Two weeks ago I got my tragus pierced by Cath at Chioko studios, Camden, London. I adore it. It hasn't swollen yet and really didn't hurt.
At A Glance Author Koops Contact emmawright@eu-infotech.com When A week ago Artist Jose Studio Chioko Location Camden, London The piercing I've really been wanting for ages, however, was the anti-tragus. I don't know why I didn't get it done sooner. I suppose I just had a relatively low money supply and would rather have spent the money on a new pair of creepers. Meh. Anyway, every other Friday, I get a free afternoon off school (i'm in year 13; oh the joys of "study" periods), had the cash, and decided to go get it done.
I hopped on a tube to Camden with my friend Lindsay, who was going to get two more holes in each lobe, and with my boyfriend, who wanted to ask one of the tattoo-ists about an oriental sleeve design he was in the process of drawing.
When we arrived at the studio we always go to, Chioko, we were greeted by Mr Punk (one of the tattoo artists ... i always forget his real name. He seems to have taken a liking to "mr punk" though) who asked us what we were after. I told him I was hoping to get "an anti-tragus piercing, my good sir!" and he pointed up the stairs. Up we went, where we met the piercer. It wasn't Cath, who I was hoping would be there, but there are two types of piercer I will trust: ex-nurses and piercers who have a lot of unusual piercings, tattoos and stretching, which Mr Jose had.
He asked what I wanted and again I told him I was after an anti-tragus piercing. "OoOoOOh, they're very pretty," he starts. Nice, positive attitude, eh? Then he continues ... "That's really gonna hurt a lot though." Now, pain doesn't usually bother me. Especially not piercing pain. But when a man with 4 stretched conch piercings, 28mm lobes and other various piercings and stretchings the whole way up his ears (and later he lifted up his shirt to show us some gorgeous tattoo'd torn, gothic wings on his back and his "baby", which was a foetus tattoo'd on his stomach) and no anti-tragus of his own, says a piercing is going to "really hurt a lot" it makes you wonder.
Me: it's noticeably more painful than the tragus?
Jose: oh yes
Me: well, it can't be more painful than a conch piercing?
Jose: well, you could compare it to that
Jose kept saying, however, that the anti-tragus is a beautiful piercing and that the anti-helix (which i was also considering) is, although a lot less painful, a lot more common and in his opinion, boring.
"Errr ... sort out Lindsay first, and then we'll see," I said. Now, I have also wanted an anti-helix piercing for a long time and considered getting that instead. I then realised that if I didn't get this anti-tragus done now, I'd build the pain up to be so awful in my head that I'd never get it done. Lindsay sorted out the paper work for her lobes and went to get them pierced, while me and the boyfriend watched. Jose said nothing the whole time, which was a little unnerving.
I decided to go for the anti-tragus. I quickly filled out the paperwork then went into the little piercing room and hopped onto the ex-dentist chair, wiggling my feet that didn't even reach the end of it. I decided to try to talk to Jose. I did so by asking he size of his lobe stretchings. He told me, but didn't warm up very much. Me and the boyfriend then started talking to him about surface piercings by the tragus, nose bridge piercings and pocketing, and only thEn did he look more interested. He told us of how he loves to try new piercings and do more unusual ones like the anti-tragus and was "not interested in all these naval piercings I have to do... but it's the job, so I suppose I have to."
We mentioned corset piercings and his eyes lit up ... "I was doing them years ago! Seriously, in the 80s and 90s I was trying them and now they're in all the piercing magazines as a new thing. Well, y'know what? Fuck them!" We laughed, and everything was feeling much more relaxed.
After talking for a while longer on the subject of tongue splitting, penis splitting and implanting silicon balls (he was planning to insert 6 into his own penis in the near future but was waiting for new surgical glue), we decided to get on and pierce this anti-tragus.
Mr Punk had come to watch and to torment me, Lindsay took out her camera phone. I hate taking pictures of myself, so photos of my looking utterly disgruntled, I was not looking forward to seeing.
Jose asked me what jewellery I wanted: a straight bar, a curved bar or a hoop. I definately wanted a bar, but was getting a bit nervous, so just said "straight". I now wish I'd have chosen the curved one, purely because I think they look better.
Jose then asked whether I wanted a thin or thick bar. I chose a thin one, thinking I can always start to stretch the piercing later.
I then asked Jose whether he was going to use a clamp or not, since he hadn't for Lindsay's lobes.
"I can if you want me to? I prefer to do without though ... it's more intimate," I happily agreed. He was the piercer, after all. I then wanted to know if my bar was going to have a ball on each end, or one ball and one flat end like my tragus jewellery. I asked this by saying:
"will my bar have two balls?" The mature boyfriend begins to giggle. Mr Punk also starts laughing and then off goes Lindsay and Jose too.
"one ball would look a little odd, don't you think?" said Mr Punk
"I dunno, I've seen it all!" laughed Jose, which was met with an:
"oi oi!! *wink*" from the boyfriend. We are a grown-up lot, I'm very pleased to say!
Anyway, Jose marked out 2 places on my anti-tragus, after cleaning the area, and let me choose which I thought was better. After I chose, he got the needle in place and said,
"right, you breathe in and out, and on the second exhale, we're going to do it like this..."
I start to breathe, but as soon as he says "like this" in goes the needle. *shakes fist of rage*. That was a nasty, but welcome trick! (i had before mentioned that i hate the way piercers tell you to breathe so many times since it builds up the anticipation very unecessarily, in my point of view).
It honestly didn't hurt that much and the ripping sound wasn't as bad as it was with the tragus. The only uncomfortable thing was hearing Lindsay, Mr Punk and the boyfriend laugh at the many pictures they were taking. The insertion of the jewellery hurt a little bit more, but nothing was unbearable.
We talked about tattoos and scarification for a little while longer while Jose directed me to a mirror. The piercing was, and still is, gorgeous.
I thanked Jose, asked him to show me his tattoos, which he very happily did, and paid him the £20. He asked me what my usual aftercare plan was ... "tea tree oil" ... and said "yeah, that's great," and gave me an instruction sheet that gave the studio's number and an advised cream.
We thanked him one last time, checked what days he works so we can go and see him again, and left.
The piercing hasn't bled or swollen or even pussed much. Its doing amazingly well, but it has only been three days. Jose warned me that both my tragus and anti-tragus would be swelling up shortly. I look forward to it.