Yesterday I had my second piercing experience at the ripe old age of 33, on an expedition to the Mission/Noe area with my boyfriend Jeff. Off-center, lower lip, on the lip line, 14g CBR, 3/8 diameter.
At A Glance Author Alledria Contact Alledria@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Eldo Chan Studio Body Manipulations Location San Francisco, CA I'd been toying with the idea of another piercing for a while, not necessarily facial though. A couple weeks ago, I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He was in Mumbai, being led down this alleyway known for its street food (including goat brains!) by a gorgeous female Indian guide. I noticed a small gold ring in her nose and had one of those immediate gut reactions, like, "HOT DAMN that is sexy!!!" I'd never liked nostril piercings before, because they were so common. But I was really getting the itch to change my image, and I'm tired of lightening my hair.
I set off on the Net to get some info and find a good place to go. In my research I discovered that allergies and nose piercings don't mix all that well. So I thought, well damn, I had my heart set on getting a piercing. After looking at many different galleries, I was also intrigued by lip piercings. I happen to like my lips, small as they are, so that was a definite possibility. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Especially if it comes with the possible benefit of more sensitive lips! Plus it just seemed more exciting.
So I told Jeff that I was going to get either nose or lip (though I had already mostly decided on lip.) He said he would go with me and maybe get something of his own (much to my surprise.) I suggested eyebrow and he said that's exactly what he was thinking too. He has thick eyebrows and gorgeous hazel eyes so it just made sense.
I chose Body Manipulations because I knew they had been around a long time. I wanted the best and felt confident that I would get it. We got there at about 1pm Saturday. I was extremely relieved that no other customers were there so we could take our time. Elin was helpful in getting our jewelry and Eldo was very professional with our piercings. He explained everything that was going on (including the set-up, disposal of the needles, etc) and was happy to chat and answer all our questions.
I got my lip done first and Jeff said I had a white-knuckled grip on the seat. Hee! I was nervous, but more excited-nervous than scared-nervous. The initial prick into my lip was the worst part, after that it was uncomfortable but not that bad. After that my lip swelled up and I kept admiring my new sexy pout the rest of the day! Better than collagen! Also, the rest of the day my lip stayed numb. I'm not sure if that's normal or what. I expected the numbness to go away after a couple hours but it didn't. Strange. The only time it hurts now is when I first soak it (the heat from the salt water is intense) or when my toothbrush is banging on it. Much much less than I expected. Kind of a bummer actually.
So then I waited for Jeff to get his eyebrow done, 16g curved barbell. The ends of the barbell look tiny and delicate on his rugged face and I will urge him to get it stretched once it heals.
He half-jokingly asked if he could keep the needle and Eldo said nope. I brought up the fact that they are sold on the internet, and Eldo said, "Yeah there are kids who pierce themselves and walk in here with the needle and cork in them, asking for us to insert the jewelry." I asked if they were allowed to do that he said yeah. Wild.
I tipped Eldo and then went out to pay the bill. I used my credit card even though I'm short of money this month, and when I looked at the credit card slip it had one of those "tip guides" printed on it like you see at some restaurants. It was much more than I had tipped, because it was a percentage of the entire bill (service + jewelry) not just the piercing itself. Thinking I had miscalculated (an already generous tip) I coughed up some more. It was only a few dollars difference but when I realized I was correct the first time, it really pissed me off for some reason. I'm guessing the tip guide is just a feature that comes with that type of credit card machine but damn. Anyway...
So far everything's going fine with it and I like how it looks. Very sensual. My lip swells every time I clean it and I still get a huge kick out of that. My only complaint so far is that I can't blow bubbles with my gum. Grrrr.
A far cry from my first experience with piercing (both nipples) though. I was 21 at the time, dating a guy in Berkeley with a pierced septum and ampallang, starting out in the s/m scene and engaging in a secret life outside of my family's knowledge. Now wasn't that last statement more exciting than this entire story? Yeah. I know.
*sigh* I feel like an old woman. But hey, at least I still look 21!