So disappointed. It's 2:26 on Saturday. The web says they are open. Could not even find this place. Finally found it thanks to Sage & Brass (spend money there instead!). Got to the door- note on door says last appointment at 2pm. Wow. What a fiasco. Thanks a lot Nomad. Bad business. Called twice- no answer read more

I wont be going to other shops again! Blake is friendly, professional, and really quick. I'm also surprised that none of the other reviewers have commented on the fact that the procedures are comparatively more affordable than a lot of the other shops in town, especially for such high quality. Blake is not only a skilled piercer (he's done more procedures than any other piercer IN THE WORLD), but he also does gorgeous custom jewelry for various piercings. The shop has an impressive and stunning collection of jewelry, masks, and other relics from around the world. I highly recommend this shop and Blake's work! read more

After reviewing Nomad's website, I was ready to bring my 8 year old daughter there for a more unique and special experience than a mall piercing. She has been ready and eager to have her ears pierced for years. This was to be a special event for her 8th birthday and the pictures of many happy children on the website had me convinced that she would be comfortable and safe at Nomad. Not so! Blake was rude, intimidating, shaming and downright mean. This is not a place for children! read more

I went in here yesterday to get a nose piercing done, I was ready, cash/card in wallet... I have been in here three times... yes I do research before I get an additional hole put in my body. I was excited to get pierced here... I read about papa nomad's work, papers, research, and lectures. I even was quite smitten that his young daughter worked at the shop counter, was very knowledgable and downright adorable with her gauged ears. But when I came in to the shop yesterday to ask a few final questions, the daughter was doing a fine job answering, but when P. Nomad scooted in he was actually quite rude, playing with his phone, acting as if my questions were stupid, and that he didn't have time for me (the shop was empty) there was even a air drum solo in the middle of our conversation. I just wanted someone to listen to my concerns, and someone I can go back to for many piercings and gauging to come, alas in the end I left and felt myself wishing his daughter was the piercer... she was sweet and kind. read more

I've gotten pierced and purchased jewelry at Nomad. Here's the deal, the guy can pierce well and he's an asshole. Don't come here if you want customer service. He's pretty aggressive with teenagers and kids. He see's himself as an artist and if you question his opinions your in for a passive aggressive battle. I paid for a custom nose ring, 50$ paid ahead of time, when I looked in the mirror and asked if he could loosen it a bit, I got a 15 minute lecture about how "I've been doing this for 20 years and that's how it should look." I was told I would need to come back another day because he was too busy and I might need to just buy another ring. Yea, I'll pass. Be careful here guys... I'm not recommending them anymore. read more

Update to my first 1-star review for earlier this week: I received a call back from Blake @ Nomad a few days after I had called, despite my not leaving a message asking him to call me back (all I left was a slightly disgruntled message saying "how am I supposed to make an appointment?"). He said he would be in the studio on Saturday for walk-ins from noon to 4, and to phone before coming down to check availability. I called at 12:30, the phone was promptly answered, and I learned that they weren't backed up with appointments for the day. So I went down with not one, but both daughters. My youngest (15) got her first set of piercings (ear lobes), and my oldest got a second set (again, both ear lobes). Pretty pedestrian for such an accomplished piercer as Blake, but not a hint of attitude, nothing but professionalism. Both sets of piercings are top-notch, good placement and alignment, the selection of surgical-grade stainless studs, rings, and jewelry is extensive, and the facility is super-clean. This place will always be my first choice. read more

Caveat: I did not get pierced there. I only bought some custom jewelry. Blake may be an amazing piercer, I can't speak to that. What I can speak to is that they have some questionable business practices and I feel distinctly like I got ripped off. I wanted some custom plugs for a specific day. He looked me in the eye and assured me they would be done. He indicated that he would take care of them over the weekend after I paid cash up front. He said that I could call him the following week to get them/remind him about them, but when I did that, they were closed and not answering the phone. The day I needed them, he said that "there was a problem with the shipment" which seemed like some pretty heavy bullshit since he told me he was going to personally take care of the plugs. They gave me some other plugs, but I would have preferred my money back. I also would have preferred not being lied to. I understand when things get busy, but I feel like paying cash up front means I should get the things that I paid for. If I needed to pay an extra rush fee, I would have done that in order to get them on time. Instead, I was lied to and ended up with a bunch of useless jewelry. read more

