Our Team
Sara Schneider, Owner, Certified Bench Jeweler and Body Piercer.
pronouns: she/her
My name is Sara Schneider, and I'm the owner of Athena Body Adornment and a member of the Association of Professional Piercers. I've been piercing professionally since 2010. I'm originally from Evansville, Indiana and began my piercing career there. I relocated to South Florida in 2015 and have been piercing in Broward County ever since. I am also a certified bench jeweler, and am working toward my master jeweler certification. I serve our clients by piercing, assisting with jewelry questions, and do my best to provide the best experience possible. Presently I am producing pieces for our exclusive jewelry line, which launched in August of 2022.
I try to be as active as possible in the piercing community, learning from and sharing information with my peers. I first attended the Association of Professional Piercers conference in 2014, and have since made a point to try and continue attending it every year. I also try to be present at any additional learning opportunities, be it classes offered by the top piercers in our industry or the quarterly Florida Professional Piercers meeting which is usually held in Orlando. Staying up to date and educated on things such as aftercare, technique, and jewelry quality are very important to me. I strive to offer my clients the best piercing experience possible, and I feel that the best way for me to do that is to stay as informed as I can and continue to educate myself on all things piercing related.
I currently hold Bloodborne Pathogens, CPR, and First Aid certificates and keep those up to date. I practice aseptic techniques, and work fully disposable for the health and safety of all of my clients. Every material I use is one time use only, and is sterilized in a Statim 2000 autoclave, which is located in my piercing room. My autoclave is spore tested weekly, and a sterile integrator is placed in every cycle to ensure that it is operating properly. I want my clients to feel comfortable and reassured that they are about to undergo a completely sterile procedure, and that their health is my top priority.
In my spare time I am a semi professional lyra aerialist and competing pole athlete. I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to compete both nationally and internationally, and when not at the shop most of my time is either spent training or working behind the scenes at Athena. My specialities are ear piercings and curations, and I am a fan of mixed gold combinations and my favorite gemstones are the classics: rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, and pearls.
Follow her on instagram: @saltwatersaraerial
Vee Budney, Body Piercer.
Pronouns: He/Him
I started piercing three years ago in Frederick Maryland and relocated to Florida in 2020 to join the Athena crew. I'm a proud APP member, and in 2021 I will be attending the APP conference on scholarship to better my craft even further. As your piercer, it's my promise you will leave even shinier and happier than you came in!
Follow them on instagram: @sharpandshiny
Drew Schneider, Operations and Front of House Manager.
pronouns: he/him
My name is Drew Schneider. I’m the manager of operations here at Athena Body Adornment, and also help out with the front of the house. I’ve been adjacent to or active in this industry for about a decade and have approximately 15 years’ worth of retail management experience. I have worked in retail sales for most of my adult life and genuinely love interacting with people and clients. I have held positions ranging from store level departmental management to regional management within a multi-billion-dollar corporation, but none of it has been as fulfilling and gratifying as working with the amazing team we have here at this shop and meeting the wonderful clients that come here to see us.
It also helps that our jewelry selection is just plain FUN to work with! My favorite pieces are almost always diamonds or chrysoprase, set in yellow gold. Lapis Lazuli and green gold are also some of my other favorites. I am at the shop more days than not and am always happy to help out with anything I can!
Alison Sandler, Piercer and Jewelry Specialist.
pronouns: she/her
Hi! My name is Alison Sandler, I’ve been in the piercing industry since 2018. I’ve always found piercings fascinating and beautiful, and after being introduced to the fine jewelry side of the industry, I quickly decided that that was what I wanted to focus on. My love for gemstones has always been very clear-cut (haha) and getting to work with them everyday has been a total dream come true.
I relocated to Athena in March of 2021 to work under the talented Sara Schneider to continue my education and offer my clients the best service possible. I don’t have a favorite piercing but my favorite gemstones are probably opals, moonstones and labradorite! I’m a Taurus, I use she/her pronouns and if I was a Pokémon then I’d probably be a Leafeón!