\n\tHere there is no bustling retail<\/a> floor. Rather, Tau is organized around one client at a time, allowing each visit to unfold at its own pace, moving between consultation, styling, anatomy, after care and conversation. \u201cYou can just be whoever you want to be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\tThe name comes from the Ta\u00edno culture, something akin to \u201chello\u201d or \u201cwelcome\u201d \u2014 she chose it as a tribute to her Mexican and Dominican heritage.\u00a0\u201cIt is definitely a little bit of a love letter to my roots,\u201d she said, a personal history that when she unearthed it reframed piercing altogether.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile many practitioners discover body modification through punk or alternative culture, she found herself drawn to the role it played within Ta\u00edno traditions. \u201cThey did piercings to grieve, to celebrate, for any occasion,\u201d she said. \u201cIt could be something super deep and meaningful, or it could just be, \u2018This is what I like, and this is part of my identity.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tSome of the jewelry<\/a> sold at Tau Studio. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy Stephanie Mariano<\/p>\n \n\tThat perspective shapes her work today. Whether a client arrives after a divorce, to mark a birthday or simply because a piece of jewelry caught their eye, the ritual deserves the same level of care.<\/p>\n \n\tNestled inside Sola Salons \u2014 a network of private salon suites designed for independent beauty and wellness professionals \u2014 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn<\/a>, Tau brings something more difficult than just a new a lease: trust. Mariano\u2019s client book is deep, cultivating a following that moved with her from studio to studio. One client, she said, has been pierced by her at every location she has worked.<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s a dynamic akin to luxury hairstylists, tattoo artists and colorists, where loyalty increasingly belongs to the practitioner rather than the name on the lease. \u201cThey come for me,\u201d she said. \u201cThey say, \u2018I don\u2019t trust anybody else.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe relationship comes as piercing has grown into an increasingly robust retail<\/a> category, spanning Maria Tash\u2019s luxury fine jewelry<\/a> model and newer specialty concepts like Studs<\/a> and Rowan. Marino said her Tau concept was informed by trips to Brazil, where she noticed independent beauty professionals thriving in private suites rather than traditional storefronts.<\/p>\n \n\tThe model offered her a more attainable entry point into New York real estate while preserving the slower cadence she was cultivating. \u201cThis way I can take my time with people,\u201d she said, with appointments lasting close to an hour to discuss styling ideas, jewelry<\/a> and after care.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Stephanie](\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-wwd-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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