Eduardo Chavarria (He/Him)
I am the owner of Safe Harbor Body Adornment.
I am the proud son of Salvadoran immigrants and am eternally grateful for the sacrifices my parents made to ensure their family a better life. I am honored to know I have made them proud and that everything they did for their family was worth it.
I have been an Association of Professional Piercers (APP) member in good standing since 2006, I’m a former board member, instructor and a current member of the APP conference committee and assist in organizing its yearly educational conferences. My journey into body piercing started in 1996 when I received my first piercing and sensed right away that it was the beginning of something really special for me.
My interest in piercing led me to help start a performance art troupe that offered shows based upon piercing and inspired by body mortification rituals from around the world. In 2001, involvement in performance art led me to a piercing apprenticeship and to becoming a body piercer whose practice has consistently met and surpassed industry standards.
In 2006, I accepted my first job outside of the shop where I had apprenticed and that is when the real journey began. Following this, from 2008 through 2011, I was fortunate to travel across the country as a guest piercer working at some of our nation’s top piercing studios. Then toward the end of 2012, I accepted a piercing position in Philadelphia where I found “home.”
After a few years, I realized that the next step of my career path was to open my own shop. So, in 2017, I began to take on the challenge of opening my own studio with focused attention while again traveling the country guest piercing. At last, I found my brick and mortar location in the lovely Borough of West Chester, PA and the doors of my shop opened on January 2, 2020.
Despite the challenges of a world wide pandemic, with steadfast positivity, lots of work and incredible supports, my shop, Safe Harbor Body Adornment, has flourished. Growth, business responsibilities, personal responsibilities and (I hate to admit) aging have shifted my focus to the back end of business. Learning to be a fair employer as well a good boss and mentor have taken the place of facilitating piercing experiences. I have now entered a new world of learning and challenge and accept it with grace and humility.
I am forever grateful for the help that I have received. Shop success would not have been possible without family, friends and you.
Keila (She/Her)
Hi. My name is Keila (pronounced Kayla). I’ve been piercing since 2021. My focus is on excellent placement, thorough consultations and ideal healing. I care about your piercing from initial marking to fully healed. Through patience and compassion I can help you navigate any self doubt, lifestyle complications or fear you might have about the process. I’ve been known to be a talker, but I can assure you that you will feel confident in taking care and healing your new piercing. My goal is for you to have a great piercing experience and that I get to see you smile! If you are passionate about your body adornment, I’m your girl. Have a question? Please feel free to ask me.
I was kind of the weird kid growing up, always interested in the alternative aspects to life and expression. I had a few bad experiences with earlobe piercings as a child but was introduced to the world of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) once in college. At this time, I met Eduardo and that which started as a client relationship developed into a many year friendship and then became a mentorship. Since 2021, I have pierced as a guest artist in different states, participated in the basic and advanced Fakir piercing intensives, gone to multiple APP conferences and volunteered on the APP membership committee. What I like about piercing is the anatomical differences in every individual, discovering the reasons people adorn themselves and the many approaches that can be taken to reach an ideal outcome.
Outside of piercing I’m passionate about veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, house plants and 2000 emo throwbacks. On my days away from the studio you can catch me curled up with a book, suffering at the gym, hanging out with my pets or hiking and attempting to identify native plants in the forest.
Pixie Sic (They/Them)
Pixie was born Sarah Anne Pereira in the small New Jersey borough of Metuchen. They were first introduced to the world of body modification in the mid 90s through browsing tattoo and piercing publications and other magazines at the local train station new stand, and malls. The articles and photographs always had them in awe of the many variations of body adornment. Enhancing the anatomy and the amazing artistic expression of self through piercings, tattoos, and alternative hairstyles, struck a chord and resonated deeply.
Pixie began piercing themselves at an early age (albeit naïvely and inexperienced) as a way to reclaim bodily autonomy after a traumatic event in their young teens. By the age of 15 they had tattoo, modification, and adornment plans laid out for most of their body.
During high school and after graduation, they enjoyed taking the train with friends to the West Village in New York. Here they met, became friends with, and had their first professional piercings and suspensions facilitated by Arwen “Spliff” Rosa, Josh Lobes, Gigi Disgrace, and the Disgraceland family freak-show and hook squad. These experiences of experimental exploration on the body, transformed them tremendously and helped them decide that this was something they wanted to pursue, share, and provide for others in the future!
The trajectory of their path deviated for a time between 2002 and 2004. They enjoyed a season with the cheerleading squad at Kean University in Union, New Jersey and then was accepted to the Walt Disney World college program in Orlando, Florida. They spent a year working at Epcot Park “Making Magic” and meeting students from all over the world. Afterward, even more inspired to follow their passions they returned to New Jersey with every intention of pursuing piercing and body modification as a career path in full force.
