Meet Ruben Lew: Body Piercer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruben Lew and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruben, what principle do you value most?
Offering the finest and highest quality jewelry installed in the safest way possible, but also being able to offer my clients a great experience. Because a good piercing is not just how you perform the piercing or the jewelry you put in it, but a combination of a lot of different factors, that will make you leave the shop wanting more. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So I grew up here in Tijuana and got very interested in body piercing, ancient cultures and their adornments from a very early age. I left Tijuana in 2004 to go to college and study anthropology, but got distracted along the way and fully pursued my career as a body piercer. I spent 10 years away from home, worked and travelled around the world working in different shops and learning from all these amazing piercers I got to work with. But finally it was time to come back home and offer my hometown what they deserve, highest quality jewelry installed in the safest manner. I do love piercing, but I also love that fact that now it is accessible to everyone. I joke sometimes that I have clients from 7 to 70 year olds. I love that mom and daughter can come in together and have a bonding experience. I also love piercing kids, they are the best!! Usually they behave way better than adults because they are more excited than scared. Sadly this has all changed recently because of COVID, but hopefully it will all be back to semi normal soon. In the last few years, piercing has become a bit more trendy and I offer what people call Curated Ears, which is when a piercer designs someones ear based on their unique anatomy and good taste for fancy jewelry, but to me that has always been the goal, it just has a name now and a hashtag on Pinterest.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend from out of town is coming to visit, I usually recommend they stay at Native Residence, my friends hostel in K-38 by the big Jesus on the scenic highway. They have the best view in town!! It is technically in Rosarito, but is it close enough, and totally worth it. In Tijuana my favorite spots to take my out of town friends are KOOL 52 for a great dinner and drinks, they mixology is bomb! There´s also Tras-Horizonte with a great variety of food and drinks, they also have a secret bar, but it´s secret so I can´t really tell you about it. Finally I also really love Saketori for some Japanese food. All of these spots are great for food and drinks and they also have the best service! Also since COVID they have implemented safety protocols. I also love coffee and there are way too many spots to name them all, but some of my favorite spots are Nativo, Electric, Perla Negra and Granate.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Around 2002 or 2003, I found this piercer from San Diego in a small social media type website, so I reached out and asked him some stuff about getting quality jewelry from him, I was about 15 at the time and he actually replied. Years laters I consider him a good friend and has done a lot for me personally and my career, he owns one of the best shops in the industry and his name is Didier Suarez.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubenlew.bodypiercing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubenlewbodypiercing
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rubenlew