Elayne Angel

About me:

I'm the author of "The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing" (Random House/Crossing Press, May 2009).

I’ve performed over 40,000 piercings during my career since the 1980s when I began piercing professionally at the first piercing specialty studio in the United States. I am renowned in my industry as a pioneer for inventing a number of piercing placements and helping to bring the art from the fringes of society toward the mainstream.

For over 12 years I owned and operated my own piercing studio in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The business closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My husband and I relocated to the Yucatán in Mexico, where we reside with seven dogs, a cat, and a pygmy owl.

I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Piercers as Medical Liaison, and I’m a recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization. I write a monthly column for the body art industry trade publication, Pain Magazine.

The Piercing Bible