The septum is my most recent piercing and by far my favorite. It is also the one that I had wanted for the longest time. I was very nervous about having one done because of several experiences that had been related to me remarking it as one of the most painful piercings. At the time I was also undecided about what type of jewelry to go for.
At A Glance Author BCorrad Contact bgcorrad@email.msn.com When It just happened Artist Chris Studio Straight to the Point body piercing Location Board of Trade building, downtown Portland, OR The only studio my wife and I have been to is Straight to the Point. It is owned and operated by Alec Bezzina. He has a lot of unusual experiences and has a very pleasant mood and demeanor. The studio is laid out very comfortably. It has a unique setting overlooking downtown and is impeccably clean. The couches in the waiting room are comfortable enough to sleep in. Along with all of this, Alec and Chris's demeanor added directly to my sense of ease every time I entered. The adjoining room where all the piercings are done is set up like a dentists office almost. Everything is visible and all the sterilizing equipment and his gloves are organized nicely without being all crammed in some tiny backroom.
When I went to get my septum done, Chris was the only one there. This was not a concern though as I knew he had trained directly under Alec's watchful eye. The first thing he did was discuss the style of jewelry. I abhor the typical retainer as it defeats the purpose of having a visible piercing. I finally settled in a circular barbell. Chris said that he could do a 14, 12, or even taper to a 10 gauge. He also told that from his observance any tapered piercing seemed to heal faster and bleed less overall. I immediately liked the size and appearance of the 10 gauge.
We went to the chair where the piercing was to be done and Chris checked on the sterilizer. He discussed the procedure in explicit detail. I told him that I was a little nervous and he said it would be over before I knew it. I explained how I had heard that septums were very painful. He said that usually when this is the case, it is due to an untrained piercer. He further explained that a well-done septum was pierced through the piece of skin located between two pieces of cartilage near the end of the nose. He said this was called the sweet spot.
He then gathered all his tools on the tray and gloved up. He had me look at him and relax my face. Then he used each index finger to apply fair pressure on each side of my sweet spot. He said that I had a very prominent sweet spot and that this piercing was going to be quick and easy. He also said he was glad I decided on the 10 gauge. He slowly rotated his index fingers, slightly massaging my septum for several minutes. This relaxed me a lot but he said that was not the only reason why it is done. He explained that it stimulated blood flow to the area and allowed for more flexibility of the skin there and made it easier to move the cartilage out of the way.
When I told him I was ready, he got the needle and receiving tube ready. He asked me to take a deep breath, which I did, and then he told me to breathe out slowly. At the comfortable pause between in- and exhale he pierced my septum and already had the taper in reach. He prompted me again for the same breathing technique and got the taper through, followed by the circular barbell.
The piercing was, surprisingly enough, the least painful of all I have had done; including my earlobes. It was also totally different from the others. I was less conscious of my total body and extremities and could only focus on relaxing my face. My eyes watered a bit but, not too bad. He had me check it out in the mirror after putting the ends on and asked if I minded having a picture taken.
He took my picture and then went over all the aspects of caring for the piercing and asked me if I was happy with it. My wife was a little surprised by the size, as she imagined a smaller gauge but she still liked it. Chris's girlfriend was there and she said not only did it look like it belonged there but, it looked as if it had always been there. I could not have been happier.
In closing, if ever you are interested in piercing and live anywhere near Portland then you absolutely must check out Straight to the Point. Their website address is www.Straighttothepoint.org. Alec has since started up another larger studio in Troutsdale, which is not far from downtown Portland, Oregon.