet pierces minors from age 8. Clients under 18 must come with their legal guardian. The minor needs a birth certificate and a school ID with a name that matches it, and the guardian needs a state-issued ID that also matches the birth certificate. Adults bring a valid state-issued ID, and the FAQ lists a driver's license, passport, tribal ID or military ID as accepted forms. Facet will not pierce with jewelry brought from outside the store.

The FAQ posts a price list that already includes the piercing fee and basic jewelry. A lobe is $50 each and a helix or other cartilage piercing is $60. A conch, tragus or forward helix is $65, and so is a nostril. A daith and a septum are $90 each. A navel is $80 and an industrial $100. The note under the list says the price rises if you want something decorative or gold.

The jewelry case leans toward the established American makers. The homepage names BVLA, Anatometal and Neometal, and the FAQ describes implant-grade ASTM F136 titanium plus a large selection of 14k and 18k nickel-free gold, in both threadless flat-back and threaded styles. Facet offers a lifetime guarantee on its jewelry, which covers manufacturing defects rather than lost pieces. One change is worth knowing: because Maya Jewelry has closed production, the studio can no longer offer that lifetime warranty on Maya pieces, and preorders are final sale once placed.

The service that sets Facet apart is the one that costs nothing. The FAQ says anyone is welcome to come in for a free checkup, a free piercing cleaning and professional advice, whether they were pierced at Facet or somewhere else, and as often as they like. Jewelry changes are always free for jewelry bought at Facet. If you bring your own jewelry for a change, there is a $10 fee per piercing or piece.

Aftercare at Facet is straightforward. Clean the piercing morning and night with sterile saline wound wash on a cotton swab, and come back after about a month for a downsize so the post fits once swelling goes down. Pair that visit with a jewelry upgrade if you like, since changes on Facet pieces do not cost extra.

A small planning tip for the Miami heat: book an afternoon slot after lunch, drink water beforehand, and skip the beach and the pool until the piercing settles. Salt water and chlorine are both on the list of things to keep away from a fresh piercing, which in this city is a real sacrifice.

Walk east from the studio along SW 8th Street and you are on the busiest stretch of Little Havana. The Calle Ocho Walk of Fame runs along the sidewalk with star plaques for Latin music and television figures. About seven blocks east, Máximo Gómez Park, better known as Domino Park, fills with older men playing dominoes at outdoor tables, a scene that has drawn visitors to the corner for decades. Along the way, the ventanitas, the walk-up coffee windows, sell cafecito in small paper cups.

It is a good walk for the first hour after a piercing. You can sit in the shade, watch the domino games, and keep your hands busy with a coffee instead of your new jewelry. Hats are best avoided for a day if the piercing is near the top of the ear.

Facet Piercing & Fine Jewelry is at 2226 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135. Hours are 12 pm to 8 pm Wednesday to Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Walk-ins depend on piercer availability; paired piercings, large-gauge work and groups need an appointment. Prices include the service and basic jewelry: lobe $50, helix or cartilage $60, conch, tragus, forward helix or nostril $65, navel $80, daith or septum $90, industrial $100. Checkups and cleanings are free for everyone. Changes on Facet jewelry are free, and outside jewelry costs $10 per piece. Minors from 8 come with a legal guardian and matching documents. No outside jewelry for new piercings.