Taylor A.
Yelp
I was once Iris's biggest fan, despite the high price points, their jewelry and environment are top-notch and I'm a believer in quality piercings!
Sadly, I have found that this studio is unable to take customer feedback in a meaningful way and has opted to deliver unreasonable bans in the face of mild displeasure on my part.
On December 21st I had a 4:30PM appointment. I live in the burbs, so I knew it would take at least an hour and a half to get to my appointment. I left my home around 3, with a GPS confidently saying I'd arrive 5 minutes ahead! By the time I had been on the road for an hour, though, my GPS had quickly changed to show that I'd now be arriving 8 minutes late. Not wanting to panic, I called the shop and they informed me if I was any later than 10 minutes my entire appointment would be canceled (they do have this listed in their agreement terms as well, just to add!). The person I spoke to was matter-of-fact and unsympathetic to my hour in traffic, but I figured I still had those valuable 2 minutes and pressed on ahead! At 4:40, I was showing 7 minutes away still and so I called again, frustrated by traffic and the inflexibility of the piercing studio. The person I spoke to this time spoke over me as I explained the situation, taking a tone that said without saying directly: "didn't you read the fine print, dumbass?" I tried to speak to her, but in the end had to ask "can I talk now?"
She relented in at least letting me jewelry shop, but I asked if there was any way for me to still get the piercing quickly if I knew which jewelry I wanted. She waffled on this a bit, and I figured it was the nicest way to say "no" without actually saying it.
I ended up arriving at 4:47, not ideal, I'd spent an hour and a half in the car, and felt absolutely gutted. I put on the mask provided, get into the studio, ask one more time, but ultimately accept it's just jewelry shopping today. It's fine, I'm sad, but I decide I'll get the piercing itself elsewhere since I had amped myself up for it! That meant I could spend the next 13 minutes jewelry shopping and find some awesome quality jewelry to substitute out after the piercing healed. Frustrated? Yeah. Unhinged? Absolutely not, haha!
The woman helping me shop was also the woman who talked over me on the phone, but we both were at the end of a long day. She offered to reschedule my piercing without having me pay the deposit again, which was kind of her, but after the hellish journey and unpleasant phone calls I declined. "I'm not sure if I want to reschedule right now, I don't feel good about how tonight went" She pushed me for more details, very pleasantly, and I expressed that I felt our conversations had been unpleasant and unprofessional, so I wasn't in a hurry to come back after the drive from hell but still was fine purchasing some jewelry. We ended up being fine, had a back and forth about why I didn't enjoy our conversation, but ultimately I purchased around $200 of jewelry. I love the piece, it's very nice, and we even ended it pleasantly by joking about how I got so many text messages the moment I handed over my phone to use a giftcard I'd been gifted for my purchase. (That's how much I like the place, people buy me giftcards.)
Fast forward to today, I got another giftcard for Christmas from a family member. I suck it up, accept that last time wasn't the best, but I do love this place - so I try to book a faux rook appointment.
The message?
"You have been banned from all Iris Piercing locations."
I'm sitting here a little confused and very frustrated again, I don't understand how quickly we went from rescheduling my appointment to now being banned.
The inflexibility and inability to take even an iota of criticism makes this location feel... too exclusive for my tastes. I'm interested in putting my money in piercing parlors that are more receptive to their customers, offer a more human approach, and ultimately don't place bans on folks who didn't cause a scene, yell, or even not show up. I expressed mild disappointment in our conversations and now I can't show my face again, which is kinda funny in retrospect considering their business model focuses on inclusivity, people first, and quality.
Thankfully, there are so many fantastic piercing studios nearby.
I recommend the following in place of Iris Piercing Studio:
Chicago Ink Tattoo & Body Piercing: I got my nipples, septum, nostril, and tongue pierced here. Fair prices, good quality, and people focused.
Luxe Piercing Boutique: a place for us suburban folks! I got my industrial and belly button done here. Higher prices, unique jewelry, and so great at calming my nerves
Identity Body Piercing: I got my nipple jewelry changed out here, it was a fantastic experience with very unique and high-end jewelry options!
Find places with people who make you feel comfortable. Iris is more elitist than anything, and sadly it's too obvious for me not to comment on now.