At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Lauren Studio Patriot's Tattoo and Piercing Location Fairfax, Virginia While browsing through countless stories about miscellaneous piercings, the word 'snug' came up quite a few times. Naturally, I had to figure out what this mysterious piercing was. At first I wondered why anyone would get this awkward and rather weird adornment, but soon I found a picture of a girl with three snugs, and instantly fell in love.
After a few weeks of convincing my mother to let me get this done, I went to Patriot's to check their prices against the other local shop(which told me it was a horrible piercing to get). It was so clean inside compared to the shabby outside, and I talked with the manager and Lauren, who both greeted me with warmth and professionalism. This is a case where the old adage is true: Do not judge a book by its cover.
A week ago, I went with my mother and friend over to Patriot's to get my new snugs, with the picture of the girl with three in hand. I dragged my friend along for the ride because I was very nervous about getting this done, and was afraid I wouldn't go through with it. (I read many stories when the people were like, 'Yeah, so I breathed out and OH MY GOD PAIN PAIN PAIN!!!!')Needless to say, I was expecting the worst.
We walk in, and talk with the head manager (sorry, he did not give his name) and he makes a copy of our licenses. My mother filled out the paper, and I chatted with my friend and Lauren about the piercing. I showed her the picture, and she said that sadly, my snug could probably only accommodate one of the piercings. Damn. I signed the form and handed over $50, and was taken back.
It was this small room that was actually quite cozy. Lauren had pictures of her family and dog over her station, and Beanie Babies used for learning piercing techniques, and for people to squeeze if they were nervous. She saw that I was nervous, and let me sit down in a chair while she finished setting up (similarly to a hair dresser's chair) and talked to me about school, body modifications in general, and of course, what she was doing. I asked questions, such as how many she had pierced (I was to be her third), what would go in place of the needle (16 gauge CBR), and how much would it hurt (sharp intense pinch).
She had two bottles of fluid that the used for the sterilization of different items, and each were wrapped in plastic even though she used gloves on them. She cleaned my ear with a reddish substance, and marked me several times before she got the marking the way she wanted it. She explained that she would pierce me so that the piercing would go with 'the flow of my ear'. At first I was hesitant about the marking (I liked them better going at the opposite angle)but then I decided that it would probably look better if it went with my ear, so I took her advice.
At this point, she told me that she was taking the needle out, and put blue gel on the end of it to make it slide better through the ear. She asked me how I wanted the needle to go through, and I said to count to three, and do it on three. She lined up the needle with my ear, and I squeezed my friend's hand. One....two....three.... I winced, and it was over. 'Was that it?' I exclaimed as I felt my ear turn bright red. It was done quickly, and it only felt like intense pressure, and no real pain.
The 16g CBR followed the needle (which went into a receiving tube), which was bit uncomfortable, but not painful. My ear bled a little bit, and she cleaned up the excess blood and sterilization fluid, and carefully closed the ring. As a matter of fact, she was so careful not to hurt me while trying to screw the bead back on the ring, it took her a very long time to do so. She explained the last cleaning instructions to me (I had been asking how to clean it periodically through the experience), and she showed me how to lower my ear into a cup of warm water with sea salt.
I am extremely happy with this whole experience. Lauren was great, because she explained everything to me and put me at ease, I almost forgot the procedure that lay ahead. She also told me exactly when the needle was coming out: very nice to know what's going on. She also did not try to rip me off my saying, 'Sure, get three snug,' even though that might not have been the best decision for me and my ear. Even my conservative mother was impressed, and tipped her $10.
It has been a week, and is now sore when anyone touches it (especially myself) and has already fallen, which is a sign of healing. It still gets the occasional crusty, and sometimes swells a little in the back of my ear, but it's nothing that can't be cured with a few Advil tablets.
It is extremely important to trust your piercer! They can be the difference between a great and a horrible experience and the actual piercing in general. Know how many times they've done this (it's rather rare)and their procedure. Initial vibes are key. If at any point you don't feel comfortable in that environment, chances are you don't want those people sticking sharp metal object through your body.
If you're ever in DC or Northern Virginia, you should check out Patriot's.