I've been thinking about getting a piercing for about seven years, and yesterday (20.06.06) I finally took the plunge. After doing some online research and speaking with people who've been pierced to get an idea of what I should expect, I found a studio I liked in my town and stopped in. Upon entering I was met and greeted by the owners and an employee, a young man I later learned would be doing the piercing. The studio was very clean, well-kept and comfortably furnished. They also had a good selection of jewelry.
At A Glance Author Elle When It just happened Studio Eurostyle Tattoo and Piercing Location Aachen, Germany I should mention at this point that my first language is English and my piercer and the studio owners spoke German, but they were so nice and easy to talk to, so undaunted at serving me even in another language, it was very easy to make my wishes known and work with them.
After speaking with me a little and asking what he could do for me, my piercer gave me some paperwork to fill out then took me aside and gave me a small counseling session, taking time to answer all my questions slowly and carefully before we got started. The discussion, which covered aftercare and risks, was very informative. I began to get the impression I was in the hands of someone who knew what he was doing and this got rid of most of my nervousness. I think if I would've been rushed or my questions ignored I wouldn't have gone through with it.
When it was time to do the piercing I was led to a room in the back which I noticed looked quite a lot like a doctor's office, very sterile. Gloves were worn and the equipment used was wrapped and new. My piercer continued to talk me through the procedure, telling me everything he was going to do ahead of time, what to expect when, and asking me every so often if I felt okay and if it was alright to proceed. He was very cordial and caring, and I felt as if I were being treated with the utmost respect at all times.
In other words, it was done in a very professional manner and I was very impressed by this. In my experience businesses exist to make a living for their owners and employees. That is their nature and it's not a bad thing. But at this one I felt as if I were being treated with care and my opinion, how I felt about the procedure as well as my overall comfort and safety were important.
Before he began I was asked my thoughts on the placement of the stud I chose. We had a small difference of opinion and discussed it. In the end I gave in to his experience and I'm not sorry I did because afterward I discovered he was right. :)
Being an older person and having had my ears done when I was a child (around 1976) I was unfamiliar with anything other than the piercing gun, which I've since learned is not a good way to be pierced and does more damage than necessary. Since this was my first proper piercing and only having the gun experience to compare, I found piercing done with a needle took a bit longer than I thought it would, although it was only a matter of a few seconds more. It also hurt a bit more than I expected it to, but not so much I would be afraid to have it done again. It probably hurt a bit more because unlike the gun the needle isn't punched through the skin but passed through more slowly and carefully, which in my opinion is preferable.
Before he got started he measured my nostril to make sure the jewelry I chose was the correct size. Then he sterilized the area and applied ice to help numb it a bit. Then he told me he was ready to start and asked if I was ready to begin. I said "yes" then he secured the skin with a clamp to hold it steady, told me he was going to start, then began to insert the needle.
It burned a little bit, but only for a second, stung just a little, and my eyes watered just a bit, but that was all. The actual piercing was over in a matter of three or four seconds, and after that there was no more pain. My piercer was very careful at all times and never rushed or was rough. I wish I would've had the presence of mind to hold the mirror up and look at the needle while it was still inserted because it felt very odd and probably looked just as odd as it felt.
When the needle was through the jewelry was inserted and closed, and my piercer congratulated me and announced I was the official owner of a new piercing. He handed me the mirror and let me see for myself and I felt fantastic. I was a tad apprehensive but it looked great too, so all my worries melted quickly away.
Afterward I was given a small bottle of solution to help with healing, pamphlets to take home with me further instructing on aftercare, and told I should come in twice more, once in a week and once again after four weeks to let them observe how the healing was going. All this at no extra charge. I was also told I could come in anytime I liked if I had questions, comments, or felt something wasn't right.
All in all this was a very positive and satisfying experience and I would definitely do it again. I'm very happy with the results and have no doubt the studio (and my piercer) had a lot to do with that.