Paramount Tattoo Studio — Local services in Portland

I have mixed feelings about this place.

Shop is clean, lots of jewelry selection… the location is kind of in a weird place but I got both my ears’ cartilage pierced back in February because of the specials they were running, one healed just fine, one ear still has keloids 6 months later. I even went back 2 months ago to get their opinions on what to do moving forward because I’ve never had issues with piercings before, I followed all the cleaning instructions to a T (even more so) and I politely and calmly waited over an hour and a half just to ask questions (which is fine, I didn’t want to take time away from someone else) just to find out the owner and I think, only piercer there, decided to take a lunch break and not tell anyone and made about a dozen people wait an extra hour. Numerous people kept asking why the wait and all the employees could say was “sorry”. One even said “I’m not sure what is going on”. Finally my turn came around and I was pulled into a side room with another employee so she could take photos and videos of my ear while comments like “we’re going to take photos for our ‘what NOT to do’ section of our website and portfolio” were made. I already felt a little embarrassed that I might have been doing something wrong and then to hear snide comments like that wasn’t needed. The owner cleaned my ear and basically said “keep following the cleaning instructions” and that was that. What was funny was he kept saying “whomever pierced your ears didn’t do this one at the right angle and this other one should’ve been a little higher…” when HE was in fact the one that pierced them!

2 months later I still have keloids on one ear and after going to 2 other piercers for opinions, both basically said that because of the jewelry I picked (a simple ring/hoop) that that was why it wasn’t healing properly, that a stud should have been used, and that neither of them let customers do rings/hoops for cartilage piercings until after they’re fully healed, something I wondered if this place should abide by instead of letting people pick whatever they want?

Overall I didn’t have a horrible experience by any means but there were definitely a few things that could have been better and were lacking, especially the treatment of return customers. The place gives kind of a weird vibe but if you need to buy jewelry or just want your basic experience, this place...

If I could give a lower rating, I would. My boyfriend and I drove from Eugene to try a new spot to eat and get my nose and navel pierced. I tried to call ahead for more info but their answering machine says it is walk in and they don't take phone calls. 1st parking was difficult, there is almost none as the strip club next to them with the lot is full. On this peticular day it was literally pouring down rain. We found a spot after 15 mins and walked up to a locked door. Someone opened the door, and didn't even introduce herself, nothing, just had a tone of annoyance and asked "Who's getting peirced" I then said that I was and she looked at my boyfriend and said "he can't come in, only the person being pierced". NO WHERE on their website does it say this and I've never been to a place that operates like this. I was extremely nervous for my navel piercing and wanted my boyfriend to be with me. My boyfriend said okay, that's fine, you should still go. I then asked her a rough estimate of time on how long it would take based on whoever is ahead of me (because now my boyfriend has to sit and wait for however long outside I just wanted to get an estimate) she then, responds in the nastiest tone, as if I offended her, annoyed her, irritated her and said " I can't TELL YOU that because it all depends on how fast people fill out forms, pick jewelry, get through the piercing, she literally kept rambling on in this tone and I spaced out because her tone was so gross. MIND YOU, this was taking place while standing in the cold, windy, downpour. My boyfriend then, still being nice, as there was now 2 people standing behind us at the door, asked if she could put me down on the waitlist as he runs the 2 minutes to grab my ID out of the car. She said nope, won't hold a place without ID in her nasty tone, again. At that point, I just looked at my boyfriend and said we will go grab my ID out of the car, and then we just left. She was AWFUL for no reason!! I don't recommend this place at all. This is not how normal peircing shops operate. Went somewhere WAY BETTER...

Maybe my experience would have been different had I not decided to go and get a piercing on Halloween. I called early and got a same day appointment for a Medusa & helix piercing done by Keisha. I was stuck choosing between a 3mm and 4mm size gem for my Medusa, there was only one girl behind the jewelry counter and I wasn’t the only customer looking at jewelry but in hindsight I wish I would have made more of an effort to ask her opinion or ask if there was a way to see both sizes as a reference to help me choose. I chose the bigger 4 mm size which I know now was the wrong choice for my particular taste. Not a big deal since you can always downsize after healing, except that the large jewelry makes the fact that the piercing itself is off center much more noticeable. The actual piercings themselves felt very rushed and only took all of maybe a minute or minute and a half. I was never marked with a pen and then put in front of a mirror and asked if I liked the placement which was a first for me and I have had a few different facial and ear piercings done at different times. I was asked if I wanted the cartilage piercing done higher up or lower on the ear, which I chose “higher” and I am very happy with it. I don’t know whether to wait for the Medusa to heal and see if a smaller gem will change anything, or to just take it out now and invest in some stick on face jewels since I can never have the piercing re done in another position on my philtrum area because of the scar tissue I can only ever have it re done in the same off center spot. 2 piercings for $25 did seem too good to be true so I guess you get what you pay for although I have family and friends who’ve had piercings done here including a Medusa piercing that was done perfectly on my cousin. The piercings weren’t cleaned after being done, the paperwork that lists the size and type of jewelry wasn’t explained to me and it took some googling to figure out which piercing was what gauge as I wasn’t told at the shop. Wish I could just go back and make myself speak up & ask...