Background Info!
At A Glance Author Kimberleigh Contact Kimmi1588@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Dorian Studio Steel Addictions Location Toledo, Ohio Before I get into telling the great saga of getting my rook pierced, I'll tell you a little bit about myself so you can get a feel of my personality. I'm 16 year-old girl from Toledo, Ohio. I have my left nostril, industrial, helix, 6g lobes, and 10g lobes pierced. I play trumpet and am a proud Band Geek. I'm a member of the Principal's List club, AKA Nerd Brigade, with a 3.9 GPA. Not the typical person you'd find in a piercing studio, now am I? Then again, does that really matter? I think not, but I don't fit the image the media has drilled into our heads as a "piercing junkie."
Pre Piercing Fun!
So yeh, after getting my nose pierced my parents were questioning how many more piercings I was planning on getting. Hard to say exactly how many more I have planned, but I wasn't ready to stop there. Mind you I don't have many piercings, in my close-nit group of friends, I was the odd ball out. I was roughly seven piercings ahead of everyone else. The day came when I decided to have "The Talk" with my mom and dad. They all start out that same way; "Mommy dearest that I love so much...." It didn't turn out as I had planned, but eventually after weeks of begging, pleading, and about five full cleanings of the house later, my parents said yes.
The Real Deal
The day had finally come. I was all ready to head over to my friendly neighborhood-piercing studio, Steel Addictions. If any of you reading this live in the Northwest Ohio or South East Michigan area, I really recommend paying it a visit and talking to Dorian. He is the only person I will trust with shoving a needle through my flesh. Tell me that doesn't take a lot of trust to let someone do that. When I walked in the door I was greeted with the smell I don't think I could live without. I don't know, there's just something about the smell of piercing studios that I can't get enough of. Then came the paperwork. For as much as I hate paperwork and those types of things, I've never been one to complain about having to fill that form out. Being I'm a wee youngin' at the age of 16, my mom had to sign and fork over her ID to prove she really was my mom, not that anyone else would want to fess up to being my mother. The woman at the counter, who I had never seen in before explaine d all the aftercare and gave me a little baggy of sea salt. Then I paid the $35 for the piercing and bought a bottle of Provon to clean it with. Then I took a seat and waited for it to be my turn.
My mom, sister and sister-in-law came with me for "moral support", but I think the two sisters only came to watch the little video showing all the piercings they do. Oh well, if they want to oogle at the male genital piercings, let 'em. After about 15 minutes it was my turn to get my rook needled. Dorian greeted me with a smile, which made me feel really comfortable. We discussed the placement and all the typical stuff you deal with when getting a piercing. He checked to make sure there weren't any veins running through my ear. All clear and ready to pierce!
He had me lay on this table that reminds me for a doctors table. While he was getting the needle and jewelry he told me a funny story about how a guy came in and requested to get his labia pierced. I found it pretty funny, which relaxed me even more. Then he told me to take a deep breath...
OUCH!
I knew it was going to hurt. It's a needle being shoved through a pretty thick fold of cartilage, but I didn't assume it would hurt that much. Many people say it's a pretty painless piercing. I would beg to differ.... But you know what they say; "no pain no gain" and this was a rather nice gain. What felt like forever pushing the needle through my ear was probably only a second or two. The time between the needle entering my body and switching it to the jewelry was relatively short, and it felt like there was just an extreme amount of pressure on my ear. Not too unpleasant, but I wouldn't want it constantly happening. Once the jewelry (a 16g CBR) was put it, the piercing got a really hot but not quite burning sensation. Dorian wiped it down again and told me if I had any questions or concerns to call the studio up anytime.
I've only had my rook pierced for about 2 and half hours, and it's basically just a slight warmish feeling. No major pains or anything. I haven't cleaned it or even touched it yet, but I can't stop looking at it. Every time I walk past a mirror, I just have to look at it. I can't wait to go back to good ol' EL Bowsher High after Spring Break and show it off to all of my friends. I totally recommend getting this piercing to anyone that is still making up his or her mind. The pain is worth it all the way. Hopefully healing goes well, and this Band Geek can successfully add a new piercing when her rook is all happy and healed!