Piercings
Lobe Piercing in Los Angeles
The earlobe is the friendliest piercing on the ear — needle only, honest healing timelines, and the foundation of any curated ear. From Fakir-certified piercers at The Apollo Tattoo & Piercing Studio in Santa Monica.
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The lobe is the friendliest piercing on the ear — and the foundation of everything else.
The earlobe is soft tissue with strong blood flow, which is exactly why it pierces easily, heals predictably, and forgives more than any cartilage placement. Below are the lobe placements we perform at Apollo in Santa Monica, with honest healing notes for each.
Standard lobe
Center of the lobe — the classic first piercing
Placed through the fleshy center of the lobe, marked to sit level with its twin. The most forgiving piercing we do and the usual first piercing for both kids and adults. Pierced with a single-use sterile needle — never a gun. Installed with a flat-back stud and a little room for swelling.
Second & stacked lobes
A row climbing up from the first
A second, third, or fourth hole stacked above the standard lobe, evenly spaced by eye against your anatomy. We can do multiple in one sitting because the lobe tolerates it well. Spacing is planned so the row still reads clean once earrings of different sizes go in later.
High & upper lobe
Where the lobe meets cartilage
Placed toward the top of the lobe, near the transition to cartilage. Still soft-tissue healing, but tighter real estate means placement is planned carefully so it doesn't crowd a future helix or conch. A favorite for building a curated ear one hole at a time.
Transverse lobe
Horizontal, side to side through the lobe
A barbell that runs sideways through the lobe rather than front to back, so both ends show on the face of the lobe. Distinctive but slower and pickier to heal than a standard lobe because the channel is longer. We consult on anatomy first — not every lobe suits it.
We pierce lobes with a single-use sterile needle, never a gun. A needle makes a clean channel; a gun forces blunt trauma through tissue.
Every lobe is installed with implant-grade titanium. The metal touching a fresh piercing decides whether it heals quietly or fights you for months.
A well-placed pair of lobes is the anchor of a curated ear. Get the foundation right and everything above it lines up.
Why Apollo
Three reasons a “simple” lobe piercing is worth doing right.
Lobes are easy to heal and easy to do badly. What separates a clean, even, quiet-healing lobe from a crooked one that stays angry is method, metal, and the person holding the needle.
Fakir-certified piercers, needle only
Our piercers train in the Fakir Intensives tradition — the certification that set the standard for sterile, anatomy-first body piercing in America. That means single-use needles, a fresh sterile setup for every client, and marks placed against your ear rather than a template. No guns, ever — a spring-loaded gun can’t be fully sterilized and drives blunt force through the lobe.
Placement you’ll still love in five years
Lobes look symmetrical until they aren’t. We mark, step back, check both ears against each other and against how you actually hold your head, then adjust before anything is pierced. For stacked or upper lobes we plan the spacing so future cartilage work still fits above it.
Kids and first-timers welcome
Lobes are where most piercing journeys begin. We pierce children’s lobes by needle with a calm, parent-present process, and we walk nervous adult first-timers through every step. If you want the full run-down before you book, start with our first piercing guide.
Jewelry standards
What actually goes in a fresh lobe.
The lobe forgives a lot, but the wrong metal at install is the one thing it won’t forgive. Here is what we start every lobe with — and what we never do.
Implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136)
Our default install metal. Nickel-free, biocompatible, MRI-safe, and the reason a fresh lobe can heal without redness or itching. Threadless or internally-threaded ends only — nothing with sharp external threads dragging through the new channel.
Solid 14k & 18k gold
Nickel-free solid gold (never plated) is available at install when requested. We also stock designer gold ends from lines like BVLA for clients building a curated look — usually added at the first downsize once the lobe has settled.
Flat-back studs & correct gauge
Fresh lobes install on a flat-back labret-style post — comfortable to sleep on and easy to clean. Standard lobe gauge is 16g or 18g. We fit a slightly longer post to leave room for early swelling, then downsize.
