Local piercing artist Brett Turner will be moving into his first studio in March. His business, That Place, has been set up with friend Liam Kilvington in the former Hop O'clock beer shop in Colliergate.

So what can customers expect? We put Brett in the hot seat to find out more...

Who is behind That Place?

The shop will be opened by myself, Brett Turner, aged 33, and Dr Liam Kilvington, 35. We both live in York. Liam has grown up here and I moved here from Peterlee to go to York St John University when I was 18. Liam has a PhD in law from the University of York.

What is your background?

I am the body piercer for Talisman Tattoo art studio at 10 Colliergate. Our new studio is located directly opposite but we will not be offering tattooing so there will be no competition between the shops. Liam is a law lecturer at the University of York and he will continue to do this full time along with helping to manage the studio.

How did you get into piercing?

I have been piercing on and off since around 2008. I was initially trained by Gareth Unwin (who owns Talisman Tattoo studio) but the majority of my development and methods are self taught. I have developed my own methods of freehand piercing which I have also taught to other local piercers.

21 Colliergate, soon to be That Place piercing studio

Tell us more about the piercing studio?

This is our first business and like all good things we came up with the idea while out for a meal and possibly too many glasses of wine! I now have such a large client base that a separate studio was needed away from the tattoo shop where I currently work. We also felt that we needed to bring an accessible studio to York, with a wheelchair ramp, wide doors, adjustable lighting and sound controls. Nobody should be excluded from an industry that is all about feeling good. We will also be selling a range of high-quality solid gold and implant-grade titanium body jewellery. From labret bars, navel jewellery, nose rings etc.

What is unique about you?

Our unique approach to the business is our combined and dedicated skill set. Liam will be taking care of all the paperwork, bookkeeping, payroll etc. I will be the main body piercer and have creative control of the studio and its general day to day running.

How popular is piercing – and what parts of the body to you pierce?

The body piercing industry is huge and continues to grow at a rapid pace. It's not uncommon for studios to have a long line of people waiting for piercings most weekends now. I offer a large range of piercings from simple lobes and noses, to surface piercing and custom industrial piercings.

The strangest piercing request?

The strangest piercing I have done would be a "mandible". This is a bar that goes from under the chin between the jaw bones and out under the tongue behind the bottom row of teeth.

Piercings by Brett (Image: Supplied)

What is the most popular type of piercings?

The popularity of each piercing changes throughout the year. In summer we see a big increase in belly buttons and in the winter it's always noses. Currently I do a lot of bridge piercings as its one that I specialise in (top of the nose between the eyes).

Anything else?

We are also working closely with a local artist Loz Sayner who has created all of our branding and merchandise (check out @maniakdrawsthings).

When are you opening?

We take control of the building on March 1 and That Place, our piercing studio, aims to open on March 10. It will be a piercing studio at the back and we will sell our body piercing jewellery at the front.

Check it out

For more information follow Brett on Instagram at: @thatplaceinyork (www.instagram.com/thatplaceinyork/)

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