How does one find a "reputable" piercing shop?

Call around and ask many questions. Also when you go in, if they are asking you to please not touch any of the jewelry, that is usually a good sign.

This is hard, since you have no way of going by word of mouth..which is usually a great way to start.
I’d say physically go to the shops and check them out. You can pretty much tell if it’s a skeevy place or high end. You could google your town plus piercings and see if there are any reviews.

This may sound forward, but if you see someone with piercings/tattoos, first go up and complement them on them and chat a bit. Then ask them who they would recommend.

1) Ask someone you meet who has lots of piercings and some killer tattoos.

2) Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints. Give the business 10 extra points if the actually belong to the Bettter Business Bureau.

@Shemarq: It’s not a work of art. I just want them to be clean and know what they’re doing. Plus a lot of the people that have the most tattoos and piercings are the most cheapskates about it.

A basic tip is to ask if they autoclave. Nicer shops will. Ask if they are Gauntlet Trained and/or certified. Ask how many piercings, of the one you want, they have done. Ask for a tour of the studio- good studios will always give a tour and be willing to show you happily around. Ask for their portfolio and references if you need another layer of security.

@La_chica_gomela not necessarily. i know alot of people who have a handful or more of piercings and tattoos (myself included [9 piercings, 1 tattoo and working on more]) who arent cheapskates about it. each of my piercings were 50 bucks or more at the best piercing place here in Oklahoma. of course since i live in the state that has the lowest cost of living, 50 bucks might not sound like alot for someone who lives in California. but its big bucks to me. i would do what @Darwin said and take it from me what @Freedom_Issues says is right on the money

My daughter was a piercer at 23rd St. in Oklahoma, until recently, when she moved back home and is now working at Cold Steel in San Francisco. (@Dezimae, bet you met her!)
She always says the best piercing shops are members of The Association of Professional Piercers. Their website should be able to guide you to a local place that does good work.
You should also remember the value of good jewelry. That can raise the price of the piercing by quite a bit, but is very important in the healing and appearence of the piercing.

Word of mouth. I checked out a few before piercing my nose in high school, and I just got a better feeling about the one I used. I already had a lot of good recommendations, so I was glad to see that my initial reaction was in line. It just felt more like a doctor’s office, with a waiting area and magazines, a dentist-like chair, and super sanitary tools and stuff. And they were really nice to my mom.

@filmfann omg! i might have met her. thats where i get all mine done. she may even have been the one who talked me into getting my nose done when i was freaking out thinking i had made a mistake! hahaha. thats awesome. small small world

@filmfann: Perfect! Thanks so much! Lurve to you!