Summary
This research paper delves into the pervasive issue of a toxic culture within the body modification industry, particularly in tattoo and piercing shops, where traditional values often act as gatekeepers, excluding those less privileged and allowing unsafe practices to persist. Despite recent improvements in regulations, many piercing artists work in unregistered shops, lacking community oversight. This negatively impacts both apprentices and clients, leading to exploitation, burnout, and misinformation. The historical lack of industry regulations contributes to this problem, with recent interest surges and self-taught artists further complicating matters. The paper aims to examine the regulatory disparities between body modification and luxury service industries, proposing changes for a standardized, quality treatment for all involved. The literature review highlights the industry's unsafe culture rooted in hierarchy, historical lack of regulations, and recent efforts to establish guidelines. The research methods involve a needs assessment, utilizing an observational approach and qualitative data collection to synthesize information from public databases, text, and media. The study faces challenges in assessing shop success due to editable reviews and varying definitions of success.