According to the BME Encyclopedia, rooks "tend to be one of the more painful piercings." Are they right? Yes. Here's my rook experience!
At A Glance Author Megyoga Contact megyoga@yahoo.com When It just happened Artist Meredith Studio Steel Angel Location San Marcos, TX March 26th, 2004: Made a quick run to my piercer with my friend to do a few jewelry changes. I bought a few new beads for my helix, and decided to purchase 16g CBRs for my earlobes (as opposed to just "regular" earrings; I like the look of rings but I didn't want to jump into stretching, hence the small size). While I was standing there, I remarked that I was thinking about getting a rook done, perhaps even a double rook. The instant my piercer, Meredith, heard the name rook, she nodded and said, "cool!" She looked at my ear structure and said that I had a perfect configuration for a rook. That made me really excited; I proceeded to ask her all sorts of questions (healing time, jewelry choices, pain factor, etc.) and said that I needed to think about it because I hadn't even planned on being pierced that night.
March 27th, 2004: I returned the next day, grinning like an idiot with my friend in tow, and said that I wanted my rook done. I picked out my jewelry (16g ring with a 2mm (I think) bead) and filled out my release form. I know you want to hear about the actual piercing, and not the standard operating procedures *wink*. Steel Angel, where Meredith works, is nice and clean and she is amazingly methodical. I took my place on the table, sitting up at first, and she cleaned and then marked my ear in two different places. One was a little further out, and the other closer to my ear. I decided that I'd rather have the spot in between the two dots instead, and she was fine with that. She had me lay back on the table with my head tilted to the side, left ear up towards her. I heard her remove the needle from the packaging, and my friend said that it had the shape of an "L" (rook has to have a curved needle to be pierced). She pressed it against my ear, delicately scratching the surface (I think!) and supposedly she placed a receiving tube to catch the needle in, but I didn't even feel it. Next, she backed away and asked me the dreaded question, "Are you ready as you'll ever be?" and I meekly said, "I think so." My heart started thumping in my chest as she leaned closer, and I started to breathe deeply. She waited for me to take a big inhale, and then on my exhale, she pressed the needle swiftly into my ear and turned her wrist so that the needle curved in the right place. I won't lie—it *did* hurt. My helix, on a scale of 1-10, was probably a 3. My rook, on the same scale, was about a 7. What normally hurts is when the ring is taken through the hole; so in preparation, I grabbed my friend's hand and waited for pain. While she was getting the ring ready, I kept breathing because the needle was still in my ear. (What did it feel like? She warned me about pressure, but I didn't think it hurt at all—it basically felt like I had a fishho ok through my ear—weird, but it didn't hurt.) She quickly put the rin g on, and all I really felt was the removal of the "fishhook" as the ring threaded through. It wasn't painful at all, just a little pressure as if you were to squeeze the area with your fingertips. I am prone to fainting (I do it in dentists' offices, doctors' offices, etc. with needles and blood, so it's nothing new) from pain, and my piercer knew that. She just had me lay all the way back on the table and my friend got me a wet paper towel to wipe my face with. I did bleed a little (about enough to fill up 3 q-tips) but that was it. She then put the bead on (didn't hurt either) and said that I was done whenever I was o.k. to get up.
That was such an amazing experience! And what is really funny—my rook doesn't hurt hardly at all! My helix stung for the next few hours and then ached for a day or so. It's now been 24 hours after my rook, and it still doesn't hurt! I didn't sleep on it last night, but I could lay my head down on it and it didn't bother it. I just bled a drop or so and I cleaned that right off in the morning. All in all, it's a beautiful piercing; I love it so much. If you are contemplating getting it done, don't let the pain stop you. I'm a complete pain wuss but I faced it and just got through it. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!...I love my rook!
Background: I am currently a senior at TxState University in San Marcos, TX. I am majoring in psychology and plan on going to graduate school for a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. I practice and teach yoga, and I think that everyone should stand out as an individual—who wants to be part of the crowd?! Not I! I have a helix on my left ear, both my lobes, and now a left rook. I plan on getting more (of course!) but I'm taking my time and letting everything heal nicely. Happy Piercing!