After a rather unsuccessful web piercing done on a whim in London, I decided I would give it another try. My first web piercing lasted only two days due to massive swelling and improper jewelry. A large 12 gauge ring was evidently the wrong choice for this delicate piercing.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When N/A Artist Joe Studio Big Kahuna Location Florida As a result of the piercing age being only 16 in England, I was able to get my web pierced, but when I returned to America, I was saddened when I realized that I would not be able to have it redone for almost a year. When the time finally came, I knew exactly where I would be having the piercing done. The only tattoo and piercing place that I trust, Big Kahuna, and I would have possibly the friendliest, but most professional piercer that I know of, Joe, performing the piercing.
When I decided it was time to get the piercing done, having to wait a week for graduation, in case the piercing was visible like my past one, I headed to Big Kahuna. After a short drive, I made it to Big Kahuna, ready to be pierced, with adrenaline rushing through my veins. As I walked to the door, I noticed a sign on the window which sadly informed me that all employees would be on vacation for the next 3 days. I was extremely frustrated after this because I had prepared myself mentally, but I had no choice but to wait since I don't trust any other local piercing and tattoo parlors.
The day finally came. I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. Since I had already had the piercing before, I knew what to expect, but I still couldn't help running all of the "what if..."'s through my mind. After running some errands and getting some food in my stomach, I drove back down to Big Kahuna. I was relieved once I saw the sign on the door declaring that they were indeed open for business. As I walked in, I noticed two familiar faces, the man who had tattooed my friend, and my favorite piercer, Joe. There were about 4 giggly girls ahead of me getting their ears pierced, so I took my time filling out my forms and out of nervousness, managed to pull every card out of my wallet except for my ID. When all the paperwork was finished, I sat down and waited for my turn to come.
After Joe took a quick break, he informed me that he would be piercing me with a 16g needle, and a 16g CBR, which sounded a lot less painful than my previous web piercing. I sat down on the black dentist chair placed towards the front of the shop while Joe prepared all of the materials. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he had a curved needle sealed tightly in a sterile package to use. My previous piercing was done with a straight needle which made the placement difficult. After everything was taken care of, I was handed a cup of mouth wash, which I can honestly say, was the most painful part of the entire experience. After making many faces, I was informed that for some reason, the generic grocery store brand mouth wash was about ten times stronger than Listerine. It made me feel clean, but also made my skin feel raw. After a quick drying of my mouth, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, the piercing was finished. Out of my nine other piercings, this hurt the least. It also hurt significantly less than my previous web piercing. As with all of my other piercings, the needle was the least of my problems. The change from the needle to the ring was slightly uncomfortable, like somebody had tugged on my new hole, but the most painful part was yet to come. Somehow, Joe would have to fit his rather large hands into my mouth to connect the ball to the ring. After a minute of clamps and metal in my mouth, and many awkward noises on my part, the ball was fitted into the ring and it was all over. I was handed another cup of mouth wash, and I gargled it with apprehension, only to notice that it was significantly diluted. I looked into the mirror to admire my new toy, and with adrenaline rushing through my veins, I almost walked out forgetting to pay. I was politely reminded that I was forgetting something, and I proceeded to pay, tipping nicely because I am aware of the difficulty of a web piercing.
After everything was taken care of, Joe asked me if he could take a picture of my new piercing for his records, but after some searching, he realized that he and the others in the studio had forgotten their cameras at home. I promised him that I would either return soon, or send him a picture of it. In terms of procedure, I could not have been happier with the sterilization, and how in depth my aftercare instructions were. I love Big Kahuna because while they are very clean and professional, they are your friends while you are there. Overall it was a great experience, worth every penny. It has been one week since the piercing and it is healing nicely, and I can't wait until I can go back in once it has healed to have the CBR changed to a small barbell. If you live in the Palm Beach area, I would highly suggest Big Kahuna as a place for all of your piercing and tattoo needs. I can't wait to go back soon to get a vertical labret!