At A Glance
Author	Zeee
Contact	Zeee@bme.anon
When	A week ago
Artist	Sarah
Studio	Tribal
Location	Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Hey!

I would like to start by clarifying that I had never considered another piercing in my ear. Until that is...last week! My last piercing had been my vertical hood in december, which had been done by Shirley at urban. It was great! But five months later, I had caught the piercing bug and no matter how much I stretched my ear it wouldn't shift! Ill get back to the ear stretching later. Yep so back to the story! Anyway. Enough of that. I desperately wanted a new piercing and had my eyes on the triangle. It just looked beautiful. However, I am going to go to India for a month in June and I thought trying to heal a piercing like the triangle in a hot country when i wont be in the most sanitary of conditions wasn't the best idea in the world. So after reading and reading through BME I finally found the most beautiful piercing I have ever seen. 'The Rook'.

Fast forward about a day. I went to get my tarot cards read after work. The reading was great and the cards told me to do what i wanted to do. I agreed. It was my money after all. I paid for my reading and decided: The Time Had Come. Tribal, where I had been going to get my right ear lobe stretched had been 1 of the best places I had ever been and had really impressed me with its cleanliness and its friendly attitude towards customers. When I walked in, Sarah was chatting to a middle aged woman about a tattoo but greeted me with a friendly "Hi!" She left the woman to look at some of their designs and i bounded over.

"Do you do Rook piercings?" I asked high on adrenaline. "Yep" She replied and smiled. "How much?" "£15" I grinned like a mad woman. "Gimme one!" Sarah went to prepare the room and asked me to fill out a consent form. I was so excited i filled it out quickly and had to wait patiently at the counter for sarah to get the room ready. It seemed like forever. Finally she called me through.

I sat down on the bench and lifted my hair. After reading several experiences on BME regarding the pain of several types of piercing which ranged from "MY GOD! THE PAAAAIIIIN!!!" to "Oh....is that it?" I found I was always right in the middle, the person who goes "Yeah it hurt. But no pain no gain!" I giggled and said to Sarah "This is gonna hurt isn't it?" She replied "Its a killer." GULP. And explained in detail the trouble she had with her rook piercing. Then said "But all my cartrilage piercings have been trouble!" And that put me at ease.

She pulled on her gloves and cleaned my rook with a wipe and marked the placement using a cocktail stick and ink. Mmmmm cocktails. (Is that what I should say? ha ha ha!!!) Anyway, From the corner of my eye I could see her bringing out the needle and placing it just above my rook. "Ill be as quick as I can" she promised. I waited. I felt a pinch and a sting. I was waiting for the agony of the piercing.....

"Is that it?" I said disbelieving. "Yep!" She put the ring in and yes, that stung a little bit. The most uncomfortable part was when she was putting the ring in and yes its really fiddly! But it was over soon enough. We went out to the counter and i filled in and signed the second part of the form in which i said that the piercing was carried out hygenically and professionally. I thanked Sarah maybe a little too much and left Tribal with a feeling of absolute euphoria which lasted right until I got home. Including the 40 minute bus ride home! Fantastic!

Sleeping was a bit difficult at first. I usually sleep on my right side and it felt so weird lying on my left side. Also I am a very active sleeper so to speak and I kept waking up that first nite as I had rolled onto my right side and my rook didn't like it one bit! I woke up expecting to see a pool of blood on my pillow. But there was nothing! No pool, or dribble or drop. I would have been happy with a speck of blood. But no, nothing. A good thing in the long run I feel. There was a little bit of dried blood that I cleaned off along with the usual crusties. Aftercare was just the usual saline on a cotton bud or Q Tip as some call it. I made sure I rinsed it when I was in the shower to wash out any shampoo/conditioner/soap.

If You want a rook piercing (Yep everyone says this) Go For It! You wont regret it! Just make sure you're careful when you brush your hair (if that refers to you!) Believe me, when you catch it in with your comb it will make you go "eeeeeeeee!" Or swear or something! If your ever in Edinburgh go to tribal and/or urban (which is just up the road!) They are the best places to go to!!! Any questions, feel free to message me!

Z xxxxx