Not for children. Owner was rude and short with both of us. When my daughter teared up after the first ear he repeatedly pointed me to his no refunds sign. I was well aware of the policy and was not asking for a refund. He then told my 6 year old it was all in her head and she was making his job harder by crying. Clearly not a place for kids. They should focus on adults only. read more

WORST place to get pierced, unprofessional and disrespectful. Let me start off by saying I am very familiar with the piercing scene, I've been to a couple of amazing shops and have quite a few piercings, instead of going to my normal shop I went here from a recommendation from Blake (the owner's) own mother. Let me save you some trouble by telling you NOT to come here. I left feeling like my body had been violated and instead of being excited about my new piercing I left with a knot in my stomach. I came to nomad piercing to get my septum done, I had called them before hand to ask about pricing and on the phone they said it was 50 dollars, when I got there they said it was actually 60 dollars which already seemed sketchy. We went back and as I do with all of my piercing I began to ask about healing and the jewelry. He completely disregarded my questions, proceeded to say "shut up" and told me that his daughter got her septum done when she was younger than me and that I needed to again "just shut up." He pierced me without warning and didn't even consider the fact I would've liked my boyfriend in the back with me. After my piercing was done he firstly didn't even let me choose my own jewelry and he flipped my septum up inside my nose, so I left without even seeing my piercing. After that i was in shock and nearly on the brink of crying. When it came time to pay he said I shouldn't be asking for change and started cussing at me as he sorted through his tip basket and gave me 10 dollars in quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Please do not go here, getting a piercing should be a happy experience and you should never feel disrespected by a piercer. They should always be kind and considerate (seeing as they are getting paid to stick needles into your body!) This establishment is wildly unprofessional and I do hope I saved someone a horrible experience! Happy piercing! read more

I never thought in a million years I'd take my kids into a piercing studio but this is the place to go if you care if your kids' piercings are done right so they don't get an infection. My oldest originally got her ears pierced when she was 5 at Claire's in the mall. The piercing got infected so we had to let it heal, close & then pierce it again. So we came back to Claire's a 2nd time & again the piercings got infected! My daughter reluctantly decided she didn't want her ears pierced anymore b/c the process was so painful. As a mom, I didn't give up! I started talking to other moms about her situation, got a referral to Nomad's & did some research. Blake has been doing piercings for over 20 yrs & has 3 young kids of his own that have piercings. He uses surgical stainless steel loops & hand pierces (doesn't use a 1 size fits all piercing gun). We drove into Portland, found his studio & even as we were coming in, a family was coming out after getting their kids ears pierced. And as we were leaving 2 families were coming in. Blake's 10 yr old daughter was running the front desk (& believe this kid knew what she was doing) & Blake was taking clients to the back to do the piercings. At this point my, now 12 yr old, daughter was rightfully nervous (considering her past experiences) but she really wanted to wear earrings w/o clip-ons. We paid the $60 which included the piercing, surgical steel hoop earrings & the cleaning q-tips. She met w/Blake (very laid back guy), he took care of the piercings quickly, talked to us about the care process & asked if we had questions. He was awesome! My daughter didn't even feel it & he was even able to cover up the bumps that grew over the orig infected piercings. He's not cheap but most people with the experience he has generally are not. But with the amount we spent for her the 1st two times & the medication to help clear the infections, it would have been cheaper to come to him FIRST. I highly recommend Blake at Nomads for all your piercing needs!!! read more