In September, 2005 with very limited Internet searching abilities, they were able to find and secure a spot at a 240hr. intensive piercing training program located outside of Detroit, Michigan. They obtained blood-borne pathogens, CPR, and first aid training, then attended as an opportunity to get a foot in the door and be taken more seriously in their pursuit. After their return they were accepted into a two-year apprenticeship under Michael Sedges at Fatt Starr tattoo and body piercing in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Towards the end of the apprenticeship, getting ready to head into being a full-time body piercer – and despite their parents not being thrilled, although tolerant – they had the first of many facial piercings performed: including paired nostrils, a septum, and (their personal favorites) experimental paired anti-eyebrow piercings.
In 2007, Pixie relocated to Philadelphia and were able to find work at a few studios around the city in Fishtown, Northern Liberties and Olney where they were able to hone their skills and bedside manner with clients from all walks of life. Eventually, they ended up at Rumi Tattoo in Manayunk towards the end of 2010. The owner Howard “Cosmo” Saunders, made a huge impression on Pixie through spirituality and artistic self expression. They had every intention of calling that space their long-term “home”, however, after an amazing and incredible three years, Cosmo was in a motorcycle accident that unfortunately claimed his life.
After this exceptionally sad and tragic event, Pixie was offered a position at Body Graphics and Nokaoi. Considering the circumstances, this would become a blessing in disguise. Upon hire, their eyes were fully opened to high-quality body jewelry options and piercing standards that until then had been elusive. Spending six years on the team at the Pennsauken Body Graphics location, they learned new skills and grew their existing ones by working alongside the incredibly knowledgeable and talented Haley Street and Luis Garcia. Pixie acquired approval for Association of Professional Piercers membership.
Looking to continue to progress, to learn more, and to meet/network with more folks in the industry starting in January, 2020 they spent another almost 6 years as a piercer at Infinite Body Piercing in Queen Village. During that time, they experienced a severe depressive episode due to the difficulties of dissolving an almost 10yr marriage/15yr relationship. The support that they believed they would have from their peers and coworkers was not what they had hoped for or anticipated as they explained their situation and asked for grace, understanding and sympathy considering their fragile emotional state.
With all of that in mind, in October, 2025, it was time again to move on. Feeling run down, overworked and under appreciated, the change they were needing was to find a more quiet and relaxing atmosphere in order to provide a calmer, more thoughtful and thorough experience to their clients and avoid burnout, all of which brought them here to Safe Harbor Body Adornment in December, 2025.
Pixie loves having the ability to flatter each client’s individual and unique anatomy shapes with stunning high-quality body jewelry and especially doing custom bent industrial piercings and multiple point ear projects, along with symmetrical piercings such as nipples, paired nostrils, and paired lip piercings.
In their spare time, when not in the studio doing piercings or decorative scarification, their hobbies include doing DIY projects around their home in beautiful Cheltenham, PA, as well as cuddling/hanging out with their many pets, including four cats, a mini cockapoo pup, a ball python snake, and a few fish in an outdoor pond, and spending time with their friends and family as often as possible. They enjoy relaxing with many artistic endeavors such as knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, building shadowboxes, working with stained glass, mosaic, and macramé jewelry making or occasionally drawing/painting, playing brain games like Word search, sudoku, or putting together a fun puzzle or Lego set. A few of their favorite things in life are a fancy rock and/or seashell and BUBBLES!!
Pixie is looking forward to continuing a long and wonderful career providing adornments to their clients’ skin and hopefully touching their hearts too. Any clients, long-term and new, are welcome to request Pixie when coming into the studio or scheduling online. Consultation visits, check ups or new procedures, are all welcome with open arms. Pixie has been told they have a heart of gold and the softest, most gentle “angel baby hands.” They’ll happily take the best care of you they possibly can, and will hopefully be able to do so for a long time with love and admiration for their craft.
Esse K (they/she)
Esse (pronounced as “ESS-ee,” /ˈɛs.i/) is a mixed, queer, fat femme who was born and raised in North Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in December 2010, majoring in Media Studies with a focus in Film & Video Production and a double minor in Radio and Psychology. After college, they moved to New York for three years before settling in Philadelphia in 2013. In Philadelphia, Essie worked behind the counter of a world-renowned piercing shop from 2014-2017 where Eduardo was the head piercer before leaving the industry for more traditional work in logistical operations and the non-profit sector.
Over the past few years, Esse has picked up shifts behind the counter at Safe Harbor Body Adornment while the regular staff were attending the Association of Professional Piercers Conference or doing guest work. In the summer of 2025, Eduardo contacted Esse directly to offer them a temporary position as the Front of House Staff Trainer. However, with her enthusiasm, knowledge, and skillset, the role quickly transitioned into a full-time permanent position as the Front of House and Operations Specialist.
More than “just” a counter person, Esse aims to make sure clients get the most out of their piercing experience. Esse helps them find their perfect piece of jewelry, answers a plethora of questions, handles the majority of shop communications and maintains the atmosphere of the studio. Esse is passionate about the work that they do and the clients who enjoy their time with Esse as much as their time with their piercers.
Outside of the piercing industry, Esse is a multi-disciplinary artist with over twenty years of professional performing experience. She is a self-published author, serial craft hobbyist, intersectional feminist advocate, and tarot card reader. You can learn more about her writing and performance work on her website.
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