Paul King has been a professional Body Piercer since 1991. He is Gauntlet trained and certified with a one and half year apprenticeship under Elayne Angel, author of The Piercing Bible. He worked in all three former Gauntlet locations, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and was store manager of LA and NYC. In 1996 Jim Ward, Founder of Gauntlet, awarded Paul with the honorary title of Master Piercer. He apprenticed many Piercers for Gauntlet as well as co-taught Gauntlet Training seminars.
In 1999, Paul partnered to create Cold Steel America, tattooing and piercing services in San Francisco, California. He is an active member of the Association of Professional Piercers. Recently he successfully completed a three-year elected position as a board member for the APP. In 2007, he received the APP’s President’s Award for contributions to the Piercing Industry. Currently, he is the board appointed Treasurer for the APP and founder and chair of the Body Piercing Archive. www.bodypiercingarchive.org
In 2014, Paul received his BA in Anthropology with highest honors. He lectures at universities and conferences on various aspects of body modification. He is an avid traveler, collector and student of anthropology. Please visit www.safepiercing.org to read his articles on piercing history and traditional practices in issues of The Point.
Classes
…in North America and Western Europe: the Dark Ages through the Renaissance.
This lecture traces important technological advancements and cultural events affecting social attitudes and proliferating corporeal modification, shown primarily through the varied practices of body piercing.
Spanning a 100-year period, new discoveries of arcane histories and images enrich this fundamental course in the history of modern Western body piercing.
In honor and celebration of a subcultural icon, this presentation examines nearly eight decades of his art and exploration in using “the body as the door to the spirit.” “In Pursuit of the Spirit” reflects upon his legacy by examining Fakir Musafar’s last autobiographical presentation, “My Journey” (2010). Arguably, “My Journey” highlighted what Fakir felt were his greatest lifetime achievements. What might he have overlooked and what might this body of work mean to future generations?
Becky Dill has been a professional body piercer since 2003 and currently co-owns Lemonade Piercing in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Becky is a long time volunteer and former President of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP).
Since 2016 Becky has been an instructor for the Fakir Intensives School of Body Piercing, now called the Fakir Musafar Foundation. This school is the legacy of piercing pioneer Fakir Musafar and teaches skilled, safe, aesthetically pleasing, and sophisticated body piercing.
Becky loves to share information and values the exchange of knowledge. In 2009 she founded the Bay Area Piercer’s Group where neighboring professionals in the piercing industry can get together, keep positive communication, and offer continuing education opportunities. This effort to push community over competition has made a positive impact on a local level, and has inspired similar piercing groups to form across the world.
Classes
What is a “flat” anyway? Join Becky as she dives into these popular and stunning ear cartilage piercings. Topics covered will include anatomical variations, placement, piercing techniques, healing, and jewelry considerations.
This presentation covers ideas and tips for communicating with a customer interested in receiving genital piercings. Topics include the initial conversation, the use of visuals, informed consent, setting expectations, and perfoming a physical consultation.
Also will be an in-depth review of the highly popular (and easy to botch) Vertical Clitoral Hood Piercings. Topics will include consultation, anatomy, jewelry considerations, and piercing techniques.
Becky will discuss placement, piercing techniques, healing, and client communication. Attendees should leave with a better understanding of labia and triangle piercings and more confidence when identifying the anatomical features needed for it to be safe and viable.
Cale Belford has been piercing professionally since 2005 and is the owner of Oleander Piercing in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. She has been volunteering with the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) since 2014 and served on the APP Board of Directors from 2019-2025.
Cale is passionate about the piercing community and especially enjoys engaging with new piercers and helping make positive changes in studios. She loves to share information and has been a speaker at various conferences and events around the world. She travels regularly between America and Europe offering educational seminars and has been featured in a variety of piercing related podcasts and publications.
And she loves cats!!!
Classes
An in-depth discussion regarding back to front and inside out techniques on ears, nostrils & lips while using less tools.
Hands-on session where the room is split into groups and rotated every 20-30 minutes to watch live action marking with different professionals.
André Fernandes is a Brazilian piercer, born in São Paulo, who began his career in 1997. For 12 years he worked at the renowned Tattoo You. He has traveled to several countries in search of knowledge and improvement, including: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Germany, England, Norway, Mexico, Japan, China, Italy and the United States.
He is a member of the APP (Association of Professional Piercers) and the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). He is the current President of APPBR (Association of Piercing Professionals of Brazil) and Co-founder of GEP (Piercing Study Group).
He is a Partner at Titânio Mill and Co-Owner of Millennium Piercing.
He has been a speaker at several prominent events such as LBP (Latinoamérica Body Piercing), BMXNet, APPBR, Cubic Seminars and for the first time, this year, at the APP conference in Las Vegas.
Classes
Every belly button is unique! This class covers the different anatomies, helping you choose the most comfortable jewelry and defining the best angle for piercing.
A reflection on the body piercer’s daily decisions, from the selection of materials to the approach with clients, ensuring safety, quality and responsibility in the profession.
Gladix Pino García, also known as Gladix Porca Miseria, is a professional piercer and body modification artist from Madrid, Spain.
The 1990s saw the beginning of her journey, with inspiration from the punk counterculture and an early exposure to professional body piercing playing a significant role.
In 2004, she opened her first studio, Porca Miseria Tattoo &Piercing, in Madrid’s Vallecas district. This marked the beginning of her path toward professionalization.
From 2011 to 2016, she lived in the Netherlands and Germany, expanding her professional network and collaborating with studios across Europe.