AWFUL!!! I delt with who I belive was the owner. I went in to get a new piece of jewelry for my neck piercing. It was a surface piercing that went horizontally across the back of my neck, and the jewelry I had in had fallen out somehow. He said he would have to custom make a piece to fit the piercing. After taking some measurements of the piercing for the new jewlery, I had some questions. These were simple, probably frequently asked questions, about price and how long it would take. He replied with an attitude every time. He was very pushy and demanding. I was going in to look, not necessarily to buy. I had been looking at jewlery at several other studios. I felt pressured to pay for his custom made jewlery. He was able to have it done by the next day. When I went to pick up the jewlery it was nothing like what I wanted and had paid for. I wanted to have little purple jewels instead of plain metal balls on the end, and those were nowhere to be found. Also, the jewlery was not stright, but rather crooked and jagged. It looked like he had taken someone else's beaten up old body jewlery and said he hand made it. After I mentioned these issues, he came up with excuses as to why the jewels were not avaliable. He said they did not make jewels in this specific gauge size, which is total BS. It was a 14 gauge piece jewlery, one of the most common sizes!! He said he made the jewlery crooked and uneven because of the way my skin and neck curved. Since he was refusing me a refund, I was forced to were the jewlery due to not wanting the piercing to close . For aftercare instructions, he said to apply Neosporin multiple times a day. Anyone who has any experience with tattoos and piercings know that you NEVER EVER apply Neosporin to them!!!!! However, the owner I was dealing with has done nothing but pierce people for many years! So I thought maybe he could be right about the Neosporin. Since he has been in this profession for so long I thought maybe I could trust him with aftercare instructions. So I tried applying Neosporin. On top of that, the jewlery he "custom made" for me did not conture with the curves of my neck like he said it would. The jewlery was sticking out rather far on one end and would get caught on things all the time causing a lot of pain. Thanks to his special aftercare institutions and "custom made" jewlery , I no longer have a piercing on the back of my neck. The Neosporin in combination with the uneven jewlery made my body reject the jewlery. The surface skin tore open and the jewlery fell out. There was no way to fix this because the surface skin had torn so no new jewlery could be held. I made the mistake of trusting this guy because he has been doing nothing but piercings for so long! Do not make the same mistake I made! This is the worst experience I have ever had at any piercing or tattoo studio. I think it is absolutely astonishing that this guy has been in business for so many years. Not only does he not have any clue as to what he is doing, but he is extremely rude. read more

Nomad Piercing Studio - The bottom piece of jewlery is the "custom made" from owner of Nomad. Compared to what normal surface jewlery looks like. - Piercing Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Blake is the only person I will ever let shove needles through my skin cosmetically ever again. He rocks my world. He has pierced my nipples (he was amazingly quick), my little sisters ears, and has helped my mother with nose ring problems. I trust him with extremely sensitive things, and it takes a whole other level of trust for me to let someone poke holes in my baby sister. But she came out with a smile on her face and no tears in her eyes, (not the horrid experience my mother stupidly put her through with clairs) and for that I am infinitely thankful. I also got a custom fit and made white gold nose-ring from blake and it is the best piece of jewelry to grace my face ever. I have told everyone I know to go to Blake and I mean it. I will definitely go to Blake for any future piercing related endeavors hands down over any other shop I've ever been in. Blake also offers very reasonable prices for the best service and products. read more

I came here looking for a cartilage ring after having this location recommended to me. I was disappointed by the selection-almost no colors at all and no range in sizes. The woman was not even able to open the case to get the rings because the person with the key wasn't there. I told the woman about my difficulties with my current ring given that the ball didn't pop out, and she assured me that the ball on mine would pop out-my trip to the next piercing studio confirmed otherwise. Lack of knowledge, selection, service and adequately-priced rings. read more

This is the second time I have gone to him and am super happy with the results I got my belly button re pierced today and despite having to go thru scar tissue I barely felt a thing and I love the results read more

