STUDIO BLOG

Why Jewelry Material Matters for Healing A fresh piercing is a wound, and the metal sitting inside it touches healing tissue around the clock. Cheap or mystery-alloy jewelry can release nickel and other metals into that tissue, which is a common reason piercings stay red, swollen, or irritated for longer than they should. That is why the material matters more than the style. At Costello we pierce with needles only, never piercing guns, and we pair that with jewelry made from

Three Cartilage Piercings, Three Different Healing Stories Daith, rook, and conch piercings all go through ear cartilage, so people tend to lump them together. They heal differently, they sit in different spots, and they ask different things of you in daily life. This page lays the three side by side so you know what you are signing up for before you book. One note first. Healing is not a stopwatch. Cartilage heals slowly, and the ranges below are general. Your own body, your

A Piercing Studio in Sherman Oaks Built Around Specialty Work Costello is a tattoo and piercing studio at 14434 Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. Piercing is the side of the business we are building out, and the placements we spend the most time on are the ones that take real skill: daith, rook, conch, industrial, septum, nipple, surface piercings and dermal anchors. If you have been searching for a piercing studio or body piercing studios near you in the Valley, this page covers

What Does a Piercing Actually Feel Like? Most people ask about pain before they ask about anything else. That's fair. Knowing what to expect makes the whole experience easier, and a needle piercing feels different from what most people imagine. The sensation is brief and sharp, typically lasting less than a second. What follows is more of a dull throb or mild pressure as the piercer places the jewelry. The anticipation is usually worse than the piercing itself. At Costello, a

What Downsizing Actually Means When a piercer places a fresh piercing, the initial jewelry is deliberately longer or larger than what you'll wear long-term. That extra length is there to accommodate swelling. In the first few weeks, the tissue around a new piercing can swell noticeably, and a snug piece of jewelry during that phase would press into the skin, restrict blood flow, and make healing significantly harder. Downsizing is the process of returning to the studio so a l

Your First Piercing Appointment at Costello in Sherman Oaks Getting your first piercing can feel equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking. Not knowing what happens when you walk through the door is usually the biggest source of anxiety, and that's completely normal. This page walks you through the full experience at Costello in Sherman Oaks, from booking to leaving the studio with your new piercing and knowing exactly how to care for it. All piercings at Costello are done by a

Two Piercings, One Guide Septum and nipple piercings are two of the most requested specialty piercings at Costello, and they also generate the most questions before people book. That makes sense. Both go in spots you can't see easily during the procedure, both have longer healing windows than a standard lobe piercing, and both come with practical day-to-day considerations people don't always think about ahead of time. This guide covers what actually happens during the appoint

What Are Dermal Anchors and Surface Piercings? Dermal anchors and surface piercings both sit on flat areas of skin rather than passing through a fold of tissue the way a lobe or cartilage piercing does. That makes them visually striking and highly customizable in terms of placement, but it also means they behave differently during healing and require a bit more attention than a standard piercing. A dermal anchor (sometimes called a microdermal) consists of a small flat base t

How Much Does a Tattoo Hurt? It Depends Where Pain is one of the most common concerns people have before getting tattooed, and the honest answer is that placement matters more than almost anything else. The same needle, the same artist, the same design -- placed on two different parts of your body -- can feel completely different. Skin thickness, the density of nerve endings, and how close the needle gets to bone all change how a tattoo feels. Some spots are mild enough that

What Black and Grey Realism Actually Is Black and grey realism is a tattoo style built around one goal: making the subject look as close to a photograph as possible, using only black ink, white highlights, and the full spectrum of grey in between. There's no color. The depth, dimension, and emotion in the piece come entirely from shading, contrast, and how the artist handles light. The style has deep roots in the tattoo world, particularly in Los Angeles and the surrounding r

