Meet Karla Loredo Silva | Owner and Piercer at No Ragrets Tattoo and Piercing Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karla Loredo Silva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karla, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Piercers do a lot more than just “poke holes.” There’s a whole world of knowledge and responsibility behind every single piercing. A professional piercer needs to understand anatomy — because not every piercing works for every body. If someone doesn’t have the right anatomy and still gets a certain piercing, it can cause serious harm.

This is especially true with “fad piercings” like the snake eyes, this is a horizontal bar through the tip of the tongue. It might look cool, but no one actually has the anatomy to safely support it. The tongue is made of two separate muscles, and forcing them together with a barbell can lead to nerve damage, numbness, and even long-term speech issues.

But it’s not just about anatomy. We’re also responsible for maintaining a sterile, safe environment. Every piece of jewelry and every tool we use has to be thoroughly cleaned in a high-grade ultrasonic machine, bagged, and then sterilized in a steam autoclave. And before we even begin a piercing, we sterilize the area of the body we’re working on — usually with iodine unless the client has a shellfish allergy, in which case we use an appropriate antiseptic instead.

Cross-contamination is a huge concern, too. If we touch anything outside our sterile setup, we change gloves. No exceptions. It’s about protecting the client and keeping the piercing as safe as possible.

And beyond all of that, we also need to be trained in basic first aid and bloodborne pathogens. I’ve had clients faint or even throw up after getting pierced. It’s part of our job to recognize those warning signs and take care of them properly — calmly, professionally, and with compassion.

At the end of the day, piercing is about way more than aesthetics. It’s a serious craft rooted in science, safety, and care.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve created this studio with real life in mind — not just business as usual. What I am most proud of, in that respect, is that we treat our artists as human beings, not merely as individuals working behind a chair. We broke the mold by leaving the shop open during the day for walk-ins, while giving our artists the option to set their own late hours if that makes more sense for their lives. Flexibility is more than a perk — it’s how we keep our creativity alive and our people healthy.

As a parent myself, I understand the work-family pull. What I really want to avoid is my kids’ growth milestones just to support them — and I definitely don’t want that to be the expectation. Building a business that has allowed me to be engaged with my family and to grow in the professional world has not been a walk in the park, to say the least, but I need to learn, I need to stay up late, I need to stretch myself in all directions. I ultimately do this for a much bigger picture of a life in which my own kids don’t need to work as hard just to move the needle.

To me, building a legacy is profoundly important — more than just a business, but something that has meaning and substance that I wasn’t given, but is now within my grasp, and I can now pass on. One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is how much discipline is needed to keep it all moving — how diligent I needed to be to check every box, and hit every deadline, with a high level of quality.

Managing time has been my most important tool. And burnout? My biggest challenge. But every time I get pushed to the brink of burnout, I learn a little more of what matters — and I get a little more determined to continue to produce something that connects passion with purpose, work with well-being, and business with love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite places to go for a night out is K-Town in Carrollton. It’s a great spot to unwind and enjoy some good food and company. I usually start at Ddong Ggo TX, a Korean bar food restaurant that never disappoints. The dishes are served family-style (or at least that’s how we eat them) and the watermelon soju is always a highlight. Their cheese island is another favorite; it’s everything but simple and hits the spot every time. After eating and having a few drinks, we usually walk over to Singbox for karaoke. It’s the perfect way to end the night, singing early 2000s throwbacks, relaxing with friends, and just having fun. Nothing too fancy, but always a good time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest supporter throughout this entire journey has been my husband. He’s stood by me through every chapter — no matter how big, unexpected, or “crazy” my ideas might have seemed at the time.

He supported me in my career path outside of the Tattoo and Piercing Studio — never questioning my choices, always encouraging me to chase whatever lit a spark up inside of me. When I told him I wanted to start this business, he jumped in beside me with full support, even when the road ahead was uncertain and full of late nights, long hours, and big risks.

When I made the decision to learn how to pierce professionally — he came with me all the way to Louisiana so I could get properly certified. He’s been right there through the learning curves, the stressful days, and the small wins that felt huge. And when I said I wanted to go back to college and get my degree — he was all in, never once making me feel like I had to choose between my growth and our family or between ambition and stability.

Having someone who not only believes in you but actively lifts you up changes everything.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/noragretsstudio/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixpathspiercing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlaloredosilva/