So, before...two weeks ago, I was always of the opinion that I "didn't have the right face" for a septum. I also figured it would be really painful, and it was to an extent. I also have my industrial done, and it felt similar to that. The septum was by far the most painful piercing I have gotten. It was sharp and quick, unlike other piercings that have felt dull to me. My mistake in the whole process, however, was not eating a sufficient amount before getting pierced. As mentioned later, I never get lightheaded after getting pierced...I did this time, though. I never realized eating was so important until now.
At A Glance Author deanna Contact deanna@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Rudy Studio Tomato Tattoo Location Chicago, IL After officially getting incredibly antsy about this whole process, I contacted two of my friends to join me on this excursion, as I hate going alone, and they enthusiastically complied. I had heard so many bad things about septum piercings--horror stories about crooked piercings, the pain involved, keloids...all sorts of things, and so I felt like I needed somebody there with me to keep me calm. I also hadn't gotten pierced in almost a year, so any pain would basically come as a huge shock to me. I was nervous because I hadn't had "that old piercing feeling" in a long time, as I kept on resisting until it went away. It was back in full swing, along with my adrenaline.
We left almost immediately, even in the middle of rush hour, because I didn't feel like I could even wait another day. We got to Chicago after much traffic and even more freaking out on my part. Tomato Tattoo is one of the most clean places I've ever been. I had gone to their other branch closer to my house, in Lisle (Illinois) to get my nostril pierced, and I was really impressed with the piercer and the cleanliness of the shop. I had originally intended to go there, but their piercer wasn't in today, so I opted to go to their Chicago branch instead (figuring that it would be held to the same standards). Obviously, it was a great experience and I'd recommend it to anybody...they're professional, nice, SMOKE FREE (which is huge for me, as I hate smoking)...everything I could want in a tattoo and piercing establishment. I've been in some sketchy places...places I don't feel comfortable in. Tomato Tattoo looked about as clean as my dentist's office. Rudy was amazing, too. I looked through pictures of his work and he does a lot of really complicated surface piercings. I also looked at pictures of the septums he has done, and immediately felt more comfortable. After about a 20 minute wait, I was called back by Rudy, and I brought my two friends with me. I was basically so nervous that I was shaking...he asked me what kind of jewelry I wanted (I went with a circular barbell), what gauge (16...my face isn't suited for big modifications, so a dainty gauge looks much better), and immediately if I would be flipping it up into my nose for work or anything (which I have to do, being that waitressing isn't exactly conducive to body mods...at least not when you work for a large, corporate chain restaurant). He washed his hands in front of me, taking care not to touch the handle of the sink with his hands to turn it off when he was done. He changed his gloves often, and everything was impeccably clean. He had me lay down and he adjusted the clamp for awhile, which made me happy because I felt that he was takin "\Ãw€ë g much care to not make it crooked (my main concern throughout this whole process). It went through after he had me doing breathing exercises, and I yelped a bit and kicked out my leg, haha. He seemed to be doing it really slowly, which kind of was comforting (although still excruciatingly painful) being that I was just so incredibly worried about it coming out shitty and crooked. There was absolutely no way I could open my eyes, though, even if I tried. They were pretty much cemented shut out of fear. My neck felt numb and I grew lightheaded, which has never before happened during a piercing. He had me lay there for a little bit, until I felt better, and then I got up and admired it. I paid him, and then my friend got her orbital done.
After she got pierced, we made the trip back home. It was significantly easier to get home, not only because the rush of adrenaline was still peaking, making me drive crazier than I already do, but also because we were getting pierced during the tail end of rush hour and met with a virtually empty expressway on the way home. I couldn't stop looking at it in the mirror in the car, which probably isn't the safest thing, but it goes to show you how much I adore it. It's super cute, he was super professional, and I plan on going there for future modifications. If you're considering getting your septum pierced, you really should. It's absolutely worth the significant amount of pain, especially because it doesn't last very long, and looks cute (even if you don't think it will at first). Happy piercing!