Ten Tigers Body Piercing Now Open In The Castro

Ten Tigers Body Piercing Now Open In The CastroPhotos: Steven Bracco/Hoodline
Steven Bracco
Published on September 19, 2015

There's a new spot in the Castro for all your piercing needs. The gay-owned Ten Tigers Body Piercing has taken over the long-vacant former location of original Ike's Sandwich Shop on 16th Street, which closed back in 2010 amid neighbor complaints about noise, trash and crowds.

Ten Tigers opened back in August, and we caught up with owner Tori Venton to talk about the new business and see how things are going.

Tori has been piercing for over 10 years. She started in South Lake Tahoe, moved to Los Angeles for a three years, and then headed to San Francisco, where she finally decided to open up her own business after working at nearby Castro Tattoo A San Francisco resident since 2009, she currently lives out in the Visitacion Valley.

After working in tattoo parlors, Tori said she wanted to open her own piercing-only studio. "Piercing and tattooing are two completely different cultures that have different clientele and needs," she told us.


Opening up a new small business in San Francisco is never easy, and Ten Tigers was no exception. "It was really fucking hard!" Tori exclaimed. "It took about a month longer than I expected to finally get the doors open, but now that I'm open for business, I'm happy to be coming in to work every day and doing what I love."

In order to help with raising money to open her business, Tori raised a few thousand dollars through a past GoFundMe page, and more recently hosted a beer bust fundraiser at Qbar.

Tori explains that she has a passion for the art of piercing, and wants to make sure that every client is treated with the utmost respect. She's also focused on serving the needs of the neighborhood, and says that Ten Tigers is focused on being a speciality shop geared toward the gay men's community.

The vast majority of the piercings that Tori does are heavy gauge jewelry, nipples, and male genitals. Piercing prices for general piercings with basic jewelry start at about $60 and up, and prices vary depending on the location of the piercing and the type of jewelry. "All my jewelry is either implant-grade stainless steel, titanium, or 14 karat gold," she said. "I do sell organic jewelry, including wood, stone, bone, and horn, but mostly focus on heavier-gauge stainless-steel to satisfy my Castro clientele."

In naming the new spot, "I wanted something that had a fairly masculine sound to it, because the majority of my clients are men from the Castro," she explained. "I was also wanted something that sounded cool and inviting to all the young kids, and not too scary for the casual person getting pierced." Her own multiple tiger tattoos also help reinforce the theme.


From the outside of Ten Tigers, the first thing you'll notice is a large tiger sign hanging over the entryway. "A good friend and tattooer, Michael Boyle, is responsible for the original artwork, as well as the Ten Tigers font coming to the windows soon," Tori said. "My good friend Darren Thompson, of Reclaimed Sonoma, used Boyle's original design and made the sign above the door."

Venture inside, and you'll see that the interior has a lot of artwork up on the walls. "I wanted to have a place where I could display friends' artwork instead of the typical art you might see in a tattoo parlor," Tori said.



Tori says she plans on being in the neighborhood for a long time; she signed a five-year lease with the possibility of extending it to 10. "The first month of business has been pretty steady," Tori told us. "Castro Tattoo has been kind enough to send their old clients my way. In addition to regular clients, there's also been a steady amount of walk-ins."

For anyone thinking about opening a small business of their own, Tori suggests to "be prepared for the worst, but if you can weather the storm, it will all be worth it." Tori sees little changes day by day, and business is steadily growing. As Tori simply puts it, "don't be scared, just be prepared."

Ten Tigers Body Piercing is open Thursday through Tuesday from noon-7pm (closed Wednesdays). Walk-ins are welcome. While Tori works on getting the website up, which will include retail jewelry and a reservation system, feel free to explore Ten Tigers' Facebook page.