Nobody's face is symmetrical. Your cupid's bow, the gap between your front teeth, the base of your nose and the line your lip actually rests on rarely agree with each other, and a medusa piercing has to pick one of them to be centred on. Get that call wrong by a millimetre and it reads as crooked in every photo you take from then on. That decision is the job. Everything else on this page follows from it.
A philtrum piercing passes through the dip above your upper lip, then sits with a flat disc resting against your gum. Which means two things nobody mentions at the counter: it heals in a mouth full of bacteria, and the back of it touches your teeth several thousand times a day. We mark it, hand you a mirror, and don't open a needle until you've looked at the dot straight on and agreed with it.
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Six landmarks compete to define the middle of your face. Only one of them wins.
Here's the problem in plain terms. If you measure from the outside of one nostril to the outside of the other and split the difference, you get one centre. If you use the notch in your cupid's bow, you often get a different one. The gap between your top front teeth gives a third answer, and on a lot of people it's visibly off from the other two. Your septum can be leaning. One side of your upper lip may be fuller than the other.
None of that is a defect. It's just faces. But it means the phrase "we'll put it in the middle" is meaningless until somebody decides which middle. The piercer's actual skill here is picking the landmark that will make the finished piercing look centred to a person standing in front of you at conversational distance, which is not always the one a ruler would pick.
We work off the resting lip line and the cupid's bow first, then check it against the nose and the teeth, then look at your face from three angles before the dot is final. If the landmarks disagree badly enough that no single dot satisfies all of them, we say so, show you the trade-off, and let you choose. That conversation takes a few minutes and it is the difference between a piercing you forget about and one you notice every morning.
The small dip at the top of your upper lip is usually the strongest landmark, because it's the one other people's eyes go to. On most faces we anchor here first and check everything else against it.
The line between your top front teeth is often a millimetre or two off from the cupid's bow. Worth knowing, because the disc on the back of the jewelry has to live next to those teeth for years.
A septum that sits slightly off-centre drags the apparent midline of the whole nose with it. We check for this early rather than discovering it after the dot is drawn.
Lips at rest sit differently from lips holding a smile for a mirror. We mark you relaxed, then have you talk for a moment and look again, because that's the face people actually see.
Sideways isn't the only axis. Too low and the disc crowds your lip; too high and it drifts toward the nose and looks stranded. The vertical call gets as much attention as the horizontal one.
You get the mirror before we open anything. Look at the dot square to your face, not tilted, and from a normal talking distance. If it's wrong, saying so now costs nothing.
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See the BVLA story →Every piece here shares one feature: a flat disc on the back. That's not a style choice, it's what keeps the jewelry from grinding your gum. If you want a piercing that sits off to one side instead, read the monroe page; for lower-lip placements see classic labret.
What you leave with. Deliberately too long for your lip, because the swelling arrives within hours and the post has to have somewhere to go. Implant-grade titanium, flat disc behind, plain ball or small gem in front. It will look slightly proud of your lip for the first couple of months. That's correct.
The reason threadless is worth the money on a philtrum: the post stays in your face and only the front end changes. No unscrewing something against a tender lip, no dropping a tiny ball down the sink. Gems, opals and clusters all fit the same post once you're healed.
Solid 14k and 18k, never plated. Plating wears through where a disc rubs a gum, and once it does you have a base metal sitting against soft tissue all day. If gold is the goal, wait until you're healed and buy it solid the first time. Yellow, rose and white.
Hand-finished clusters, opals and one-off settings. These sit high off the post, so they belong on a philtrum that has fully settled and been downsized. Try them on in person if you can. Scale is deceptive on a screen, and a top that looks delicate in a photo can read as large above a lip.
Clear next step
The assessment is free and carries no obligation. Plenty of people look at the dot and go away to think.
Recommended first step
Choose a facial or oral piercing appointment with clearer placement guidance.
Every piercing heals differently — here's what to expect
| Piercing Type | Location | Initial Healing | Full Healing | Pain Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medusa (Philtrum) | Center upper lip | 6-8 weeks | 3-6 months | 4-5/10 |
| Monroe / Madonna | Upper lip (left or right) | 6-8 weeks | 3-6 months | 4/10 |
| Lip / Labret | Below lower lip | 6-8 weeks | 3-6 months | 3-4/10 |
5000+ clientsThe same equipment as any other piercing, used in a slightly different order, because one end of this one finishes inside your mouth
An alcohol-free antiseptic rinse first, because the exit point of this piercing is inside your mouth and we'd rather it met a freshly rinsed one.
