I got my industrial piercing in my left ear for my birthday in October, and for the last four months, I have been dying to get something on my right ear to balance them out. I'm just obsessive like that. I loved snug piercing as soon as I saw it, especially because I have never seen one on an actual person in my small Alabama town. Like with my industrial, I was really afraid that something would go wrong because it is an unusual piercing. I talked myself out my snug for quite a while. One of my friends from work (Barry) decided he wanted an industrial but kept chickening out. I made a deal with him that if he would go get his, then I would swallow my fears and get my snug. My best friend, Candise, was also off the day we decided to go so she came along.
At A Glance Author Heather When A week ago Artist Tommy Studio West Coast Tattoos Location Muscle Shoals, AL We got to West Coast and browsed around for a while. When I finally decided I was ready, I asked the guy at the counter if a piercer was there. He wasn't but would be back soon. I was really worried that the guy who did my industrial would be the one working and I really didn't trust him to do this one, given the shaky hands last time. I sat down and waited a while longer until I saw a very pierced guy come in and go behind the counter. I was hoping he was the piercer because I just feel better if the person poking holes in me has been frequently poked himself. The guy turned out to only be in training but called the piercer. I asked if I could go ahead and pay and do the paper work. The two guys at the counter really had no idea if Tommy could do the piercing or how much it would cost, so they told me just to wait until he got there.
I waited until Tommy arrived. He came over and asked what I wanted done. I showed him my pictures that I had printed out from BME and he checked to see if it would work on my ear. I really like the placement of the bar going horizontally right across from the tragus but ,unfortunately, I have too many blood vessels in that area. Tommy told me the other places on my ear where a piercing would work. I had also wanted a rook on my right ear so I decided to get that instead. I wasn't leaving that place without something new in my body. I paid my forty dollars and waited for Tommy to get the room ready. When it was ready, Candise and I went back. I pulled up my hair and got into the dentist chair. There was already a crowd forming because no one had ever seen one of these done.
Tommy cleaned my ear and told me that he was going to check and just make sure that I couldn't have my horizontal snug. He moved around the clamps and told me that I could have a snug, it would just have to be a little higher than I originally wanted. With the clamps in place, he told me to take a deep breath and let it out. I tried, but when I started to let it out, the needle went in and my breath caught it my throat. He got it about halfway through and then had to stop and really push it through. I heard this one. I was so afraid of hearing the dreaded pop with my industrial, and I didn't. This time I did. I can't even describe the sound. It wasn't really a "pop" but it was more like a "whoosh". When I looked at Candise, she just had this horrified look on her face. By this time, I was talking to Tommy and the other guys in the room and my mind wasn't really on the piercing. It honestly didn't hurt. I felt the pressure of the clamps and I could feel Tommy putting on the end of the bar, but there wasn't pain. With my industrial, my ear got really hot and tingly, but that didn't even happen. I bled a little and Tommy blotted it off with a tissue. He gave me the hygiene talk, wash with Dial in the shower and do sea salt soaks.
I got out of the chair and looked In the mirror. Once again, I fell in love. I told Tommy he was awesome and he told me to come back in a couple of weeks so he could get a picture because he was out of film. I hung around until Barry got his industrial. It looked good, he didn't cry, and all was good. When he got finished, piercer trainee guy was back with film and Tommy got his pictures.
That was two days ago, and there's still not an incredible amount of pain. It hurts when I hit it on something or it gets tangled in my hair. It's a little red and puffy, but it still hasn't swelled to the entire length of the bar. I'm very surprised at the response it gets. With my industrial, people were either disgusted or thought it was really cool. With my snug, the general response is "Why did you do that?!?" Really, people, why does anybody get any body mod? I saw it, I wanted it, I got it. I always said that my industrial would always be my favorite piercing, but I lied. I am so proud of my snug, and I show it to everyone, even though I know they're going to ask the stupid question.
If you really want a snug, read the experiences, know what to expect, how to care for it, and DO IT. For anybody in northwest Alabama, go see Tommy. He is the best piercer I have ever had an experience with. He was very professional and let me know what would work on me and what wouldn't. He was more that willing to experiment and did everything he could to give me what I wanted. Really, what more could you ask for? I'm already aching for something else, so I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon.