At A Glance
Author	Jen
Contact	Jen@bme.anon
When	Three months ago
Artist	Tony
Studio	Pain & Pleasure II
Location	Sandusky, Ohio

Well, my parents decided to keep the girls overnight for my husband and I. It happens rarely because even though my parents raised 4 kids, my girls can give them a run for their money.

We decided to go out to dinner. It was really nice being able to sit down, EAT in peace and have normal conversations. Then my lovely husband decided to spring it on me that he was taking me to get my rooks pierced. I've wanted my rooks done for sooo long, but we haven't had the money to do it. (Plus, I kept going to a piercing place near my apartment, and they kept putting me off. They kept telling me to come back because they "didn't have the jewelry in yet....blah, blah, blah".) I just stared at him over our food. I said, "I'm just afraid that it'll hurt." Typical answer, in my opinion. Then, he called me a "chickenshit" and I knew that I couldn't back out. So, we paid our bill and we went to the local piercing/tattoo shop (Pain & Pleasure II).

We got to the shop and I saw the owner, Tony, standing at the counter. I knew him from a past tattooing experience. He asked what I wanted done and I told my rooks. He just said, "Alright, fill this out and I'll get everything ready." I filled out the consent form and I went out to my husband because he was waiting in his truck. When we got there, we both thought that the store was closing down for the night. But, the owner decided to pierce me at the last minute. Adam came in with me and waited in the front of the building. I went into the back with Tony (the owner) and I asked if he wanted to see my I.D. He said, "Nope, I believe ya." I told him that I was going to be 29 in July and he said, "Ah, you're YOUNG!" (I just figured that he remembered me when I got my tattoo done because he was the one that did it and he checked my I.D. at the time, so he probably knew I was legal.) Then, he marked my ears, got his tray and everything else ready. He asked if I could hold the tray for him and I told him sure. Then I looked down at the stuff on the tray. The needle he was using looked like a fish hook from the movie Jaws! The first thought in my head was, "What in the hell did you get yourself into, Dumbass?!" Then, I had to get the Jaws theme music out of my head. I guess because of the way that he had to pierce my rooks, that was the needle that he had to use. I've seen rooks pierced before, so I knew that the needle was the correct one. It was sort of awkward because I didn't pull my hair back (which I normally do when I get my ears done. But, since I didn't know I was getting them done, I wasn't prepared.) Tony kept moving it and I said, "Here, I'll just pull it back for you." He was happy that I offered because my hair is really long and I knew it was getting in the way. He said that he loved my hair. What is it with long hair and guys? Anyways, he got the needle and cork ready and said, "Alright honey, BIG breath in", well you know the rest of the routine. The only sound that I could make at that time was RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! That shit HURT! It was painful because he had to pierce through a tough piece of cartilage. He said, "You're doing alright." Then he had to put the ring in and that hurt a lot as well. He cleaned up my ear and smiled at me. Then, it was time for the 2nd one. He did everything the same and it didn't hurt any less than the first one. And, yes, I made the same sounds. I knew my husband could hear me and I didn't want to cry or be a big baby. After everything was done, I was sweating. Tony noticed it and said, "Well, you can tell your husband that an older guy made you sweat" and started to laugh. I thought it was funny too. I asked him to change the gauges of some of my helix rings and he said, "Sure, no problem." I had some really bulky rings in my upper cartilage. He changed them without any problems and they felt so much better and lighter. Tony cleaned me up and took me out to pay for everything. He gave me the standard aftercare sheet and he tol
We left the studio and headed to Walmart to get my sea salt and a few other things. I use Dial liquid for all my cleaning aftercare on my other piercings and even on my daughters' ear piercings but Tony recommended adding sea salt soaks to my cleaning regimen to alleviate the pain and help in the cleaning. We got the stuff and went home.

Let's just say, after a lot of tears and shaking, I managed to clean them. My rooks were so painful, I was crying. My husband had to hold me around the waist to make sure that I didn't jump while I was turning the rings. But, I was successful. They were throbbing, but they were clean. I went to bed, hoping for some sleep and relief. I didn't get either of those! So, I got back up and I popped some Tylenol extra strengths and stayed up for a bit. About 1:30, I gave up and went to bed.

The Morning After:

Well, they were numb. They only hurt when I wiggled my ears. But, I still have to take a shower and I still have to clean them! YIKES! I don't regret getting them done. I was regretting them last night when I first cleaned them because they were so painful. But, the pain will be gone soon. To anyone that wants to get their rooks done; yes, they are painful. But they look BRILLIANT!


To all the piercing lovers out there: HAPPY PIERCING!