Single-use, pre-sterilised, and the seal gets broken where you can see it. If a studio ever opens one out of your sight, that's your answer about that studio.
Your lip gets measured and the starter length chosen for it. This happens before anything is loaded into the receiving tube, not after.
Clamps, tubes and forceps run through a hospital-grade autoclave. Surfaces get an EPA-registered disinfectant between every client.
Licensed and inspected by LA County. Every piercer here is bloodborne-pathogen certified. Ask to see it and we'll show you.
The appointment that decides whether this piercing is kind to your teeth
You walk out with a post that is longer than your lip needs. That extra length is swelling room, and for the first few weeks it's doing exactly the right job. Then the swelling goes down and the length stops being useful and starts being a liability, because a post with slack in it can rock, and a disc that rocks spends its day knocking against the back of your teeth and the gum above them.
So somewhere between week eight and week twelve, you come back and we swap the long post for one cut to your settled lip. It takes a couple of minutes. It is genuinely the single most useful thing you can do for the long-term health of a philtrum piercing, and it's the step people skip because by then the piercing feels fine and life is busy.
We book it while you're still in the chair on day one, before you've left the building. Turn up, get it changed, go. If you got pierced somewhere else and were never offered this, come in anyway — we'll size you and swap it.
The half of this piercing you can't see is the half that matters over ten years
Dentists are not wrong to be wary of lip piercings. Metal parked against a gum margin can, over years, wear at enamel and encourage the gum to recede where it sits. That's the honest version. What gets left out is that nearly all of that risk is a function of three things you can control: what shape the back is, how long the post is, and whether anyone ever adjusts it after the swelling goes.
A flat disc spreads its contact over a wide, smooth area and doesn't rotate. A ball does neither. A correctly shortened post has no slack to rock in. So the piercing that causes trouble is usually an over-long post with a ball on the back that nobody has touched since the day it went in, and that describes a great many medusas walking around.
Senior Piercer Senior Piercer
Bunny Vogt, a dedicated Senior Piercer at our Los Angeles studio since 2019, specializes in facial piercings including medusa and other philtrum placements. Her careful anatomical mapping and gentle technique deliver symmetrical, comfortable medusa piercings.
Founder Master Piercer
Blue Mason, our Master Piercer and studio founder, has performed thousands of facial piercings including medusa and other oral placements over 20+ years. His anatomical precision ensures every philtrum piercing sits perfectly centered.
Not every upper lip is built for this. The assessment takes about five minutes and it's free, and a decent number of people leave it having been told a medusa isn't the right call for them.
Cartilage piercings mostly ask you to leave them alone. This one asks for something more tedious: a rinse after every single thing that passes your lips except water. Coffee counts. A handful of crisps at your desk counts.
Outside, it's sterile saline twice a day and otherwise hands off. Inside, alcohol-free mouthwash or saline after eating, after anything you drink that isn't water, and after smoking if you smoke. Skip spicy, acidic, very hot and crunchy food for the first fortnight, not because they're forbidden but because they sting and you won't enjoy them anyway. No kissing or shared drinks for four to six weeks; someone else's mouth flora is the last thing an open wound needs. Don't twist it. Don't click it against your teeth when you're bored, which is the habit that quietly does the most damage. Change your pillowcase more often than usual, and come back at 8 to 12 weeks for the downsize.
Book AppointmentYour lip will swell more than you expect and it peaks around day two or three. Talking feels odd and you'll catch yourself lisping slightly. Ice wrapped in a clean cloth helps; so does an anti-inflammatory if your doctor is fine with you taking one. Soft, room-temperature food. This is the stretch people text us about, and it is almost always normal.
Swelling has gone, soreness has faded, and the piercing now feels finished. It isn't. This is exactly when people stop rinsing after meals and start fiddling with the jewelry, and it's the most common reason a philtrum that was healing beautifully goes backwards. Keep the routine. Your downsize falls in this window.
Healed for most people by somewhere in this range. Now solid gold and BVLA ends are on the table, and because the post is threadless you can change the front as often as you like without disturbing the channel. Come to us for the first couple of changes and we'll show you the knack of it.
We take walk-ins and we're open 8am to 8pm every day, so you can absolutely turn up. But a philtrum is the piercing we most often ask people to come back for, and it's worth explaining why rather than just saying "appointments preferred".
