This was just one of those things where I had some extra cash and what better to do with some extra money than a new piercing. The one that I'd wanted for a very long time was my lobes. I was very eager to pierce and stretch my ears so I went for it.
At A Glance Author Jordan W Contact Jordan W@bme.anon IAM Kuja When Three months ago Artist Julia Studio Orchid Location Edmonton, Alberta I know it sounds crazy but I was actually at work when I decided to get it done. I'm lucky enough to work in the world's largest mall so there are three piercing studios inside the mall. From experience and reputation I probably would have preferred to go to Dragon FX but it was at the other end of the mall and I was on a half hour break. I'd heard good things about Orchid too so I decided it was worth trying it out.
Orchid was nearby so I was there in no time. Definitely didn't leave me with a lot of time to consider my decision. I got there and informed the desk clerk what I was interested in doing. They quoted me the price and I paid them. It was more than I expected but no biggie, it was technically two piercings after all. I filled out the paper work and such and waited for the piercer.
Julia came out from the back and introduced herself. We went back to one of the two private piercing rooms and I sat down. I was totally ready for it and wasn't really nervous at all. Definitely felt better than I did the last time I went to get pierced. It's an odd coincidence because I absolutely hate getting needles from a doctor for blood work and such but it really doesn't bother me getting pierced. Not as much anyway. So I'm sitting there waiting for the big moment. Although I overall enjoyed my experience with Julia because the end result was good she was very quiet and never really said anything. No warnings, no "this is what I'm doing now" or "these are the sterile packages" which is unfortunate because I like that kind of thing. At least some idle chatter would be nice. Anyway, she clamps the first ear, which was fine, and sticks it. It slides right through, as does the jewellery. She spins the chair around so she can stay on the same side near the supplies and counter. The second ear is clamped and poked. The jewellery slides in and we're done. The second one definitely hurt more than the first but not significantly. I'm not sure it's just because it was second. I remember before I got pierced when I pinched the one ear it hurt more than pinching the other so there was probably something about that which made it hurt the way it did. Overall it was pretty smooth. There was no blood or anything. In retrospect though I really wish I would have gone somewhere where I could have done it with a larger gauge needle. Start it off at like a 6 or a 4 gauge as to speed up the stretching process. Instead I have to start the long arduous process of stretching from 14 gauge. I can't wait to get some great big plugs in there. The hardest part will be coming up with enough money to afford tapers and jewellery to stretch.
She asked me to sit there for a few moments before I left. That wasn't too bad as I felt a little light headed anyway, I'm such a lightweight. The only thing I was worried about was getting back to work on time. This was actually a legitimate concern because when I sat up and looked at my phone I realized I was already five minutes late. From there I tipped and ran back to work. Running was bad and didn't make my ears feel very good. I worked out the rest of my shift and everyone thought they looked really great. It was really funny because one of the guys I work, who wasn't working, saw me come out of Orchid and he was like "Oh, what were you getting done" I'm like "My lobes" and he said that he thought I'd always had them done. That was awesome, they really look natural.
The aftercare was fairly basic. I used saline solution and q tips and it's worked for me so far. I rotate them every once in a while, mostly because I love the feeling of the jewellery in a fresh piercing. Needless to say, my parents absolutely hate them but I can deal with that. They will get used to it eventually. They'll be even more pissed off when I start stretching them. They really don't understand that kind of thing. As of now they are healed enough to change the jewellery but not enough to start stretching. I am looking forward to doing that very soon though.