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Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple gold and pearl ear piercings, including hoop earrings, a stud, and a curved row of small white pearls on the helix.
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple piercings, including a gold hoop in the lobe, a gold helix, a silver cartilage stud, and a green curved barbell.
Close-up of an ear with multiple gold earrings against a neutral background
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple pieces of gold and silver-toned piercing jewelry, including a curved cartilage bar, small studs, and hoop earrings.
Close-up of an ear with multiple pearl earrings on a neutral background
Close-up of a person's ear wearing four small turquoise-blue stud earrings on different cartilage locations.
Slide image
Slide image
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple gold and pearl ear piercings, including hoop earrings, a stud, and a curved row of small white pearls on the helix.
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple piercings, including a gold hoop in the lobe, a gold helix, a silver cartilage stud, and a green curved barbell.
Close-up of an ear with multiple gold earrings against a neutral background
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple pieces of gold and silver-toned piercing jewelry, including a curved cartilage bar, small studs, and hoop earrings.
Close-up of an ear with multiple pearl earrings on a neutral background
Close-up of a person's ear wearing four small turquoise-blue stud earrings on different cartilage locations.

Flat Piercing

The flat is exactly what it sounds like, the open plane of cartilage on the upper ear, sitting between the outer rim of the helix and the folds of the inner ear. Unlike most cartilage piercings, a flat piercing is not anchored to a ridge, fold, or edge. It sits in open space.

That is what makes it one of the most design-driven placements on the ear. There is no fold dictating where the jewelry has to go, which means the position is genuinely chosen, for your anatomy, your existing piercings, and the composition you are building. A single stud on the flat can anchor an entire stack. A small cluster can become the centerpiece of one.

But freedom of placement does not mean anything goes. Cartilage thickness varies across the flat, the angle has to be exactly perpendicular to the tissue, and the position has to make sense next to everything else on your ear — now and in the future. At Stacked, we assess your anatomy and your ear as a whole before anything is marked. That is the difference between a stud that looks placed and one that looks designed.

 

Why Stacked Piercing?

Why get a flat piercing at Stacked?

Because a placement with this much freedom deserves this much thought.

The flat is where piercing becomes composition. We assess your anatomy, design the placement around your ear as a whole, guide you through jewelry that is hypoallergenic and made for healing, and stay with you through the process including the required six-week check-up. That is what The Stacked Method™ is built around.

Cost + Age Requirements

Flat Piercing Fee: $70

Age Requirement: 15+

Appointment Time: 30 Minutes

Upon booking your appointment, the piercing fee is due in full.

The piercing fee does not include the cost of jewelry.

We have options across a range, from just getting started to more elevated pieces. You can browse a few options in our Lookbook.

We pierce with ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium flat back posts and threadless tops. Flat piercings are typically done at 16g, with post lengths usually ranging from 5/16" (8mm) to 3/8" (10mm) depending on your tissue and anatomy. Proper fit matters here. Jewelry that is too tight can create pressure, while jewelry that is too long can shift and catch more easily.

Flat Piercing Process

Flat piercing process

We start by looking at your upper ear as a whole, the shape and size of your flat, the thickness of the cartilage across it, and how a new piercing will sit in relation to your existing jewelry and anything you are planning to add later. This is stack design in the most literal sense: the flat offers real choice in placement, so we take the time to make that choice well.

Once placement is marked and approved together, the piercing is done with a needle. Jewelry is guided carefully into place. No rushed decisions. Precise placement and a calm, supported experience from start to finish.

Where the Flat Sits

The flat is the broad, smooth section of cartilage in the upper ear, bordered by the helix on the outside and the ridge of the antihelix toward the center. Depending on your ear’s shape, it can be a generous canvas or a narrower strip, and that variation is exactly why placement starts with looking, not marking.

Because the flat is a plane rather than an edge, jewelry here sits flush against the ear rather than wrapping around it. The result is low-profile and intentional, a seated piece rather than a hanging one. It is also why the flat has become central to constellation-style stacks: it is the one part of the upper ear where placement can follow design logic, not just structural necessity.

Spa-like environment

Expert, state-licensed piercing professionals

Support for proper healing

14k solid gold + implant grade titanium

Need to cancel?

We get it, life happens. If you cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment, your piercing fee will be refunded in full.

Questions? Give us a call or email us at 815-782-2533 support@stackedpiercing.com.

Flat Piercing

$70.00

FLAT Piercing Information

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Pain Level 4-6/10

The flat passes through a solid section of cartilage, so most clients feel it more than a lobe and about on par with other upper-ear cartilage piercings. The sensation is sharp and brief, followed by pressure and tenderness that settle over the first several days. Pain is personal, anatomy and threshold both play a part , but the moment itself is over quickly.

 
Close-up of a person's ear showcasing multiple pieces of gold and silver-toned piercing jewelry, including a curved cartilage bar, small studs, and hoop earrings.

FLAT Piercing Healing Timeline

Healing Time: 6–12+ months

Flat piercings are cartilage, and cartilage heals on its own timeline. Six months is when most begin to feel settled, but full healing, where the tissue has stabilized and jewelry changes are safe, often takes closer to a year or more.

The flat’s biggest healing challenge is pressure. Its position on the upper ear puts it directly in the path of side sleeping, headphones, helmets, and hats, all of which can trigger irritation flare-ups even months into an otherwise calm healing process. A travel pillow or a pillow with a cutout makes a real difference in the early months, and we will walk you through what else to protect and watch for.

 
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Downsizing

We pierce flats with 16g ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium. Initial jewelry is a flat back post with a threadless top, with post length typically falling around 5/16″ (8mm) depending on your cartilage thickness and expected swelling.

The flat back post is not just the standard here, it is the only jewelry that works. Because the flat does not involve the ear’s rim, hoops and rings are not an option for this placement, during healing or after. What the flat offers instead is the perfect seat for a decorative top: gems, opals, shapes, and clusters all sit flush and centered in a way few other placements allow.

A piercing starts in the studio, but the healing process is each client's responsibility and can’t happen here. At Stacked, we require our clients to come back in for a six-week checkup. This way, we can help troubleshoot any concerns you may have, take a peek at the healing piercing, and give advice as needed.