That Place piercing studio in Colliergate, York, opens

Popular body piercer Brett Turner has just opened his first studio in a bid to meet a growing demand for piercings.

Brett, 33, has launched That Place and says business is already booming. He has customers coming from all over the North East as well as Cornwall and Wales.

He told The Press: "Demand is huge. On an average Saturday we can do 40 separate customers and will often have 20 to 30 customers a day.

"It is a growing industry that is becoming more and more accepted. Years ago, people dressed more corporate; now people are allowed to express themselves a lot more and a piercing is a good way to express yourself."

Having worked in other people's salons for 15 years, Brett has decided to take the plunge and open his own studio, That Place, in Colliergate - at the former Hop O'Clock beer shop - with business partner Liam Kilvington.

Brett with staff at the opening of That Place in York

Working with him in the studio is full-timer Honey Norfolk with Liam and Brett's girlfriend Ellie Lomas joining part-time.

Brett said the industry was booming. "Leeds has 100 licensed premises and York has around 20. It is growing year on year and just exploding."

Having worked as a body piercer for 15 years, Brett says he has built up a reputation and has devoted customers returning again and again. One comes from Wales, while others hail from Newcastle, Hartlepool - and even Cornwall.

The most common piercing requests are for ear lobes and nostrils. Come summer it will be the turn of belly buttons, says Brett.

And his most unusual request? The 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," explained Brett. "It is not very common and it took a lot of pre-planning and research before I did that one for a long-term customer."

The majority of his customers are female, aged from 16-25, he says.

Previously Brett had outlined for Press readers the most painful places to pierce. Brett said pain tolerance levels varied from person to person but some areas of the body were particularly sensitive.

He said the top five most painful areas are the earlobes, navel, nostrils, surface piercing and scaffold piercings. A scaffold or industrial piercing is inserted at an angle through two separate parts of cartilage at the top of the ear.

That Place is also selling quality jewellery for piercings including gold pieces. Brett said: "Gold is super popular and the most popular jewellery choice with customers. Like titanium - which we also use - gold is hypo-allergenic and MRI safe."

Piercing prices start from £20.

And the future? "We chose the name That Place with a view to having a franchising option in the future, so there could be a That Place Leeds and That Place Harrogate."

To book and find out more, visit: www.instagram.com/thatplaceinyork