The downsize matters here too
Around week 4–6, once swelling is gone, we swap the install post for one sized to your healed lobe. A too-long post snags and irritates; the downsize is a quick in-studio visit that keeps the piercing quiet long-term.
Thinking about stretching?
If your long game is stretched lobes, start with a healthy 16g needle piercing and let it fully heal — months, not weeks — before the first taper. We’ll map a safe, slow stretching schedule. Rushing tears tissue and causes blowouts.
What we never install
No piercing guns, no sterling silver, no gold-plated or unmarked “hypoallergenic” studs, no externally-threaded jewelry in a fresh hole. These are the choices behind most “my lobe never healed right” stories.
Pain & healing
Honest numbers, not sugar-coating.
Lobes are the least painful piercing we offer, but “least painful” still isn’t nothing — and healing takes longer than most people expect.
Aftercare
The whole routine fits on a fridge magnet.
Lobe aftercare is refreshingly simple. The mistakes people make are almost always doing too much, not too little.
Saline, twice a day
Spray or soak with sterile saline morning and night, gently pat dry with clean paper towel. That’s the whole cleaning routine. Skip alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and tea-tree oil — they irritate healing tissue.
Hands off, phone clean
Don’t twist or spin the jewelry — that old advice tears healing skin. Keep hair product, dirty pillowcases, and your phone screen off the fresh lobe. Most irritation is a contact problem, not an infection.
Come see us
Downsizes, jewelry changes, and “is this normal?” check-ins are part of the service. We’re on Main Street in Santa Monica — walk in or message us before you try to fix anything yourself.
Questions
Lobe piercing FAQ.
How much does a lobe piercing cost in LA?
Apollo lobe pricing is a piercing fee plus the jewelry you choose, quoted before we start. Implant-grade titanium is the standard install metal; solid gold and designer ends cost more. Doing a matched pair or several stacked lobes in one sitting is the most common booking. We give you the exact number at check-in — no surprises, no mall-kiosk “free piercing with earring purchase” gimmicks.
Does a lobe piercing hurt?
Barely. The lobe is soft tissue, so it’s the least painful piercing we do — a quick sharp pinch that’s over in about a second, usually rated 2–3 out of 10. The needle is faster and far more comfortable than a gun. Kids and first-timers are almost always surprised by how minor it is.
How long does an earlobe piercing take to heal?
A standard lobe takes about 6–8 weeks to heal on the surface. Upper and transverse lobes run longer — up to 8–12 weeks. “Healed” means the channel is stable enough to change jewelry safely, which is best done in-studio the first time. Even when it feels fine early, don’t leave the jewelry out for long stretches during the first few months — a fresh lobe can still shrink or close.
Do you use a needle or a piercing gun?
Needle, always — never a gun. A single-use sterile needle makes a clean channel and is disposed of after one use. Piercing guns can’t be fully sterilized and force blunt trauma through the lobe, which causes more swelling and slower healing. This is one of the core reasons to choose a professional Fakir-certified studio over a mall kiosk.
Can I get both lobes — or several — done at once?
Yes. The lobe heals well enough that we routinely do a matched pair, or a stack of second and third holes, in a single appointment. We mark everything first and check symmetry against your anatomy before piercing. If you’re building toward a fuller look, we’ll plan the spacing so future cartilage piercings still fit.
What age do you pierce lobes at?
Lobes are our most common children’s piercing and we pierce them by needle, with a parent present and a calm, unrushed process — not a gun. We’ll talk through our minimum-age policy and readiness at consultation. For the full family walk-through, see our kids ear-piercing guidance and bring valid ID for the accompanying adult.
I want stretched lobes eventually — how do I start?
Start with a healthy standard 16g needle piercing and let it fully heal — months, not weeks — before your first taper. We’ll map a slow, safe stretching schedule (small jumps, plenty of time between). Rushing is what causes blowouts, tears, and thin lobes, and those are hard to undo. Done patiently, lobes stretch beautifully.
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