New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Best of New York 2014 • Health & Self

Best Piercer

  • J. Colby Smith, New York Adorned

    47 Second Ave., at 3rd St.; 212-473-0007

    Piercer J. Colby Smith has kept a low profile for most of his nine years at ink parlor New York Adorned. But, thanks to his popular Instagram feed, @jcolbysmith, he’s recently grown quite a following. His hypercustomized piercings (from $30) take into consideration your style as well your ear’s (or navel’s or nipple’s) particular shape; only after a thorough assessment does Smith suggest you go with a stud rather than a hoop for that part of your anatomy you never knew had a name like “daith,” “tragus,” or “conch.” Fortunately, the idea of puncturing those parts seems a lot less ominous in Smith’s sage presence, which is no doubt part of the draw for clients that include fashion editors, Scarlett Johansson, and (as Smith puts it cryptically) “royalty.” That, and the fact that the shop’s in-house designs—rose-gold hoops ($50) or a gold stud with a black diamond ($150)—are at once exquisite and tough.

Next: Hot-Stone Facial

From the 2014 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine

Advertising
Order the Issue Today

Cover of New York Magazine's Best of New York issue

Order This Issue

Other Best Of Guides

So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).

Read More...