At A Glance
Author	anonymous
Contact	anonymous@bme.anon
When	Three months ago
Artist	Annie
Studio	Pierced Out
Location	San Jose, CA

I knew I wanted a piercing, but I didn't want the standard lobe piercing, especially since it was my first one. It was more the choice of jewelry I was concerned about rather than the placement of the piercing. I wanted something different. I didn't want a captive bead ring or a circular barbell, I wanted something I haven't seen a lot of. But what else was there? I didn't think there were any other kind of designs. I decided to seriously research piercings before I did my own. That's where BME really helped -- the experience and gallery sections gave me an idea about the pain involved, the healing process, and the different choices of jewelry.

I did some Internet snooping for shops around my home and found good reviews for a place nearby called Pierced Out (in San Jose) )which was next door to a tattoo shop I had heard of before -- Marks of Art. One reviewer mentioned the price of the jewelry being higher than some of the other nearby shops, but after some research, it turned out the cost was due to their use of internally threaded, implant grade (steel/titanium) jewelry. The same reviewer also mentioned a coupon for $5 off on their web site, so I printed it out and decided to check the place out on a day I had off from work/school.
I was nervous as I walked though the door. Nervous, but prepared. I had finally decided on an upper helix piercing (initially, I called it a cartilage piercing), but not on the type of jewelry. I met the piercer Annie at the counter (I read she was really nice and friendly, but when I met her, it really just seemed like she wanted to go home. I could understand the feeling, but I'm a customer -- how about at least faking some enthusiasm?) and she asked me what she could do for me. I told her I wanted a hole. (Obviously!) "Where?" Right here. I pointed to the spot on the top half of my ear. Just then, I knew what kind of jewelry I wanted! It just popped into my head! I wanted a spike coming out of my ear at a 45 degree angle pointing backward! Spikes = scary! I imagined poking people's eyes out when I hugged them.



I asked if she had any spiky jewelry, and she showed me an awesome straight barbell with a spiked end! There were some longer, thinner spikes, but I didn't want to it to stick out that much. I found a short, stubby one. Yes that one! I'll take it! No, just the one ear for now, thanks. She had me fill out the "if your ear falls off as a result of us shoving a needle through it, you can't sue us" paper work. I, anonymous, willingly allow Annie to punch a hole in me.

We got squared away with all the formalities and we moved into the piercing room. A 10x10 white room with a little "curtain" for privacy. She had me sit up on the table while she put on her violet colored latex gloves and got her tools ready. She came back with a little, black sharpie and placed a dot on the tip of my ear. "Is that where you want it?" It'll be pointed backwards, right? "Yes." Then yes.

She had me lay down on my back. She took the hollow needle and pressed it up to my ear. The tip was just barely poking my flesh. Slightly uncomfortable. "Okay, I'm gonna have you take a deep breath, and then exhale in one burst. At the end of the exhale, I'll push the needle through." Okay.

Deep breathe in... hold... pssshhhuuuu*crunch*uuuu.

I peeked in the mirror. I had a long hollow needle sticking through my ear. "Whoa," I thought. She went to grab the spike. She came back and jiggled the needle a bit to insert the jewelry. Then she tightened up the screw as hard as she could, and that was that. The only pain I experienced was the moment of piercing, and the inserting of the jewelry. After that point, it was just tender, sore, and throbbing. I cleaned my ear with the sea salt they gave me (twice a day religiously). Since it was in my right ear, I had to force myself to sleep on my back or my left side. These are the things you don't think about when you consider new piercings. I cleaned it until I could freely spin the spike around without pain. Even though it's pretty well healed, it'll still build up a tiny amount of crust now and then. I've changed the jewelry a couple of times to circular barbells, but in the end, I always switch back to my original barbell. I want to get the matching piercing on my other ear next.