Verbatim reviews from Apollo's Google Business Profile
"Great experience! I just had my navel pierced by them during a walk-in appointment. The staff is very professional and super chill. They took their time making sure everything was perfect and walked me through the whole process. Barely even hurt! Definitely recommend!"
"First experience with the studio - walked away so happy that I’ll be a repeat client. Was able to get tattooed and pierced in the same session. Everyone at the studio was friendly, positive, and highly skilled. Loved the results and excited for my next sitting."
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5000+ clientsWe're at 2625 Main Street, open 8am to 8pm seven days a week. Most people getting a philtrum done come down from across LA County for it, so allow for traffic and give yourself a few minutes at the counter before your slot.
Santa Monica, CA
Apollo was founded by Blue Mason in 2007. With 20+ years of body art experience, Blue brings master-level expertise to every piece. Read Blue's story →
These are the ones that come up in person, roughly in the order they get asked.
On the landmark that makes it read as centred to somebody looking at you, which is usually your cupid's bow rather than your tooth gap or your nostril line. We check all of them, and if they disagree badly we show you the trade-off and let you pick. The dot gets drawn, you look at it in a mirror straight on, and nothing happens until you're happy with it.
Come back and tell us. A fresh channel that's off by enough to bother you is better removed and re-done after the tissue settles than lived with. That's a conversation we'd much rather have at week one than at year three. It's also the reason we spend so long on the marking and hand you the mirror before opening anything.
Deliberate. Your lip is going to swell within hours and the post needs room to accommodate it — a correctly-fitted post on day one would be buried by day two. It'll look slightly proud of your lip for the first couple of months. That's what the downsize appointment at 8 to 12 weeks is for.
Yes, and "it feels fine" is precisely why people skip it. A post with slack in it rocks, and a disc that rocks spends all day knocking against the back of your front teeth and the gum above them. Nothing hurts while that's happening. It's a slow problem, and the two-minute appointment that prevents it is the most useful thing on this page.
It can, and dentists are right to be cautious about lip piercings. Nearly all of the risk comes down to three controllable things: a flat disc rather than a ball on the back, a post shortened to fit once swelling has gone, and not clicking the jewelry against your teeth out of boredom. Mention the piercing at your next cleaning so your dentist can keep an eye on the gum margin.
Soft and room-temperature for the first fortnight, mostly because spicy, acidic, very hot and crunchy things sting rather than because they're dangerous. Talking feels odd for the first week or so and you may lisp slightly while swollen. The rinse-after-everything routine, though, runs for the whole healing period, not just the first two weeks.
A medusa sits on the midline in the philtrum groove; a monroe sits off to one side of the upper lip, imitating a beauty mark. That difference isn't just cosmetic — a medusa's whole design problem is finding true centre, while a monroe's is choosing a side and matching it to the rest of your face. Different assessments, different conversations.
Not necessarily, but you should know what you're getting. A pronounced groove gives the jewelry a natural seat; a flat one means the front end perches on the surface, which looks different and catches on things more. Come in and we'll show you on your own face rather than guessing from a description.
Better not to, at least early on. Lipstick and balm end up in a healing channel and neither is sterile. Skip it entirely to the appointment itself. Once you're a couple of months in and things have settled you can go back to it, keeping product off the piercing itself rather than smearing it over.
18 for facial piercings, with government-issued photo ID at the appointment. No exceptions and no parental consent route for this one.
Almost certainly not — day two to three is the peak and lips swell dramatically compared with other spots. Ice in a clean cloth and an anti-inflammatory if your doctor is fine with it. What isn't routine: swelling that's getting worse after day five, thick yellow-green discharge, spreading heat, or a fever. That's a call to us or your doctor, same day.
Eat properly beforehand and drink some water — people who arrive on an empty stomach are the ones who go grey in the chair. No alcohol or blood thinners for 24 hours. Brush and rinse before you come. Bring ID, skip the lipstick, and have something soft in the fridge for that evening.
Apollo sits at 2625 Main St in Santa Monica, a block from the beach and easy to reach from anywhere on the Westside. Here's roughly how long it takes to get to us for tattoos and piercings:
There's metered street parking on Main Street and Ocean Park Blvd, plus a public lot on 2nd Street a short walk away. We recommend giving yourself an extra 10 minutes to park on weekends — Main Street gets busy with the farmers market and beach traffic. If you're running late, text us at the studio and we'll hold your appointment.
That's the whole promise. You see where it's going and you agree with it, or we move it.
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