First off, let me just start off by saying how excited I am right now. I'm so proud of myself for finally getting my industrial. It's my fourth piercing so far (I have my tongue, my tragus, and I used to have my labret, but I took that out...a story for another time perhaps).
At A Glance Author Jessica Contact Jessica@bme.anon Artist Justin Studio Andromeda Location NYC I've been thinking about getting an industrial for about a month and a half. I had just gotten my tragus done, and I was so happy with it that I decided I wanted something else, and the industrial just appealed to me. I loved the way it looked. I wanted to wait a little before I got it, so my tragus could heal a bit and stop hurting. I also needed to wait till I had the extra cash to spare for another piercing.
So on Friday 6/1/01 (today is the 3rd), me and my best friend were in the village (Greenwich Village, for those of you not from NYC), and I decided to go into Andromeda because I wanted to ask them about nape piercings, which is another one I'm considering getting, and I wanted to know how much they charged for an industrial. I had absolutely no intention of actually getting a piercing. I really didn't have the extra money to spare. But while we were there, my friend decided to get her tragus done, because she loved the way mine looked. So she got that done, and then afterwards, I was practically feigning for a piercing! I felt like there was no way I could leave there without getting something done. So my friend convinced me to get my industrial. She said she would put it on her credit card and let me pay her back little by little so I wouldn't be left poorer than dirt.
So, we went back in, I told them what I wanted, filled out the paperwork, showed my ID, all the normal pre-piercing stuff. This was the first time I was getting anything done there, but I knew a lot of people that had gotten piercings and tattoos there, and they have a rep for being a really good studio, so I was pretty much at ease. Plus, my friend had just gotten her tragus done, so I had already saw Justin's work and talked to him and I liked him, so I felt pretty comfortable.
So finally I went into the room and sat down in the chair. I wasn't really too nervous, I was just like, "oh my god, I can't believe I'm finally gonna do this!". I knew it was gonna hurt, I read enough stories here on BME that I had no delusions. I was prepared for it. Besides, I thought, what's the big deal? It's not like I had never gotten a piercing before. I figured that I could deal with the pain.
So Justin cleaned off the area, explained the procedure to me, opened everything right there in front of me, and he marked the area on my ear and told me to look at the marks he made to see if I liked it. I liked where he marked it, so I told him to go ahead. So I laid back, and he told me to turn my head to the left (I was getting it in my right ear). Now I was starting to get a little nervous. I think we all know that little rush you get the second before you're about to get pierced.
He told me to just keep breathing, and I felt the tip of the needle against my ear. Then he told me to take a really deep breath, and then let it out. As I let it out, he pushed the needle through. OH MY GOD!!! I cannot even explain how much it hurt! Getting my tongue pierced was like a walk in the park compared to this!! I squeezed my friend's hand and actually screamed out loud! It was the only time I had ever screamed while getting pierced. Justin asked me if I was ok, and I told him I was, it had hurt but I was fine. So this whole process was repeated again with the second hole, but I was able to keep the scream in this time. Next he put the bar through, and I really wish I could give more of a description of this, but I was really in a lot of pain and wasn't really thinking clearly. I felt like such a baby though!
So after he was done, I laid there for a second and then sat up. All of a sudden, I started feeling really nauseous. I had been feeling sick all day, and I hadn't eaten yet. Me and my friend were on our way to go grab some dinner when I decided to stop into Andromeda. All of a sudden, my vision blurred, I broke out in a cold sweat, my arms and hands got pins and needles, and I generally felt like I was gonna pass out. Justin and my friend were asking if I was alright, and all I could say was that no, I wasn't. Justin went to get me something to drink, and my friend was basically acting like a mother hen trying to make me feel better. He came back in the room, gave me a drink and I had some of it. I still wasn't feeling any better. So I decided to lay back down. My friend was wiping the sweat off my face (I love her to death, not many people would sit there wiping your sweat off for you), and Justin gave me a cold compress to put on my forehead.
Well, I finally started to feel a little better, and was able to start speaking coherently again (lol). So for about ten minutes, we sat there talking to Justin while I got myself back together.
So when I was done, we gave him a nice tip because he was being so good to me, and we were on our way. I felt fine, no more passing out feelings, but boy, let me tell you, was my ear killing me!! It still hurts a lot right now, but it's bearable. I keep checking it out in the mirror. I absolutely love it! The pain was absolutely worth it because I am so happy with the way it looks. I also feel a sense of accomplishment. I always do after I get a piercing. I am extremely afraid of pain, so for me, getting a piercing is overcoming that fear, and I'm proud of myself for doing it. Also, for me it's showing the world that I don't have to conform and play by the rules and that I can do whatever I want to my body, no matter how much the people surrounding me think it's "insane" or "gross" or any one of the negative responses I've gotten from some people.
So all in all, this was an extremely positive experience for me. If you live in the NYC area, I highly reccommend Andromeda and Justin. I was very comfortable there. And I definitely reccommend getting an industrial. The pain is worth it in the end. And also, it might not hurt someone else as much as it hurt me. Everyone is different. My friend's tragus piercing hurt, while I barely felt anything when I got it done.