Elayne Angel
Elayne Angel is an American body piercer, author, and educator who has advanced professional standards in body piercing since the 1980s.[1] She began her career as manager of Gauntlet Enterprises in West Hollywood, the first dedicated piercing studio in the United States, where she contributed to establishing safe practices amid the early commercialization of the industry.[1] Angel has performed over 50,000 piercings and is credited with innovating techniques such as the fourchette, lorum, and triangle piercings, as well as popularizing tongue piercings.[1] As a long-serving member of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) since 1996, she held roles including outreach coordinator, medical liaison, and president from 2011 to 2014, while also editing the organization's journal The Point for multiple issues.[1][2] Angel authored The Piercing Bible: The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing (2009, revised 2021), a comprehensive resource on piercing procedures, aftercare, and troubleshooting, and received the APP's President's Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to health, safety, and education in the field.[1][3] Now residing in Mexico, she provides online consultations and continues to advocate for evidence-based piercing practices.[4]