I had decided perhaps a month ago that I wanted to get my right nostril pierced. I initially planned on getting it done in Moscow, Idaho after my conference presentation in nearby Pullman, Washington. However, despite the fact that I'd had only 2 piercings done there, I've developed a sense of loyalty to Adorn Body Art, and decided to wait until I was in Portland. Once in Portland, I decided to wait until I was on my way out, so that I wouldn't have to deal with my mother's disappointed sighs.
At A Glance Author Amy Contact Amy@bme.anon IAM Trowely When It just happened Artist Zigg Studio Adorn Body Art Location Portland, Oregon So, after loading up my car for the trip home, I drove out to Adorn. Unfortunately, I'm pretty much terrible at estimating the amount of time it will take me to get anywhere on the west side of Portland. As such, I arrived about 15 minutes before the shop opened. I drove around for a bit, and came back shortly after noon, happy to see the "Open" sign lit in the window.
I entered the shop and waited for Bonnie to come out from the back, looking at the amazing organic jewelry in the cases while I waited. Bonnie asked what she could do for me and I told her I wanted a nostril piercing. She informed me that the piercer wasn't there yet, but that she usually wasn't more than 15 minutes late. Bonnie then showed me my jewelry options and explained the cost of each one, and I selected the jewelry with the blue gem, which brought the total cost to $50. I filled out the paperwork and she made a photocopy of my driver license. Then I sat down and waited for a bit until Zigg came in and got right to work. I'd never been pierced by Zigg before, but she made me feel at ease pretty much immediately.
After double-checking what color of gem I wanted, she called me back to the piercing room, showing me the gem on the way to make certain it was the right color. I had a seat in the chair, and Zigg pulled out all of the sealed packages necessary for the procedure. Wearing gloves, she cleaned both the outside and inside of my nose with a rather smelly, gel-like disinfectant. She warned me that it might tickle. Somewhat surprisingly, it didn't, although the smell was rather unpleasant! Then she marked the placement and had me check it in the mirror.
After I said it was fine, I got back in the chair and we got down to the business end of things. Zigg asked me if I was nervous, and I replied that I wasn't really, since I feel like somewhat of an old hand at this by the point of my 10th piercing. I told her that I get an adrenaline rush, and that my heart beats faster than normal, but that's about it. She said that that was good, and that she'd recently pierced some acquaintances who had genuinely freaked out about having their nostrils pierced.
She showed me the receiving tube, and explained that its purpose was to prevent anything extra from being poked, such as the inside of my nose, or her finger. Then she had me lean my head back, close my eyes, and take a deep breath. She pierced my nostril as I exhaled. I wouldn't say it was terribly painful, but on the other hand, it was more painful than any of my other piercings. My eyes watered uncontrollably for a bit, and Zigg had to remind me to continue breathing. She inserted the unbent nostril screw into the piercing and then bent it to a comfortable position using a Q-Tip.
I got up and checked my new hole out in the mirror. It looked even better than I had hoped! Zigg began telling me to use a mild soap to wash, and I told her I already had Dr. Bronner's baby castile at home. She reminded me about sea salt soaks, and I told her I already had a large bag of sea salt, too. She remarked that I knew what I was doing and said that she could also tell by looking at my eyebrow piercing, which looked well cared for. She also told me that it was better to clean the piercing in the shower than over the sink, as more of the gunk from inside my nose would be washed out that way.
As I walked out of the piercing room, I left a tip in the tip jar before going back out to the front to pay. Zigg thanked me for the tip, and I thanked her for the piercing. I paid cash, and Bonnie got me my change. I also made sure to ask Bonnie the piercer's name, since I'd been so impressed with the whole experience.