I used to work at one of "those" mall accessory stores back in 96' when I was in high school up in Washington. The training process was: read this pamphlet, here's a teddy bear, practice a few times on it, then pierce your co-worker with this gun. And in turn, I also was a guinea pig for other co-workers. I had 2 holes on each ear done, along with 3 cartilage piercings. I have extremely sensitive skin, so with the combination of the poorly sterilized equipment & cheap material of the earrings, all my holes became infected and I had to remove the studs so my holes eventually all closed up. Fast forward to today where I have a beautiful 4.5 month old baby girl. When her pediatrician said that now is the golden age to get her pierced, but had no recommendations on where to go, I started doing some research. I knew that I DID NOT want her pierced at some mall place. Perhaps laws & requirements are different here in Oregon & it's been 16 years since I worked in one of those shops. But the thought of taking her to one of those places made me cringe. When I called one of our local Beaverton piercing shops, they actually said, "We don't pierce babies here. The only person that does it is Blake @ Nomad." I Googled his website, read the bios & scrolled through the pictures and just knew that this was the only place I would trust to pierce my daughter. When we got to the store, I was fascinated by the museum. It was comforting to see that Blake is not just providing a service, he has a history & true passion for his craft. He was very easy to talk to, he provided us with good after care information & our daughter wasn't traumatized by the experience. She still doesn't even know that she has her ears pierced! Unlike other horror stories I hear from parents whose children's backing to the earrings come off causing a choking hazard or poke them behind the ear as they sleep causing discomfort. So I will fully support & spread the word about Nomad to anyone & everyone. That day was so memorable & an awesome overall experience. Thank you Blake!!!!! read more

I am a Nomad convert. I will not trust anyone else to do my piercings. His technique is quick and painless, yeah I said it. He uses surgical procedures and is very sterile. He also has a really gorgeous hand made jewelry. Some, he makes and some he gets from a family that he works with directly in Africa. The shop is small so he can't carry everything, but if he doesn't have it, he will order it for you. read more

When my teenaged son wanted to get his ears pierced and gauged, Blake of Nomad Piercing Studio is the only person I would trust with my son! Blake is a pioneer of the piercing industry and is known for his skillfulness and integrity. Plus, this place is family-friendly and my younger son was welcomed to play while we picked out jewelry! read more

