I finally got my industrial today. I had been thinking of experiencing an industrial piercing for a number of years. I have been interested in body modification since early adolescence and considered an industrial to be a long-term goal, scary, something I'd work up to after getting a few other piercings. Well, I'd had a 14 gauge lower right lip ring which I had to remove due to work, resulting in infection ('01), my tongue pierced ('03) and my nipple ('05). They weren't progressing at the rate I had hoped they would as I only had two successful piercings and a medium-sized back tattoo ('00) to show for almost ten years of body mod adoration. This would seem, to some, more than enough, but for me it is simply the beginning.
At A Glance Author sapphicsub Contact sapphicsub@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Angel Studio Electric Skin Designs Location Augusta, ME Anyway, I found myself with these thoughts more and more. So one day I had the money, the time and the thoughts spurred me on. To the state's capitol I went, money in hand, to procure the long-desired self-infliction.
My piercer had done my horizontal left nipple piercing a month or so earlier and I felt I trusted her a considerable amount. I knew ahead of time what techniques and tools she'd use to be effective, safe and comfortable. This is important when choosing a piercer, pay attention to what terms they use and how knowledgeable they are about the particular piercing(s). If they're rough or callous, just don't go back. It's not worth a scar or even a piercing you have to take out.
When we walked into the studio there was a young lady, probably about 19, working as an apprentice and receptionist. When I told her that what I most wanted was an industrial, her eyes got wider and she stumbled a bit on herself to go ask if the piercing could be done as a walk-in. Even though she had some piercing and tats, I could tell she was excited/nervous about it. She later asked anxiously if she could sit in on this and confirmed my original thoughts. I filled out all the paperwork and I sat at the counter for a while, the three ladies who run the place were prepping the area and the tools for my piercing. I could hear them discussing the piercing and I managed to catch specifically Angel (the piercer) instructing the other two to "cleanse this table and wipe it down in case she passes out or something." I had to chuckle, but I deep down asked myself if that was possible, if I could really pass out. I had almost thrown up or passed out (I started to get that gray, fuzzy feeling) after I got my tongue done. I had chosen a good piercer then as well, he noticed I was green around the gills and sat me down with some cold water. I found I wasn't that distressed about it, if it happened it happened and that was a risk I had accepted willingly.
I went in the back and was sat down on a stool with a light up over my head, like some sort of interrogation. Angel cleansed the area on my ear with a sprayer of alcohol and iodine, measured the place the piercing would actually be, consulted me about the area, marked it and applied the forceps to the uppermost marked spot. At this point, she explained that on 1, 2, 3 I should take a deep breath and she'd pass the needle through. My boyfriend holding my hand, she pierced me once and applied the cork. I must say that the crunching sound most people say they have experienced with cartilage piercings did not occur in my case. Also when the actual piercing took place, I'd say that the nipple hurt more than the industrial.
Dazed, I clenched my fists and struggled to hold still through some minor shaking in my arms so that the first piercing wouldn't move very much and so Angel could quickly and efficiently get the forceps around the second marked spot. She picked up the needle, and, I was surprised, I had the wherewithal to ask her, "On your 3 again?" She smiled and chuckled slightly as she said, "You got it." I think the second piercing hurt worse than the first, but the worst part of the time I spent in the shop was when the jewelry was passed through the second hole. It wasn't the most horrible pain ever, but it did hurt. Angel made me sit for a several minutes to make sure I was alright to stand and walk. It seemed to be that I was walking on air and I could feel the seratonin sweeping through my system. For maybe ten minutes after I left the shop I was flying on various bodily chemicals. But after that, it began to hurt with extreme prejudice, and I found that throughout the 40-minute ride home it was growing in intensity. This subsided, however, when I got home and cleaned it with Bactine. I definitely recommend Bactine, it has helped me through many a tough time.
So all in all it was worth it and I just can't see at this point any reason why someone looking for a piercing that will challenge your coping abilities couldn't come out as victorious as I have in this case.