At A Glance Author KieraPander Contact KieraPander@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Didn't get name Studio Ocean Mystique Location Virginia Beach After a day of goofing off at the beach we went up to walk along the strip. As we walked I paid attention to the various shops, some listing only ear piercing and some advertising body piercing. As we returned along the strip I picked a place that looked alright and stepped inside. Once there I asked the man about body piercing, which he told me he didn't do. So I clarified and asked about cartilage ear piercing, which he said he did do. But he said he used a gun, to which I objected. He told me I was just being difficult and that if I looked elsewhere I'd find that everyone did it that way. I wasn't happy but I continued to talk to him. When I found out that his 'studio' was actually just the back area of his open-air shop I decided I was about to do something stupid and told him that I'd try elsewhere despite what he said.
A couple streets later I saw one of the Ocean Mystique shops. It was clean, well lit and had a lot of customers, which I liked, so I stopped to check the place out. In the process of looking and asking around I found out their wide range of jewelry, the fact that their piercers had individual booths with doors, that non-essential persons were not allowed in (which I liked, I didn't want to be gawked at) and that they cleaned between customers. I decided this was the place for me.
I spoke with the counter-person and she explained all of the information I needed to show and to fill out on the form, which wasn't an issue since I'd remembered my driver's license. That done, I sat down until it was my turn.
When my name was called the girl (they had a guy too, but I prefer to be pierced by a girl if I'm given the option) met me at the door to the booths in back. She warned me that the piercing I was after was not painless but it wasn't terribly painful either. Why such a statement might reassure me I have no idea, but it did. We stepped back into her booth and she shut the door but as I sat on the bed (which looked a lot like the beds in doctor's offices, complete with paper cover) I must have looked nervous because she decided to show me the needle she was going to use and explained how (essentially) easy the process was going to be. After that she told me to lie down on my side so that the ear to be pierced was toward the ceiling.
She sat down on her stool and turned to reach for something. It was then that I realized she was wearing gloves, which was another thing that reassured me. Then she turned back to me and it was when I felt the cold of the wipe against my skin that I closed my eyes. A second later I heard a faint sound as she threw the wipe away and then another second passed before I felt the piercer's finger against my ear. She told me to do my best to be still and not to forget to breathe and then put the tip of the needle against my ear. Inhale... ex---OUCH! She was right, it hurt but wasn't unbearable. Unfortunately I'm twitchy and I kicked my foot out, which rocked the trash can against the door but didn't overturn it.
The piercer said I'd done fine and that it was time to do the other side. She reminded me, again, to breathe and as she'd done before, she pushed the needle through mid-exhale. And as I had done before, I kicked out and the trash can rocked again but didn't fall over. There was no question whether the piercer was aware of my pain because of my reaction and she took the time to tell me that we were almost done, it was just a matter of putting the bar in and taking the needles out, which shouldn't be any trouble.
Only it was because though the bar went in the first hole easily it took a bit of finesse to get it through the other hole, which I found to be rather painful, but it couldn't have taken longer than a couple seconds before it was together and she was tightening the bead onto the end. Then she cleaned my ear with a couple more wipes and had me sit up. She explained the aftercare and then walked with me to the front of the shop.
When I reached the front the counterperson handed me an aftercare sheet, got me the H2Ocean I'd already paid for, and informed me that they require everyone to hang around for 5 minutes (they provided chairs in the shop for just that purpose) to make sure everything was okay. I scoffed but was silently thankful as I sat and shook for a minute or two. Yes, I was aware it would hurt and I was aware of what I was doing, but still, there are some things you can't prepare your body for without going through it at least once.
My ear ached a little on the ride home and that night it was impossible to sleep on, but I did the aftercare as explained to me and by the third night I was sleeping on it (with my hand under my jaw and behind my ear to keep the piercing from rubbing the pillowcase too much. It wept clear fluid for months and took nearly a year before it completely healed (which I expected because of another problematic piercing before that). Now, though, it looks good and is painless. I'm happy with it.
Despite being a BME reader off-and-on for years there are things I didn't do that I now realize I should've. To my knowledge, the bar wasn't checked with the size of my ear, but it fit well and so I didn't question it. I also didn't discuss the gauge of it with the piercer beforehand, which I probably should have, but I'm pleased with the size they chose. I also didn't see an autoclave nor did I ask about one; when the jewelry was brought into the booth, it was in folded-over gauze (and I assumed it had been cleaned), next time I'll ask about that beforehand. And lastly, after the girl was finished, I laughed and mentioned I chose the ear I chose because the curve was a bit thicker than the other ear, to which she replied that she can make an Industrial fit no matter the ear shape- which put me off a bit, though by that time everything was already said and done.
I'll put the whole experience down to a bit of forethought and a bit of dumb luck and be smarter next time.