Evil by the Needle — Local services in Bloomington

As someone who has spent a great amount of time in Bloomington growing up and throughout college, I've heard really great things about Evil by the Needle. On my last trip when visiting family I wanted to have some of my nose piercing jewelry changed and I thought this would be a good place to go, which I'm not seeing it wasn't.

Overall, the facility was very clean and there was a decent jewelry selection. But my interactions with the person that changed out my jewelry were kind of weird. They kept asking me who did my initial piecing (All of which were done at a dedicated piercing studio in Ohio where I used to live) and they commented multiple times on how weird the placement was (I've had my jewelry changed to other places and nobody's ever commented on a placement of a hole that's already in my face).

They successfully changed the jewelry, and I'm happy with how it looks. But overall I just feel kind of weird about the amount of times that they told me that the placement of my holes already in my face was not ideal, when I am happy with them.

I have lots of friends in Bloomington who have gotten tattoos done here and piercings done here, and everyone has been really happy. So I think overall, this is a great place. I just personally had a slightly uncomfortable experience.

Make sure that you make an appointment ahead of time.

I did check their jewelry selection online, and there was a nose stud piece that I was very interested in and it said they had them in stock (it was the lil fern one) however, when I got there less than 24 hours later, I was told that they haven't had that one for a while. I was still able to find a piece that I'm happy with, but I was a little bummed that they didn't have the exact piece I was looking for.

The cleanliness was excellent. Parking was a little challenging because there were only a few spaces behind, so I parked at the building next door and just walked over.

I wouldn't say that the entrance to this building is wheelchair accessible as there is a lip to get in, but inside it's...

Jamie has pierced me and several people I personally know, and we all had a similar experience. She is rude and uses incredibly low-quality jewelry and equipment for her services. She also uses outdated piercing techniques known in the piercing world to no longer be as effective as once thought. Jamie also leaves rude/low rated reviews on other piercer’s review pages disguised as other people because she is threatened by their superior piercing quality and techniques. I am entirely unimpressed by her professionalism (truly, a lack thereof) and willingness to learn the newest and safest techniques as well as her choice to use low-quality jewelry. She pierced my septum and my labret and both ended up either crooked or unsalvageable. I will no longer be giving her or Evil by the Needle my patronage as a result.

Edit: I think the quick and defensive response to this review by the piercer herself only reinforces my points. I left a review of constructive criticisms which may be harsh, but I think it’s beyond appropriate after the treatment of myself and several others from this individual. But go off.

Edit #2: My legal name is Brooke Fedrick and I’ve had two piercings done by Jamie. A septum and a labret. My septum is crooked and my labret had to be removed within weeks of the piercing. The septum was done in 2015 and the labret done in 2017. Yes, I’m a real customer of this shop. If she tries to claim I’m not, at this point we can all conclude she is lying as I wouldn’t have given my full legal name if I was. Not that I owe her/the shop any of this, but I wanted to ensure anyone reading this review knows that it is real. I think I owe it to the people potentially getting their bodies permanently modified by this extremely uneducated and...

The venue is clean and in a good location. I went to get my nostril re-pierced. Piercing costs $25 and the website urges you to make an appointment online which was highly convenient. They also tell you online, in no uncertain terms, that you needed to wear a mask and provide a vaccine card upon entering. I called in advance and asked if I could show them a copy of it since I was in the area on vacation; that was fine. When I arrived no one was wearing masks and no one asked to see my card, which was fine, just misleading. If you aren't doing it anymore than just say so.

The studs are exorbitant in price. The cheapest threadless stud was $20. It is titanium but it's absolutely tiny. They quickly went up in price. A shape was $25, a rhinestone, $30. They told me that with threadless studs you have a base piece and the tips can be interchangeable. I asked how much the tips were. Same price, you're buying the base regardless. Well, that really isn't much of an incentive, is it?

When I was taken back for the piercing I asked them to walk me through the process. I'm sure they are used to people getting freaked and walking but it had been ten years and I wanted to know beforehand so I would be prepared. The artist refused to give me details, had me lay down and quickly pierced my nose inside out. Last time I was sitting upright in a chair with a cork up my nose and they pierced me outside in. Huge difference. The shock was awful, I really could have done with her explaining it instead of just treating me like a 5 year old getting a shot.

So far the healing has been good and the piercing looks great. But the experience could have been...