De León Piercing is bringing piercing and tattooing with a dash of Mexican culture to Ingleside.
Owner and Ingleside resident Manny León Guillen is putting the final touches on his new studio on Ashton Avenue in the former Dogleg, which had once been Dean’s Tattoo HQ. León Guillen focuses on the personal transformative experience with each client. He currently operates by appointment only, but plans to host the shop’s grand opening celebration on Día de los Muertos on Nov. 1.
“There are so many great piercing studios in San Francisco, and I've worked at so many of them. If you want a quick, easy piercing, I think you shouldn't come to me,” León Guillen said. “If you want an experience and you want to make this a big celebration for you, or you just need someone to listen to you and have a therapy session, I think that's why you should come to me.”
León Guillen’s piercing career has taken the Mexico-native all over the United States, working in New York, Seattle, Baltimore and finally San Francisco three years ago.
His first time in the Bay Area was in 2016 when he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a degree in Integrative Biology. While pursuing his degree, León Guillen realized that the pre-med route was no longer for him, but his interest in human anatomy and how it heals inspired his switch into piercing. León Guillen has also worked at several shops across the Bay Area, including Fait Lux in San Francisco.
The studio opening’s timing is a personal one for León Guillen. He was inspired by his best friend, Nico Martinez, who passed away the day he signed the lease. The space honors Martinez, who was a role model, mentor and the embodiment of fearlessness to León Guillen.
The shop’s name was inspired by León Guillen’s own, with León translating to lion in Spanish and representing perseverance, courage and strength, a theme he hopes his clients leave with after their sessions.
“This studio means a lot to me because it's a representation of my culture but also it's honoring the people that have come before us and the people that will come after us,” León Guillen said.
The shop will feature luxury piercings by León Guillen at a range of price points with solid gold and titanium jewelry from brands like Body Vision Los Angeles and Modern Moon. Prices will range from $40 to $600 depending on material and type.
León Guillen also plans to have alternating resident tattoo artists. The first to join his team is tattoo artist Edgar Fuentes, who currently works in Cordelia, Calif., at True Tattoo Studio.
Fuentes’ work is predominantly influenced by the Chicano and realism style in black and grey and his prices range from $500 to $1,000, though he also plans to have discounted flash pieces for patrons to pick from as well, which would range from $200 to $400. Since Fuentes and León Guillen will also be sharing the limited space, Fuentes plans to be in the shop roughly two times a week.
“It’s going to be an awesome place and honestly the vibes are just there,” Fuentes said. “I feel like it’s going to grow. It might take a little bit, but I’m here to help and I’m excited to see what the journey has along the way.”
Fuentes has also painted several murals inside the space that represent aspects of Mexican culture and distinct colors he has seen presented in murals from his visits to Mexico.
While services are a big part of De León Piercing, León Guillen said that the atmosphere of the space is just as important and wants the space to be and feel sacred.
Mural by Edgar Fuentes at De León Piercing. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
León Guillen understands that he will be seeing clients during many eras of their own lives, like in moments of celebration or grief and wants his clients to feel safe in his space. He has a dedicated section in the back that will be used as a break room with an accompanying ofrenda or altar and notebook so people can share memories of their deceased loved ones.
He also wants the space to be rooted in community and already has plans to host community events like art galleries once a month. For the studio’s grand opening, León Guillen plans to serve tacos and have lotería games for a chance to win raffle prizes like jewelry, gift certificates for the shop, custom embroidery tote bags and sweatshirts and gift cards from neighboring businesses on Ocean Avenue.
“I really want to be able to grow it and see it grow with Ocean Avenue,” León Guillen said. “I really love this neighborhood and I feel like it's one of the last fronts in San Francisco and so I really want to provide a big communal space and maybe in the future even have this lobby where people can just hang out and just relax and grieve if they need to.”
De León Piercing
Address: 391 Ashton Ave.
Hours: Appointment Only
Grand Opening: Noon to 3 p.m.
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