“The absolute best place for piercings in Bloomington in 2024. During my first couple years of college I steered clear of this place because of (unbacked) rumors of poor quality piercings…THIS COULD NOT BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
DISCLAIMER: I am not making a comparative post to put down other places in town (which is why I’m doing it on this page and not theirs). I also am literally just a student and have no personal relation or loyalty to anyone at Crystal Moon and have only been going for the past year so I have no motivations. I am writing this review for the overly anxious and/or disabled body mod enjoyer who will over analyze every bad review for every shop in town to try to make the best decision- like me. I hope you will consider Crystal Moon.
That being said, I don’t think it is being talked about enough but these rumors are actively being perpetuated BY other shops and piercers in Bloomington, and I have heard it first hand. It is my impression that because (I am pretty sure) some of the other shops have been here longer, they are threatened by the business Annie and her team bring in and think it is somehow acceptable or professional to make unbacked claims about the cleanliness or quality of Crystal Moon. I hope my story provides clarity of what, from the customer’s perspective, is really up with piercers in Bloomington.
My previous piercing shop in particular (whose name I will omit) that is very highly rated drove me out, because despite the fact that they do provide decent quality piercings, they uphold a culture of exclusivity, elitism, and negativity. I was talked to as if I was stupid in situations where I wasn’t familiar with a specific kind of piercing or jewelry, belittled for dropping in without an appointment to pick up already ordered jewelry (after I had spoken on the phone with another staff to ensure that this was okay), and generally was looked down on for having body mods without being 100,000% invested in everything to do with the culture. As you can imagine this makes their customer service subpar and my piercing and shopping experiences with them became an anxious task. Because of this, I decided to take a chance on some other shops in town. Some of the lower rated shops had decent customer service and nice jewelry but based on actual experience of what I saw going into the shops, a generally lower standard of cleanliness so I never chanced getting any piercings with them.
At Crystal Moon- Logan who is typically at the desk is personable, funny, and knowledgeable. I am a bit of an awkward/ socially anxious person but they have never failed to make me feel welcome and calm. Logan did my conch during their piercing apprenticeship and with Annie’s guidance left me with a rocking new addition.
Annie has always been very professional, efficient, and realistic about what I can expect out of a piercing experience. I recently had Annie pierce my navel, she was thorough in her marking of the placement, as I have a bigger stomach so things shift around when laying down, standing up, etc. and we had to do a floating navel which can be a bit trickier. Later, I experienced some normal swelling and needed to switch to a larger bar. Annie and Logan switched this out for me at no extra charge for the jewelry. Additionally, I am disabled in many fashions and so sometimes my body doesn’t heal as quickly or as regularly as a typical person’s would. Despite my longer heal time and increased risk for complications, Logan has gone above and beyond in providing continued guidance for healing trial and error within my unusual circumstances.
Ultimately, I have never heard anything explicitly rude or demeaning towards any clients, other shops, each other, or just in general from the staff at Crystal Moon. The staff of Crystal Moon maintain professional but personable attitudes, upholding high standards of cleanliness, safety, responsibility, personal conduct, and customer service.
I plan to continue my business with Crystal Moon for all my piercing need“
“Got my first tattoo at Three Links on a Friday walk in day. The BEST PLACE EVER!!! Everyone was super nice and welcoming and made the entire process super easy going and pain free! I made connections right away *didn't catch either guys name, but they were incredibly easy going*. Could not recommend Three Links enough!! I had my own design that I wanted, not a flash design, and the tattoo came out exactly how I wanted it. If you come on a walk in day, be prepared to be on a wait list for a while, but its 100% worth it!“
“Brant covered up the first tattoo that I got 18 years ago that I have regretted ever since. He did a fantastic job! Highly recommend!“
“This is one of the best places to go for tattoos/piercings. Everyone is very welcoming, understanding and very sweet. Sarah was the one who did my septum, and she was absolutely amazing. Even though I have a deviated septum, she made it look perfect and straight. I now understand why this was my mom's favorite place to go. I can 100% say that I will be back again in the near future and now have a go to place for my piercings and tattoos.“
“If you are interested in getting permanent makeup, Jess is an amazing artist. She does a great job making sure you are comfortable and spends the needed time to ensure your results are natural and beautiful!“
“I was very pleased and happy with Crimson Creed and cannot express enough on how well i was treated and how well my tattoo was done by my tattoo artist Cooper
Requested style: I believe any style I wanted would have been met
Specialties: Took time for me and met my needs for sure
Cleanliness: Everything I would ask for in the cleanliness dept.
Stylist: Cooper did a perfect job on my tattoo ,he was respectful,clean ,polite, awesome person and far most of all very talented ...I've been to shops all over many states and I thought he did a better job than any of them ,,I'm happy and impressed“
“I was in last week. I thought my tattoo was amazing. The place was very clean and tidy. He was on time. Peanut done great art work. It did not even hurt. I will definitely go back for a second tattoo. Thanks once again.“
“Cleanliness: Very clean and open environment
Stylist: Autumn was fantastic all the artists where also friendly and talented from what I saw“