Last Friday was payday, and I'd been itching to spend money on something. Normally, I'd be saving for a tattoo since there's one that I want to have modified and two new ones that I'd like to get, but it wasn't a normal day. I was in a kind of a funk and my friend, Erica, and I had been discussing different piercings that we had and that we wanted to get earlier in the week as we sat in a restaurant. We were comparing and contrasting the piercings we already had, talking about the pain factor. One of the piercings that we both wanted, but that neither of us had was the rook piercing. In any case, I had been in the mood to get pierced all week. So here I was in a weird mood, wanting a piercing, with money to spend and a little bit of free time. It seemed that it was my lucky day!
At A Glance Author Savannah Contact Savannah@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Big E Studio Mike's Tattoo and Body Piercing Location Reading, Pennsylvania I drove myself to Mike's Tattoo and Body Piercing in Reading, Pennsylvania because that's where I acquired two of my three tattoos as well as my nostril piercing. I wasn't sure which piercing I wanted until I was almost there. There were a few ideas that I was throwing around, but I had decided that it would be the rook. I walked in and told Big E, the piercer (who is very awesome), what I'd like to have done. Big E had pierced my nose, so I was familiar with his work and I knew that he would do an awesome job. I asked him how much it would cost me and he told me $40, which I think is definitely a reasonable price for that piercing. He got my paperwork together and prepared for me in the back room while I filled out the papers. Then he called me back and explained to me how he would pierce it.
I was a little nervous because it sounded like it would be painful and hard to take care of, but I wanted it anyway, so I sat there and committed to have my rook pierced. I had to hold very still since he didn't use a clamp. This was the first body piercing that I had had done that didn't use a clamp. Big E told me that if I moved while he was piercing me there was the potential for my ear to be torn or pierced in a place that I didn't want pierced. So I was being very careful to not move under any circumstances. I felt the needle on my ear as he told me to take a deep breath in and then he told me to exhale. I felt him put pressure on the needle as I let the air out of my lungs. The needle slid easily through my cartilage and into the tube he had waiting to catch it. So there it was, my rook was pierced, but Big E still had to put the jewelry into my ear. It was slightly uncomfortable as he transferred the ring into my ear and removed the needle, but it didn't hurt . I looked into the mirror to admire my new acquisition, a shiny, little ring in my ear.
Surprisingly enough, this was one of the least painful piercings I've ever had done, and I have a total of 20 piercings (ears, nose, tongue, navel, rook), so I can safely say that having experienced all levels of pain from piercings. I didn't feel it as it happened and it was only sore that night and about half of the next day. So, here it is four days later and it's as though I've had my rook pierced for years. This is also one of the easiest piercings to take care of. I am very happy with my rook piercing and I plan to return to have a second rook piercing right behind this one.
I showed all of my friend my new piercing and their reactions ranged from telling me that I'm insane to telling me that they want one. My friend, Jesse, was upset with me for not taking him with me when I got it done. Since I've shown him my rook he's decided that he too would like a rook piercing, so when I have some more money I will be returning to Mike's Tattoo and Body Piercing with Jesse and I will get my second rook piercing (to complete the double rook in my left ear) and I will pay for him to get his first rook in the same ear as his 6 ga conch piercing and his tragus piercing. Hopefully, my gift to him, the rook piercing, will make up for the hard feelings over my not taking him with me for my rook piercing. And I am hoping that Jesse likes his rook piercing as much as I like mine. This is definitely one of my favorite piercings because it's cute, unusual, easy to take care for, and it only has mild discomfort, no pain.