The Most Common Ear Piercing Types and What They're Called Ear piercing names can be confusing, especially when you're looking at a reference photo and trying to figure out what you're actually asking for. This guide covers the most common ear piercing placements, what each one involves, and how long you can realistically expect it to take to heal. At Costello Tattoo Studio in Sherman Oaks, we do ear and body piercings alongside our tattoo work. Walk-ins are welcome, and the

What a Cover-Up Tattoo Actually Involves A cover-up tattoo places new ink directly over an existing piece you want gone or hidden. It is not the same as a laser removal session, and it is not a faint overlay. Done well, it transforms old work into something you actually want to show off. Done poorly, it just adds more ink to a problem area. At Costello Tattoo in Sherman Oaks, the artists approach cover-ups as a design challenge with real constraints. The old tattoo does not d

What Fine Line Tattoos Actually Are Fine line tattooing uses very thin needles to create delicate, precise designs with minimal line weight. The result looks closer to a pencil drawing or engraving than a traditional tattoo. Popular subjects include botanical illustrations, small portraits, minimalist script, geometric patterns, and abstract linework. What separates fine line from other styles is the level of control required. A bold traditional tattoo has room for minor inco

What to Know Before You Plan a Cover-Up Cover-up tattoos are some of the most technically demanding work any artist takes on. Unlike a fresh tattoo, a cover-up requires the artist to work around existing ink, which shapes everything from design options to how long the session will take. If you have a tattoo you want gone or transformed, the good news is that most pieces can be covered with the right approach. But it helps to understand what you're working with before you walk

What Is a Sleeve Tattoo? A sleeve tattoo covers the arm with connected or thematically unified ink, from a small grouping that fills the upper arm to a full piece running shoulder to wrist. The term gets used loosely, so it helps to know the three main versions before you start planning. Full sleeve: Shoulder to wrist. This is the biggest commitment in terms of time, money, and visibility. Expect multiple sessions spread over months. Half sleeve: Either the upper arm (shoulde

What American Traditional Tattoos Actually Are American traditional tattooing is one of the oldest and most recognizable styles in the world. You know it when you see it: thick black outlines, a flat color palette of red, green, yellow, and blue, and subject matter pulled from a catalogue of classic images - anchors, eagles, roses, daggers, swallows, pin-ups, panthers, and hearts. The style traces its roots to the late 1800s and early 1900s, when sailors and travelers got t

The Short Answer: Skip the Neosporin Neosporin is a staple in most medicine cabinets, so it makes sense to reach for it when your new tattoo looks red or irritated. But most tattoo artists, including the team at Costello Tattoo in Sherman Oaks, will tell you the same thing: keep it away from fresh ink. A healing tattoo is an open wound, but it's not the same kind of wound as a cut or scrape. The aftercare it needs is different, and Neosporin can actually interfere with the he

The Short Answer on Vaseline and Fresh Tattoos Vaseline comes up constantly in tattoo aftercare conversations, mostly because it's cheap, easy to find, and people have used it on cuts and dry skin for decades. But fresh tattoo skin is a different situation, and petroleum jelly is generally not the right tool for healing it. The short answer: no, Vaseline is not recommended for a new tattoo. It's not going to destroy your ink, but it can slow down the healing process in ways t

What Fine Line Tattooing Actually Is Fine line tattooing uses a single needle or very small needle groupings to create thin, precise lines with subtle shading. The result is something closer to a drawing on skin than a traditional tattoo. Details are tight, edges are clean, and the overall effect tends to be delicate rather than bold. This is different from traditional or neo-traditional styles, which rely on thick outlines and heavy ink saturation to hold their look over tim

Cover-Up Tattoos in Los Angeles: What's Actually Possible A tattoo you regret doesn't have to stay that way. Cover-up tattoos have come a long way, and the right artist can transform almost anything into something you're proud to show off. If you're searching for a cover-up tattoo artist in Los Angeles, Costello Tattoo in Sherman Oaks works with clients regularly on cover-up projects, from faded old-school pieces to names, dates, and designs that no longer fit. The key is kno