Over the past few months, I have been really itching for a new piercing. When I get a chance I am always looking at pictures on BMEzine or looking at body jewelry stores online to look for cool new piercings I could get. I got my first tattoo at Sick Creations in Snohomish about a month ago, but that didn't curb my "appetite" for a new piercing to take care of.
At A Glance Author Craig H. Contact Craig H.@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Ralph Studio Lynnwood Tattoo Location Lynnwood, WA So, for the past month, I have spent countless hours researching cool piercings which aren't really visible (I work at a bank). But the only ones I had found were nipples(Ouch!) and oooo... Tongue. Hmmmm. I had toyed with the idea of getting a tongue web piercing before, but never went through with it because I lost interest. I figure, if I want to get a tongue ring, I will want to make sure there are cool metals to put in my mouth. And there were. I looked at hundreds of pictures on BMEzine, watched hours of videos, read every single possible health hazard that the internet had to offer, and I was feeling very confident about getting it.
So this past Wednesday, I decided I would get it done during the weekend, which would allow time for swelling and any other complications. So I head off to Lynnwood Tattoo and Body Piercing, excited and envigorated. When I get there, I realize I forgot to get money, which was fine because I was starting to feel a little nervous. So after getting money, and something to eat, I made my way back to the piercing studio. Now, the only piercings I have are my earlobes, which were self done. So I did not know what to expect going to a piercing studio in regards to how it feels (e.g., the amount of pain, the procedure, etc.)
The man at the front (Ralph), was exremely friendly and talkative. He helped answer all of my questions until I felt 100% sure that this is what I wanted. He told me to have a seat and fill out some paperwork while he went into the back and got his supplies ready. He came back out about 5 minutes later and called me back. After I paid them about $65, he took me into the room and had me sit down on the "doctor's" chair. To let you know, I am terrified because I have no idea what is going to happen next. I think Ralph saw that because he started talking to me about his tongue ring and explained the reason why he was using a 12g needle rather than a 14g. Then he told me to stick out my tongue, and I started getting a little more nervous. He looked at the bottom and the top of my tongue, then back at the bottom. I wondered if something was wrong, but he just said that he was making sure he didn't hit my tongue web. By any measure, I was fine with that. He finally got the positioning right, and marked it with a toothpick and ink. Then he took the clamp and lined the hole up with the marking on my tongue. He told me he wanted me to take a deep breath and, when I exhale, he'll stick the needle through.
Now, I realize that there's not much difference if the artist pierces bottom-to-top or top-to-bottom, but it sure does freak you out to see the pointy end of a needle sticking out the top of your tongue. ;) Ralph was great because he talked me through the whole process, and was telling me what he was doing at all times. Plus, he was very quick and very efficient. As a matter of fact, I did not even know he had the needle in his hand and then all of a sudden. (insert skewering sound here) The only thing I felt through the entire process was the needle coming out the top of my tongue, but I think it just freaked me out. The piercing did not hurt at all.
I was in and out of the studio with my newest addition in about 10 minutes. Then it was off to 7-Eleven for a slurpee(yummm) to help my tongue not swell too bad. The only drawback is that it is a little further forward than I originally wanted it, but when I can get a smaller bar, that will help a lot. One word of advice: If you want a tongue piercing, GET IT!!! It really does not hurt at all like what people say. That was all that was stopping me, and now I do not think I could have brought myself to do it ever again if I had just walked away. So much fun now, and more when it heals!!!