So I decided to get my lip pierced again.
At A Glance Author Sarah Contact Sarah@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Ben Studio Kaleidoscope Location Sprinkfield, Missouri A few years back I had my lip done, as well as my eyebrow, and my tongue. Then I went through some sort of wacky 'conservative phase' and removed all three piercings, allowing them to close. I've been regretting that lately, but didn't know what to do about it really. Well it was time to take action! I was getting so tired of looking like everyone else.
I was in Springfield Missouri this past weekend, with my husband, celebrating our first anniversary. We passed by quite a few piercing shops, and I decided that I wanted to have my lip pierced again. There were a whole bunch of commercials on the radio for one studio called Kaleidoscope, so we decided to check it out. We drove by and decided to go back to our hotel so I could think about it in peace and quiet. I weighed the pros and cons, and decided to go for it.
We drove back to Kaleidoscope the next day to see if they were busy. I liked the shop, the people were all very friendly, and it was a relaxed, yet safe environment. I wanted a small barbel as opposed to a hoop, which they said would be no problem, and everything was set up. I filled out a short form, gave my drivers license, and then just waited. I wasn't feeling very nervous at all, as I had had this piercing before with no trouble, and very minimal pain.
Finally, my husband and I went into the piercing room. My piercer was Ben, and he was very nice and made me feel comfortable. What a cutie!
He went through the after-care routine with me, making sure I understood the process and everything. It was a different routine than I was used to, as he said I should never purposely move the piercing while cleaning it, nor should I EVER use anything like Listerine, since the alcohol is not good for the piercing. He gave me a bottle of some non-alcohol mouthwash instead. We discussed the type of jewelry I had chosen, and he looked around a bit in my mouth to see if it would work. Then he stared at me for what felt like forever, trying to find a good placement for the piercing. It kept making me laugh, which slowed the process a bit, but it finally got done. We found the right placement together after a couple of tries.
I was happy with the placement, so he had me lie back on the piercing table. The area was completely sterilized. He put the clamp on, which has never hurt me, although I've heard otherwise from quite a few people. He said take a few deep breaths, and then pushed the needle through. It was almost like I could feel it penetrating each layer of my lip. It definitely hurt more than the first time. I think because this piercing was situated right on my lip line, as opposed to the old one, which was lower. I also think my pain threshhold is getting lower as I get older. He paused for a moment, then told me he was putting the jewelry through, which hurt just a bit. Then he screwed the end ball on. It seemed like I was lying there for a really long time, but I don't think I was. The best advice Ben gave me was "Be a man and check your balls, it's a bitch to screw those things back on, so keep 'em tightened up".
My husband was watching from a distance, to assure that he didn't get too queasy, and he said he saw just a drop or two of blood. I haven't had any bleeding so far, so I expect not to.
I hopped up, just a little shaky, to see my new piercing. It was perfect!! I could already see a bit of swelling, but it didn't hurt. There was a bit of post showing, but only when I held my mouth a certain way. It felt strange, but it was a good strangeness. We paid, left a tip, and went on our merry way back home. My husband drove, as I was still the tiniest bit shaky, but I was in good spirits, and looking in the mirror for quite a long time. There was really no pain involved at all, besides the moment of piercing. I caught it on my teeth a couple of times, but it was more shocking than painful. I downed a bottle of water, which helped my dried out mouth, and I was succesfully, but carefully, eating lunch a couple of hours later.
Overall, a very good experience. Everything was clean and sterile, and handled with care. I would definitely recommend Kaleidoscope as a good piercing shop. I think a labret is a good 'beginner's piercing' as the care is minimal and the pain is pretty low.
Now if I can only work up the bravery to get the piercing I've been wanting for a while...clitoral hood...wish me luck!