In 2017, after settling in Zaragoza, she co-founded Golden Eye Piercing & Tattoo with the goal of bringing the quality standards and professionalism she had experienced abroad back to Spain. That same year, she co-founded the Spanish Association of Professional Piercers APPE . She currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer of the APPE.
Gladix has participated as a speaker at several of the world’s most respected international piercing conferences, like GEP in São Paulo; PCP in Medellín; Seminarios Argentina in Mar de Plata; Piercing Workshop in Santiago Chile and APPE – Zaragoza.
She currently combines her work at Golden Eye with her roles as an educator and international conference speaker. She continues to work regularly in renowned studios throughout Europe and Spain. In recent years, she has also begun collaborating with local high schools in Zaragoza, where she gives educational talks to teenagers about safe and responsible piercing practices.
Classes
In this class, we’ll explore the basics of helix piercing.
Anatomy, jewelry selection, and good technique play a very important role in successful healing.
With the basics in this class, we’ll understand how to minimize problems and maximize the success of our piercings.
In addition to exploring the basic foundations in terms of anatomy, jewelry selection and technique, in this class we will also explore the importance of good marking and use of the necessary tools to perform this piercing, which due to the complexity of its anatomy and little space when piercing, is often complicated for us.
Matías Tafel is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a Professional Piercer, honorary member of APPBR and a former board member of LBP.
He is an active member of the teaching staff for the hygiene and sanitation course offered by the Buenos Aires City government under Law 1897, in accordance with the regulations of the Argentine Ministry of Health.
He has been an active speaker since 2004 on safe practices in professional body piercing in Latin America, Europe, and the United States, as well as at international professional body piercing conferences (LBP (Mexico) and GEP (Brazil), among others.
He began his career in 1996, pursuing professional training by attending classes on biosafety, sterilization, disinfection, first aid, and skin physiology, among others. He has also attended APP, LBP, GEP, and APPE, where he has continued his learning about piercings. Matias is Co-founder of Cubic Piercing & Tattoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Co-founder of Cubic Body Jewelry and International Representative of Arven Jewelry.
Classes
In this class, we’ll discover the name and origin of the piercing, as well as analyze the technical and anatomical complexities of this beautiful piercing.
This class brings together a look at how it was used in the beginnings of societies and how it is applied in modern society.
Stuart is the owner of Hofman Piercing & Fine Jewelry in Dordrecht, Netherlands and is a member of both the APP & APP Benelux (APPBNL).
He is a founding member of APPBNL and is currently serving on the APPBNL Board of Directors as the Secretary Medical Liaison and International Liaison. He is passionate about spreading safe piercing information throughout the European community and has been a speaker at various events and seminars.
In his free time, Stuart enjoys collecting vintage coins, playing minecraft and learning about world history.
Class
Stuart will present us with a hands-on workshop where needles will be the piece of art. During the Workshop part, Stuart will show how to make tools, crush blades, bend blades and compare types of needles with each other and modified variants.
Cristiana, better known as Valquíria, was born and raised in Lisbon, where she began her journey into the world of body modification in 2014.
She began as a tattoo apprentice at the El Diablo studio, where, due to the studio’s needs, she discovered her true passion: body piercing. Since then, Valquíria has dedicated herself to the art of piercing with professionalism, technique and sensitivity, striving to be a reference in the field.
With a careful approach and refined aesthetics, she always seeks to provide safety, comfort and style to each client she serves. Her goal is to make this profession safe for everyone who practices it.
Class
This class aims to give voice to the difficulties faced by independent piercers – whether they work in their own studios or those of third parties – and to present viable solutions to deal with the adversities of the profession with creativity, objectivity and diplomacy.
Filipa, originally from Setúbal, has been a piercer for 7 years and is the owner of 11:11, the first exclusive piercing jewelry store in Portugal.
She has always been passionate about different forms of communication and managed to combine her academic studies with her heart’s calling: piercing.
At the age of 11, she got her first piercing and then she knew she would be connected to this world forever. She is passionate about ear piercings, nipple piercings and exotic piercings, but gold jewelry is her heart! Focused on ethical, safe and aseptic procedures, piercing is much more than just a simple piercing.
It is a commitment we make to our bodies and a milestone in each person’s history and experience. As she often says, respect your piercing.
Class
In this session, Filipa will explore how communication — verbal and nonverbal — can completely transform the customer experience in a store. Through active listening, careful observation and an empathetic approach, it is possible to deeply understand the needs, preferences and anatomy of each customer, ensuring a safer, more personalized and memorable result.
She will discuss how small details make big differences, one of which is capturing unspoken signals through body language. She will cover practical exercises that help interpret preferences, demystify objections and structure more ethical and effective sales, always prioritizing the well-being and freedom of the customer.
She will also delve into the mindset of conscious sales: how to communicate strategically but honestly, captivating the customer without forcing. Because more than selling, we want to connect.
After all, communicating well is caring — and in the world of piercing, that makes all the difference.
Miguel Cachada has been a Professional Body Piercer since 2010.
He is the Co-Founder and legal representative of the Iron Piercing trademark and the Founder of the MACC Project – Contemporary Body Art Exhibition.
Dr. Ana Margarida Frutuoso has an Integrated Master’s Degree in Dentistry since 2019.
From 2019 to 2022 she practiced Preventive Dentistry and since 2023 she has been practicing Preventive Dentistry and Oral Rehabilitation.
Class
A workshop that combines the art of body piercing with the clinical knowledge of dentistry.
With the special participation of Dr Ana Margarida Frutuoso, we will reflect, question and improve the way we approach piercings in the oral cavity.