Hi all, Okay, so I've gone back and forth about writing this review for awhile now. First, I really like Blake and I want to be a supporter of his business. I live in California and waited to get three dermal implants on the nape of my neck until I visited Portland, because I just knew Blake was the guy for the job. However, there have been some issues for me. First off, if you're going to get dermal piercings then you should really, really, really do your homework. There can be significant issues with dermals. I thought I had researched enough, but in looking back...I didn't! Hindsight being 20-20? I think getting dermals was not a wise choice for me, unfortunately. Apparently they can have a life span. Everything can be fine for a year or two or three and then....all hell breaks loose and the dermals can become infected or agitated in some way and need to be taken out. If this could be a concern for you, I suggest you talk with the your piercer (and do online research) about this BEFORE you go in to get implants. Also, because dermals are an implant, if you ever have to have a MRI...be prepared to have to have your implants immediately removed. MRI's use a magnetic force to achieve their scan and can potentially pull any metals out of your body. Blake said his dermal jewelry is made with Titanium, so I'm not sure if that would be the same case during an MRI, but you should definitely look into it before you chose an implant like this. Especially if your piercer uses any other kind of metal in their jewelry. Getting the implant removed would not be a pretty picture as your skin grows through the open pieces that have been implanted. Blake said to come back to him if they ever needed to be removed, but what if it is an emergency situation and it has to be done right this minute? The doctors go in and 20+ stitches later you're scarred for life. Just something to pay attention to before choosing this particular implant option. Speaking of scars...one of my three dermals rejected. That's right folks...the jewelry worked it's way out of my skin and now I have a scar where it was implanted. Your dermals can reject the implanting process. Didn't expect that!! I wasn't harsh with it, I kept the piercing site clean and did everything I possibly could to promote the healing of my new $210.00 purchases. But...it can happen. And...you'll be highly disappointed if it does, so more food for thought. Apparently, dermal implants are supposed to be implanted fairly quick and easy. Not mine. It seemed to take forever. There was a lot of pushing into my neck to get the jewelry top to hook into it's counterpart bottom. A LOT of pushing and it was not fun. Blake told me that mine were very difficult to implant. It hurt a lot. I can tolerate a lot of pain, but because of the difficulty of the implants...I endured more than most. Be prepared because this could happen to you too. I was told (by Blake) that the new dermal should be healed in about a month and that I could go ahead and change out the jewelry at that time. However, I later learned that it can take up to three or four months for your dermal implant to completely heal. Yes, your new dermal may "look" healed after a month (mine don't!!!), but it can take up to three or four months to completely heal inside. They don't recommend changing your dermal jewelry out until the implant has completely healed. You can aggravate the healing process and may suffer consequences that you could have otherwise avoided by simply waiting. I got my dermal implants on May 9th and they are still acting up. They still have to be cleaned everyday. They turn red and sometimes feel itchy, especially if I sweat or leave my hair down. You expect that they'll be pretty and look just like the online pics, but those expectations may or may not come to fruition. Blake mentioned that he has one of the oldest piercing businesses around. From all of the reviews, I felt in competent hands when I went to see him. However, my experience (from being pierced to the healing process) has been less than ideal. I think it would have been really helpful to have had more information from Blake about the true pros and serious potential cons of dermal implants before the deed was done. It also would have been really helpful to know that dermals can reject and you will probably scar, that they take up to three to four months to heal, and that YOURS might not look like all the cool pics you see. I offer this review with hope that someone can learn through my experience AND so that Blake might consider expounding to the client about the ramifications if things go wrong. Just an idea. Be well, S read more

I've known and been pierced by Blake since 1993. He's amazing. Nuff said.

After over 15 years of living with an uncomfortable piercing, I thought it was finally time to get my jewelry switched out to something better. Knowing that the owner, Blake, has an amazingly legit selection, I was very pleased with my new piece. Looking at his wide variety of jewelry made me want more piercings. This gentleman doesn't carry anything plastic, cheap or what he doesn't consider quality. He knows his craft better than most piercers around and takes his job very seriously. All of my tattooed and pierced friends in this town know and respect this guy. Blake also designs and crafts many of the jewelry pieces you'll see. From rose gold, to stainless steel and bone, he has quite the selection of all sizes, designs and styles at an extremely fair price. He is known for piercing kids (with adult supervision of course) and does it the right way. Needles only and NO crappy guns. He has three rad kids of his own that I got the pleasure of meeting and you can see he is a great Daddy and truly cares about parents and kids getting a good and safe result. Although, he might seem serious or a little rough around the edges initially, he is focused, educated and knows what he is doing. If and when my children want to be pierced, I hope this guy is still working. He does things that old school way, so call ahead for an appointment and bring CASH. No cards. Support your local small businesses people. You won't regret supporting this one. Don't forget to tip! Now I just have to save up for the fancy jewelry I want. Can't wait to come back here again. read more

I drove all the way out here because their yelp said they were open and they weren't open. Annoying. Change your Yelp. It is fine if you are appointment only, but change your Yelp. read more

The gentleman with curly hair is very accommodating and pleasant. Unfortunately, his black-haired young female co-worker with cheek piercings was such a b$&@h to me that I will never give this place any business again. She flat out told me it was impossible for my partner to have purchased a16g jewelry here- even when I told her the head piercer (the guy) had sold the piece to her. I'm now waiting to talk to him personally because she didn't believe me. For a place with such a serene and mellow vibe, this snotty girl does NOT fit in. read more

