My day started with taking the SATs for the first time. As a 'reward' for myself I decided to get a piercing done. My first choice was to get my tongue re-pierced (it was pierced crooked the first time) and my second was my vertical tragus. When I got out of the SATs my mother called up Starlight Tattoo in Belleville and talked to the piercer, Dominick. He said in order for me to get a piercing because I am a minor we must bring my mother, her driver's license, my driver's license, my birth certificate (showing she is my mother) and notarized letter saying she consents to the body piercing. So we ran around the house trying to find my birth certificate and then got a notarized letter and headed out to Belleville. When we arrived there and the top floor (which is the tattoo area) is stark white, with tons of tattoo options on the walls, and the piercing studio is in the basement. When we walked down the steps there were two cases of jew elry and the walls again were white. The office inside (where the piercing takes place) was also stark white, along with the chair, and everything was beyond clean.
At A Glance Author Joeeey Contact undonetruth@aol.com When It just happened Artist Dominick Studio Starlight Tattoo Location Belleville, NJ
When we got inside the office I sat down and Dominick put a paper towel around my tongue and moved it up and down, in and out, and marked it in multiple places. After a few minutes he came to the conclusion that due to my anatomy I would not be a good candidate for a tongue piercing. I was a bit disappointed because I really wanted my tongue pierced again but I trusted him, and his explanation concerning the way the veins in my tongue are. He disinfected the marker he had used while I settled on my second choice, the vertical tragus. I was a bit weary of the pain of this piercing and went back and forth in my mind for a minute or two but eventually settled on getting the piercing.
I picked out a small steel blue curved barbell for the piercing and sat back in the chair. Dominick measured my tragus and the barbell a few times then marked down where the needle was going to go in and then out, and then measured that again. He was very thorough and very particular which my mom and I liked a lot. He then told me to go to the mirror and make sure that I approved of the markings and where the piercing would be (ie. where the two balls would be situated). He made sure that the piercing would be perfect. Then he took out a new pair of clamps out of a plastic/paper bag and clamped me, this hurt a bit nothing that would make your eyes tear but it wasn't mildly uncomfortable either. He then took out a fresh needle out of another plastic/paper bag (they were all individually wrapped). Then he told me to breathe in threw my nose and out threw my mouth. While I was getting my breath from my nose to my mouth the needle slid in fast and it barely even hurt. He told me that I was going to feel a pull and that would be the barbell going threw. A few seconds later I felt a bit of a pull and before I knew it he said it was over. I couldn't believe it, the piercing barely even hurt! I looked at it and instantly fell in love with it.
He asked if he could take a picture of it, and I of course said yes, so he ran upstairs to get a camera. But when he came back he said the camera would not recognize that it had film and therefore would not work. So we gave up on that idea and he told me to spritz a mixture of sea salt and water on it 6 times a day, and to call if I had any questions or concerns. We paid him ($45) a tip, and left.
It's now Tuesday, and I got the piercing done on Saturday and there has been on occasion a mild ache sensation where the piercing is. It's a bit tender to the touch but I assume that will go away with time. I highly recommend this piercing and even more recommend Dominick. He is very thorough, makes sure the piercing will look the best it can, and spends a lot of time with his customers (or at least me) trying to get the best piercing to happen. He is very proud of the work he does and will take a lot of time making sure that he will be proud of your piercing too. He also is extremely nice and knows what he's doing.