It had been about three months since my last piercing--low cartilage--and I decided one of the best ways to celebrate my semester long stay in D.C. was a commemorative piercing. Not so sure my uptight Hill boss will agree. Guess she'll cope and deal.
At A Glance Author Brentney When It just happened Artist George Dilla Studio Tattoo Paradise Location Washington, D.C. I had wanted a snug for awhile, having seen a gorgeous little pink barbell through a friend's ear last summer. I didn't realize what I wanted was a "snug," though. And diagrams on the net are not a great way to choose what to pierce. Here's some good advice-- always talk about it with your piercer. I assumed I knew what I wanted. I assumed my piercer could read my mind. Or, I guess, else I would just luck into what I wanted. There are a lot of areas on the ear to pierce. I chose the wrong one.
I went to Tattoo Paradise. It's located in what I consider the best neighborhood in D.C.--Adams Morgan. Adams Morgan is sort of the hippie, bohemian area with Ethiopian food, hookah bars, your prerequisite clubs and badass coffee houses. I had walked through the neighborhood before and, without thinking I'd end up getting pierced--notice Tattoo Paradise because it's located just a door or two down from Tryst and The Diner (two of my favorite coffeehouse hang outs).
I went on a Sat, March 3, and told the guy at the desk I thought I wanted my daith pierced. I pronounced it "Day-th." I blame it on Texas. The whole state has pretty much scared me more than my migrated navel ring or removed rook. The guy politely corrected me that it is a "Daah-th," and showed me a diagram. For some reason, looking at this schematic, I thought I wanted my rook pierced instead. We settled up--only $40, which I thought was more than reasonable--and I met George who would be piercing me.
George is excellent, very professional and very nice. He pierced my rook. It hurt. Lots of pressure. Definitely hear the crunch. Significantly more painful than just a regular cartilage piercing and much more so than my nose ring. But I was all tough as nails, as I tend to be. Heh.
George apologized for his chubby fingers--because of them it took extra long to get the ball on and he had to use clamps. People always want to know about the level of pain involved it seems. Well, my ear is tender as hell. But it is not so much that I have any regrets or was nervous at all. If you have the desire to get a piercing you pretty much have to expect that there are some elements that will be painful. I know from my low cartilage (which, I was bad and had done with a gun at Clair's) was a bitch to heal up. But it did heal. I expect the same with this one. Cartilage is like that.
Anyway, I went home and gave it a look or two and thought something was weird. I showed a few friends and everyone of them literally said, "Where is it?" It was far back in a crevice and hidden by my hair almost entirely. I was pretty disappointed. I could only see it when I crooked my head around and for me, the point of a piercing is that it is something I can enjoy looking at too. I practically had to crane my neck around like an owl just to get a glimpse of the top ball.
I waited a few days thinking it would grow on me, but it just wasn't what I wanted. I called George and he said it was no problem to re-do, just take the barbell out a wait a week or so and we'd re-pierce in the same vicinity.
I tried to take the barbell out but b/c it was in such an awkward spot (this is not George's fault. Rooks are pretty close in to the front of the ear. I did not know this) I couldn't even come CLOSE to getting the ball off. I considered using tweezers to grab it but it was tender as hell and I wussed out. I decided my only option was to go back and see the wonderful folks at Tattoo Paradise b/c I wanted my snug, damn it. And I wanted it... now!
So, in a heavy snow, I walked up 18th Street to Tattoo Paradise (after a bitchin cup of coffee from the Diner). George removed my rook-- which hurt considerably worse than the piercing itself--it's the first time a piercing has every caused me to curse-- and then when I described what I thought I wanted, he pierced my opposite (left) snug. Dude. Snugs and rooks hurt. Case closed. Bled quite a bit. Still looks good.
Bad ass.