Went in to Nomad for a third time to get a naval piercing. Is gotten my nose pierced over a year ago, and after that healed upgraded to some really awesome bling! I always forget to bring in cash because this place is cash only, but the awesome staff (his adorable daughters) told me there was an ATM at the Plaid Pantry next door, and have me some time to grab some cash while Blake prepped for my piercing. As always, the piercing was done quickly, relatively painlessly, and accurately. Anytime I ever have some cash to spare, I love coming here to get some awesome custom pieces or to get a new piercing. Definitely worth the investment :) read more

I have 3 Nomad piercings, my daughter has 2 and my partner has 2. That's 7 holes poked by Blake for our family, and they have all healed better than any other piercing I have ever had. The shop is meticulously clean- and that's coming from someone who works in the health care industry and is familiar with autoclave and biohazard protocol. The quality of service and Blake's commitment to customer satisfaction is what keeps our family coming back again and again. I would only trust my daughters ears with the best, and Blake is just that. I feel honored to have been pierced by the BEST in the industry. Once you go Nomad, there is no going back to crappy jewelry and subpar service. We love ya NOMAD! read more

I have known Blake personally and visited every location he has worked from since 1999, and have not given my business to another piercing studio since the day I met him. The negative review below must have been written by a blind man, because in my several piercing experiences, Nomad shops always had clearly posted signs explaining safe practices, always used brand new needles opened from the package in my presence, and those needles always went directly into a biohazard container, which is always right easily accessible and clearly marked. I've had some big, heavy duty work done by Blake, and would rather drive 3000 miles if he moved across the country than get pierced at any other shop. My work healed right the first time, every time, and I will wear it proudly to the grave. Go ahead and search worldwide, you could not possibly do better than to have Nomad serve your piercing needs. read more

Blake is awesome and professional and fixed up some bad piercings i got previously. I will only ever get pierced by you Blake^_^

I promised my daughter that she could get her ears pieced when she turned 10. After doing some research, we decided to go to a piercing studio and we heard that Blake at Nomad had a great deal of experience with kids. I was very nervous because I have a very pain averse kid (she still gets upset when she gets a flu shot) so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the video on Nomad's website of Blake piercing a 3-year-olds ears -- she didn't even batt an eye. My daughter watched it and reassured, as well. We called and learned we could just swing by and that's what we did. Blake's 10-year-old daughter checked us in very efficiently and we were literally in and out in around 15 minutes tops. Blake was so amazingly quick and efficient, my daughter didn't hardly feel a thing and didn't even make a peep. He uses a small, surgical steel loop so that there is no painful, pokey back to tear up the back of her ear. The medicinal ear swabs he gave us have kept her ears perfectly healthy and she has experienced next to no discomfort -- simply amazing!! She couldn't be more happy or excited with her fabulous pierced ears. I highly recommend Blake at Nomad if you're getting your children's ears pierced. read more

Absolutely loved this place! I went in for a more delicate piercing and I must say Blake is truly one of the most professional and talented piercers Ive met. He informed me of the process, talked the whole time so I knew what to expect and made sure I was comfortable physically and psychologically through the whole thing. He went above and beyond to make sure my piercings were the correct length, taking extra time to make sure they looked their best. Yes the piercing hurt a little for a brief moment, but if you don't expect a little quick pinch of pain from getting a needle through your flesh you are dreaming. Quick then done. Blake is also not the kind of piercer to pierce and be done either. He told me to check back in a week and let him know if anything seems off. Then in a few months he said I can come back for some resizing. It feels great to know He cares about the quality of his piercings after! At nomad piercing I felt my insecurities fall away. I had what many shops considered an impossible piercing and he did it no problem. You want professional, talented, calm and not afraid of a challenge? See Blake at Nomad piercing. I may live a few hours away but I would happily make the trip to his shop for more piercings! read more

