A New York City woman is suing an East Village piercing shop after a routine tongue stud procedure allegedly turned into a traumatic ordeal involving multiple failed attempts and serious injury.
Lawsuit Details the Alleged Incident
Elsa Weingeist, 25, visited Funky Town on St. Marks Place in September to get a tongue stud, believing the employee performing the procedure was experienced. Instead, she claims the appointment quickly became distressing when employee Shamim Islam attempted to pierce her tongue at least four times, rather than completing the procedure in a single pass.
According to the complaint filed October 16 in Manhattan Supreme Court, Islam repeatedly apologized for the complications and asked to try again, even as the procedure became increasingly painful. Weingeist eventually had to insist that the employee stop after four attempts, leaving her mouth filled with blood and struggling to speak.
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Darius A. Marzec, one of Weingeist’s attorneys, described the experience as “a disturbing series of repeated needle punctures.”
After leaving the shop—where she and a friend had called 911 but departed before emergency responders arrived due to long wait times—Weingeist sought treatment at an urgent care facility. Staff there recommended hospital care, leading to blood tests and a tetanus shot at the emergency room.
Questions Raised About Licensing and Qualifications
Weingeist also questioned whether Islam was qualified to perform the piercing. She requested to see his license but was unable to find credentials bearing his name or documents that appeared to authorize him to pierce customers. The certificates displayed inside the business, she claims, did not establish that anyone present had the required qualifications for the service.
A standard tongue piercing is generally performed by using a clamp to hold the tongue steady before passing a needle through it once. Healing commonly takes six to eight weeks. Weingeist’s lawsuit alleges that Islam used a clamp but punctured her tongue several times instead of completing the procedure as expected.
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Funky Town has operated in the East Village for nearly 20 years. While online reviews cited in the report describe complaints about piercing experiences at the business. Several reviewers claimed their piercings continued bleeding for months, while others reported crooked placement, infections or concerns about cleanliness. One reviewer also alleged that staff members pushed customers to purchase additional piercings. These online comments are separate from the allegations in Weingeist’s lawsuit and do not establish what happened during her appointment.
A Funky Town employee confirmed that Islam left the business shortly after the plaintiff’s tongue injury and acknowledged that Islam did not have a piercing license, while claiming that other people working at the shop were licensed. The employee also disputed the motivation behind the lawsuit, suggesting that Weingeist was seeking money.
Weingeist is seeking compensation for the injuries and suffering she says followed the procedure.
