I've been wanting to get my tragus pierced for a few months, before I actually decided to get it done. I was a little hesitant about the pain and such, but I sucked it up and decided to get it over with. After getting my tongue pierced I decided I wanted something new, I decided to either get my tragus or daith pierced. Later that night, I called up my friend Nikki, who's a piercing freak like myself, and asked her opinion on which piercing I should get. She also suggested a tragus. So tragus it was.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Corey Studio Anatomic Adornments Location Vancouver BC I'm quite familiar with every shop in town, having been to most of them, seeing people get poked at most of them, and being poked myself at a lot of them. The next day I called a few places just to check out prices and all. I decided on Anatomic Adornments, located on 848 Granville street in Vancouver Canada. I have heard numerous great things about them, and I've seen friends being pierced there, and I really wanted to try them out myself. Anatomic is a little piercing shop located in the back of Modrobes. They are THE cleanest place in town, you could eat off the floor there. They have a wonderful and friendly staff and their jewellery is also top of the line quality, and of course, internally threaded.
A few days later, I picked up my friend and we took the bus to Anatomic. At this point I was pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect, since I've never had a needled cartilage piercing of any sort before. So I walked up to the counter, and told the guy who I later found out was the new piercer, named Corey, who was very cute, might I add, that I want my tragus pierced. He asked me what kind of jewellery I wanted for this piercing, I decided to go for a 16g CBR. He ID'ed me and got me to fill out a form. I have never seen him at Anatomic before, so I figured he was new. There were 2 girls that were getting pierced before me so I had to wait in the little waiting room for about 45 minutes or so. I could see the autoclave and sterilization room, everything was spotless clean. In the meantime I met the owner as well, who's name was Karen I believe, she spoke to us about aftercare, what to do, what to avoid etc. with this piercing.
She opened a drawer full of autoclaved jewellery in little blue packages and got me to pick out what bead colour I liked, and which diameter for the ring I wanted. After much debating, I decided on a 16G 5/16" CBR with a blue cat eye bead. She suggested a 3/8" diameter instead, but she could talk to Corey to see if he could fit the 5/16" in my ear, he was piercing the other 2 girls at this time. I also decided to buy their aftercare, which consists of Castille soap, and sea salt with essential oils. The waiting to get pierced really made me nervous, and I was hoping the other girls were going to be finished soon.
After about 45 minutes, the girls finally came out, one of them got both her lobes pierced, and I'm not sure what the other one got done, probably a navel. I made sure to look at her lobes to see if they looked good, and they did. Perfectly centred and symmetrical on both sides. I could see Corey cleaning up the room and wiping everything down.
He came out and talked to me about what piercings I have previously gotten, when I last ate and so on. He was very nice, yet professional at the same time. He looked at my tragus, and decided to use the 3/8" as he said my tragus was quite thick, and too much of the 5/16" would be in my tragus. No biggie, the difference was really minimal, I can always change it when its healed.
He took my friend and I into the piercing room, which looked VERY clean. It had a nice dark shade of blue on the walls. My friend sat down on the chair while I sat on this black examination table, the kind that doctors have. While he was washing his hands, he explain to me more about the piercing, what I could expect, healing times, and all that good stuff.
I could see him prepare everything. He put all the tools into a little tray while talking to me and cracking jokes. He changed his gloves like 5 times at least. Everything came out of little blue packages. I was so nervous at this point that pretty much everything he was saying came in one ear and went out the other. I just couldn't wait to get it over with.
He wore 2 pairs of gloves on, a purple/blue colored one, and a white one on top. Even the q-tips and towels and all that he used were autoclaved and came out of autoclaved packages. He took a q-tip and wiped my tragus and surrounding areas with some stuff that smelled like acetone. I asked him if he was going to use clamps, as I could see them on the tray. He said he's not a big fan of them, but that he was going to use them on this piercing. He then took a toothpick and some purple ink and marked my ear.
He got me to check out the marks, I couldn't really see them, I got my friend to look over it. She said it was good. I trusted his judgement, and gave the green light. He then got me to lay down, and tilt my head to the left, I was getting my right side done. He changed his gloves again like 10 times.
He also bent the needle and then put the clamps on, and asked me if they were too tight, I couldn't really feel them. He explained that the piercing would only take one second, and that it would feel like a lot of pressure and then I would feel him fiddling around with it after getting on the bead and such. He told me to breathe in through my nose, and out through my mouth, and that he would pierce me on the exhale. I asked him if he was going to pierce outside in, or inside out, he said he would pierce outside in.
I thought he was still adjusting the clamp or something, and I heard him mumble something, I couldn't hear, and I wasn't really paying attention, cause I thought he was still putting the clamp on. He then said "now let it out..." I was a little stunned, quickly exhaled, and felt pressure which lasted for a second or so. It took him about a second or two to get it through. I could feel that it took a few good pushes. The pain wasn't bad at all, It would have to be one of the least painful piercings I have ever gotten. The pain stops right as the needle is through. He stuck a few cotton swabs in my ear to stop the bleeding. He then slid the jewellery in, and wiped off the blood some more. He also made a joke and complimented on the "micro tiny bead" I so skilfully selected for him. I checked it out in the mirror, and I loved it.
I paid and tipped him. He did an awesome job, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Anatomic. They are AWESOME! I left the store all happy and proud of myself. I couldn't feel the piercing at all, it wasn't even throbbing or anything. Later that night it was a little sore, but nothing too bad. It felt like that whole side of my head hurt, must be because it's so close your head. I can't wait for it to heal. If you're thinking about getting your tragus pierced, go for it! It's such an awesome piercing. And if you're in the Vancouver area, go to Corey at Anatomic!
Happy Piercing ;)