I took my 8 year old daughter to get her ears pierced at Nomad. I was impressed with the video on his website of young children getting their ears pierced. I left with mixed emotions after the experience. Cons: It is more expensive than I realized. I was expecting to spend about $50 and was surprised the minimum cost for children was $70. This was for basic silver hoops with a silver ball. To upgrade to colored jewels was an add'l $80 ($150 total). The post earings were around $120 or $130. After we arrived, we were told they take cash only. We had to leave, get cash and come back. I was surprised at how gruff Blake was to my daughter. He seemed less personable than on his videos. As my daughter sat quietly on the table, he told her that she needed to answer his questions loudly (no nodding allowed) or he would not proceed with the ear piercing and her mom would be out her money (really... saying this to an 8 year old?) My daughter is shy and she was "warned" by him a couple of times. There was not a lot of time given to cleaning instruction as I had expected. The only thing we were thanked for was for doing our research and coming there for the piercing. Pros: My daughter got beautiful piercings. The holes appear to be in the right spots. My daughter did not cry. Blake pierces the ear with a needle and not a gun and then loops the earing on. My daughter said it barely hurt and she is pretty sensitive to pain. She said it hurt less than getting a shot. It seems a more humane way to pierce than how the mall stores do it. Perhaps Blake's gruff personality works to keep kids in line. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Be warned - there was a sign that said wishy/washy kids, apprehensive kids, shy kids are not appropriate for Nomad's piercings. Once you pay, if your child is rejected, there are NO REFUNDS. You are out your money. read more

I went in to get a nose ring and got the impression that my personal preference did not matter at all. I wasn't given any information about how the ring would look, or if I had any choices in style. As Blake was putting the ring into my nose, and it was too late to change anything, he told me that I wouldn't be able to take it out by myself and would have to come back if I felt like changing the jewelry. I wasn't given any information prior to the purchase and when I returned fifteen minutes later to tell Blake that the 50 dollar ring I had bought wasn't exactly what I wanted he was rude and dismissive. He told me that the style I had was the one everybody else wanted and that he had been doing this for twenty years and knew best. I would not recommend buying any jewelry from Nomad. I feel ripped off and upset at the treatment I received there. read more

Blake - absolutely on point. Seems like the naysayers expect some cuddly tender bedside manner. I say shove it. The job was done extremely well, with the confidence and technique of a professional and plenty of communication. If I'm paying you to stab me, you better do it right, feelings be damned. Keep up the good work Blake. 10/10 will return. read more

We took our 4 month in to get her ears pierced and had a great experience. He was fast which made it a lot less painful for her. You can tell he is experienced with children. read more

This is THE BEST place to go for piercings. He's taken care of my girlfriend several times. The Nomad is, hands down, one of the nicest guys. He truly cares for his clients. Each time I felt that my girlfriend was being treated as family and not as income. He knows his stuff, more than anyone else i know. The shop is filled with beautiful artifacts from around the world and the walls are littered with notes of praise about his craftsmanship. I would highly recommend Nomad's any day of the week. He doesn't deal with crap jewelry. When you go to Nomad's you get quality. Going anywhere else would be selling yourself short. read more

NOT Kid Friendly. Their website seems to indicate they are good with children. Our experience was the EXTREME OPPOSITE of this. I understand piercing and what is needed to do it safely but I also know children. We watched their videos together with our daughter and discussed what would happen. We had prepared her as best we could at home and our daughter wanted to proceed. The proprietor/piercer did nothing to make our daughter feel good about her decision/experience. He was unfriendly and short with her. You need to have a little patience with children but there is NONE at this shop. At one point, he said to her directly that it would be a "blood bath" if she didn't sit still. This was before he even started anything. This experience that my daughter was excited yet anxious about was completely ruined. Our daughter had some tears after the first ear but was sitting still just as instructed. The proprietor/piercer refused to do her other ear while constantly throwing ethics and morals at us. I know my daughter and she would have been good finishing the job as but the proprietor/piercer wouldn't listen. Before starting he even joked about sending people away at his whim and keeping their money and that he had his own kid troubles and didn't have time for ours. I guess I don't understand why morals and ethics don't apply all the time instead of when they are convenient. Unfortunately we didn't see these red flags until we had already paid. We will not be getting her other ear pierced at this shop. We have since visited another piercer and our experience was exactly what we wanted for our daughter the first time. I wish we would have heeded the other reviews before selecting this shop. read more

