When I got my first piercing six years ago, I remember seeing a model plastic ear on the shop's counter top, with several mods I'd never encountered before. The daith was most striking to me - it seemed to fit, to compliment the bizarre curvature of the ear. I got my eyebrow pierced that day, and went home, and wouldn't revisit my draw to the daith for a few more years.
At A Glance Author Inhibitor Contact Inhibitor@bme.anon When Six months ago Studio Mastodon Location Pacific Beach, CA So it happened that a good friend of mine decided to go under the inky needle last summer. I'd been back to the shop, Mastodon, a few times through the years to oogle at jewelry and change my own, and as the place had opened a tattoo parlor as well, I suggested that we go there and see if she could find a compatible artist.
I knew, when she and I began talking about the work she wanted to get done, that I couldn't hold back my itch for a new mod any longer. I decided to get an industrial, and we both went down to the shop to have some fun.
As my friend sat for her tattoo, I talked with "front desk" about the industrial. I was told that it'd be a bad idea because the cartilage on the top of my ear isn't very substantial; there'd be a good chance it'd reject, and probably wouldn't look like I'd wanted it to. While the piercer was explaining this to me, he reached under the counter and brought out the plaster ear model - and there was the daith again.
In my excitement, I was about to interrupt him when he suggested that I think about getting my daith pierced instead! It was rather serendipitous, I thought. As the initial excitement wore off a bit, I thought about the procedure itself. The cartilage there seemed so *thick* - the bottom so very close to the ear canal! I asked about the pain involved compared to other locations, and simply got a smile. Gulp.
I went outside and thought it over. I'd had the aforementioned eyebrow piercing (which eventually rejected), and had self-pierced six holes in my ear lobes, as well as a handful of scarification and branding experiences, but this seemed a little heavier. I was comfortable with the shop and my piercer, and I was confident in the knowledge that this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment inclination, but I was still a little hesitant - it just looked as if it might be a little more than I could handle. Over the course of three chain-smoked cigarettes, I talked it out with myself. Could I quell my squirmishness and submit to the experience? Yes. Would this piercing be something I'd enjoy, bare proudly, and take care of? Yes.
So - that was that.
I ran across the street and bought two bottles of soda, and promptly drank them. Sugar and caffeine countering a bit of my anxiety, I went back into the shop and watched as my piercer set up his equipment and went over jewelry choices with me. The sterility of everything was demonstrated to me, and my ear was cleaned and prepped. I picked a 14 ga. SS cbr and garnet balls, and approved the piercer's placement. Half expecting myself to leap out of the chair and scram, I leaned back and tried to focus on my breathing. My piercer calmed me down a bit and breathed with me.
Calmer, I let him know that I was ready. We counted to three and he pushed the (12 ga.!)needle in - more pressure than pain, and a *very* loud crunch, and paused a second before pushing it through. The exit was a bit painful, but I've found that to be true of all the piercings I've had. The jewelry went in without a bit of pain at all. For anyone who is considering a daith piercing and is worried about it: twenty minutes of anxiety is much worse than three seconds of pressure and a half second of (albeit somewhat intense) pain. Honestly, I enjoyed it. Much more of a true experience than simply something to endure.
It bled more than I'd expected for a few hours, but as I was still waiting for my friend, I stayed in the shop and was very courteously attended to.
The price, including jewelry, was $50, and healing took about two and a half months (I mark this by the point at which there aren't any crusty bits, and the ring can be turned and tugged a little without any discomfort or obstruction). I cleaned with sea salt in sterilized warm water, three times a day.
I got my right daith pierced a few months later, with similar results. They've healed wonderfully and I love them. They're subtle in the right light and bold in others. And as I'd observed long before, they're a perfect complement to the ear's anatomy.
I'd like to recommend Mastodon to anyone seeking a piercer in San Diego County. They're immaculately clean, friendly, and professional. The ambiance is definitely tribal - tons of stuff to look at, neat music, and amazing jewelry the likes of which I haven't seen anywhere else. And the staff is unbeatable - I managed to lock my keys in my car that night, so my friend's tattoo artist drove us home!