I was 16 at the time, very alone at school and was struggling a lot with life in general. The only thing I really seemed to have an interest in at all was body modification.
At A Glance Author Twarg Contact Twarg@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Jess Studio Abandoned Art Location Wanneroo, Western Australia After lots of research and looking at many pictures across the internet I decided this was something I would love to explore and was quite taken with the idea of a tongue piercing.
It took me a while to win over my Mum. As with most parents she was concerned about the health risks involved, some of which were Myths I was happy to expel for her.
She agreed to check out a few piercing studios around and I was very happy with the vibe that Abandoned Art was giving off.
I spoke to a lovely person there, Jess, about a tongue piercing, she inspected my tongue and said that piercing my tongue would be easy enough. I had already read many tongue piercing experiences (thank you BME) and knew the procedure, but being the professional Jess is, she explained what was involved.
I was given a sheet to fill out about personal details. Name, Age, Contact number and Address were all there, but so were things like if I drank recently, smoked, was pregnant, had various different diseases. As I'm sure you know this is necessary for me, the piercer and studio involved; any good Studio will ask these questions.
Mum and I then had to go and get this signed at the local pharmacy by a JP - then I was set!
I cant remember if I booked this in or if I went and did it that day - being two years ago that detail is a little foggy. Any who, it went something like this. I was listening to music trying to calm my nerves as I was being driven to the studio. Ahh yes, I remember now I did book it in because she had already autoclaved (sterilized the equipment) and was telling me this as I walked in the door.
I handed her the now filled out and signed form and was asked to come through to a small room in the back of the studio.
Jess asked how I was feeling, and being the honest person I am, I said I was very very nervous and asked her not to show me the needle. She said that was quite fine and that I'd be okay. Jess asked me to sit on the edge of the dentist-type chair in the room and to rinse my mouth for 30 seconds with a mouthwash she handed me. This stuff was quite foul and looking back - was the most painful part of the procedure. I was focused on the pictures in the room so that I wouldn't look at the equipment, and Jess was talking to me during this - She had obviously dealt with a lot of nervous people before.
We confirmed what it was that I was wanting done, and then I was asked to put my tongue out. She dried this with a gauzy-type material and inspected both the top and bottom sides of my tongue a few times, then marked it with some sort of ink. Jess held up a hand-mirror and asked if I was happy with the placement, to which I nodded and made a funny throat-noise, haha.
I anticipated the pain when I was warned that I was going to feel a bit of pressure as she put the clamp on my tongue, but that honestly wasn't uncomfortable for me. Jess asked if I was ready, and then counted to three. Between the 2 and 3 she inserted the needle from the bottom up, and it wasn't painful at all. If you could imagine a feeling without any form of pain or ache, thats really all it is, it also kinda feels like pushing a skewer through raw chicken, which sounds a hell of a lot nastier than what it actually feels like.
I remember my tongue quivering as I was trying so hard to keep it out of my mouth while it had the needle in it.
It may have been a bit of shock but I don't really remember much more than her screwing one of the balls on, and then getting me to rinse again and drink something.
Next thing I knew I was stammering an excited and shock filled thank you and getting my picture taken by one of the lovely people at Abandoned Art.
And thats my tongue piercing experience!
I was and am thoroughly happy with all my experiences at Abandoned Art and recommend this place to anyone in Perth, Western Australia.
I'd also like to thank BME for providing endless amounts of pictures, experiences and information!
Feel free to email me if you have any questions :-)