I wouldn't trust anyone else with my piercings. I got my ears pierced here when I was in 3rd grade (now a freshman) and I'm soon to get my nose done there as well. I love it and the jewelry is awesome. It's pretty much painless. I. Love. It. read more

Went to Nomad twice and had a great experience both times. Blake, the owner, is professional, knowledgable and quick. If I get another piercing, there's no other place I'd go. read more

Great experience. I got my nose pierced here and the dude was very knowledgable and even has own book about piercings that he wrote. I would recommend to a friend. read more

I will echo what I have read on many other reviews here: this guy knows what he's doing! However if your looking for a sweet endearing experience/right of passage with your daughter, I don't think this will be it. His bedside manner is lacking, but kinda makes up for it in knowledge. It's also spendy. I was quite surprised at the $120 price tag for 7 year old ear piercing and also at the cash only policy that was not stated on the website. Oh and the parking sucks! read more

This man is very unprofessional, rude, and refuses to follow the protocols of cleanliness. Do not go there. No container marked for biohazard waste. He also refused customers request to have instruments autoclaved. Claims to know everything about piercing but does not practice what he preaches. read more

Blake, the owner and sole piercer at Nomad is the SINGLE WORST PIERCER I'VE EVER DEALT WITH IN MY LIFE. Save yourself the time, energy, and money and have your pediatrician pierce your kids ears instead. Let's start this review by saying that I had been trying to get my daughters ears pierced here for over a year (we live out of town) September of 2014 it was an issue of miscommunication after miscommunication on Nomad's end. Every person I talked to had a different story, from a simple "no, a 2.5 year old shouldn't get their ears pierced" to "we don't have the right jewelry". That should have been enough to drive me away, but I wanted to get my daughters ears pierced properly, so I figured I'd try again on our trip to Oregon this year. First, they wouldn't take my appointment over the phone, even though the voicemail specifically says they work with people from out of town. Then, we successfully made an appointment (over the phone, after talking to someone else) show up, and low and behold Blake isn't even there because he had an appointment...seriously?! Thanks for the courtesy call to let me know BEFORE I drive 45 minutes across town. So we reschedule for later in the week, but receive a phone call the night before letting us know Blake had family in town so he has to reschedule (again). AT LEAST they called to cancel, I suppose. FINALLY, we go to our appointment. His underage daughter was "working" behind the counter, and barely composed herself enough to get me the papers to sign. The ONE AND ONLY positive thing I can say is Blake was very nice once we got back into the piercing room. My daughter (3 years old) had a hard time, and cried pretty hard. He seemed to be impatient with the amount of time it took her to calm down between ears, telling me "I have a belly button appointment soon, so it's now or never". So he finished up, walks out to get my Mom (who had my wallet) and who was unknowingly to me, very upset about how my daughter reacted to the piercing. She was outside the shop crying and when she asked him how my daughter was, he replied "just emotionally scarred"...joke or not, that's not something you say to a hysterical person. She told him she didn't agree with my choice to pierce my daughters ears, and he COMPLETELY LOST IT. He told her that he will not stand there and be insulted about his career and that she needs to get the fuck away from his shop, then he storms back inside (where I'm waiting totally naive to what just happened) and says to me in front of my 3yo and I quote "Your mom is out of line, you need to fucking bounce. Now!" - I was completely dumbfounded and said "you haven't even told me how to clean her ears" and he said "Too bad, you need to leave" So to summarize everything; FUCK BLAKE AND FUCK NOMAD. You suck more than I could EVER express, and if I lived in Portland still, I would picket your POS shop EVERY DAMN DAY to make sure NO ONE ever has to experience what we did. read more