We love piercings. We love them in our ears, in our noses, heck, even in our hair. Finally, we've passed the point of stigma, and having multiple piercings (or tattoos) is becoming seen and valued as a vehicle of self-expression.

It’s no secret that we’re loyal fans of L.A.'s piercer-to-the-stars Brian Keith Thompson....

When I first step into Body Electric off Melrose Avenue, I am overwhelmed by the sound of loud buzzing. There are 5 people getting tattooed behind the reception desk. I sit down next to a FedEX delivery man (still in uniform) and a 40-year-old mom (reading a Pretty Little Liars script)— typical Hollywood...

“For years before I got into this, piercers were frowned upon and laughed at in tattoo studios,” Thompson says. “They got no respect, and I changed that.

Brian Keith Thompson, 44, is a piercer and the owner of Body Electric Tattoo and Piercing in Los Angeles.