I had wanted to get my navel pierced for the longest time, but I am super scared when it comes to needles. I wish there was some way for it to be done without having to use one, but that type of technology has yet to be invented! Anyway, my girlfriends all have theirs done and I was so jealous seeing them wear all sorts of cute dangle pieces peeking out under their shirts. Another place to accessorize is always good. I must admit we are dedicated to shopping. What would be better than having a different navel ring to match all of my different outfits?
At A Glance Author Juicy Girl Crystal Contact Juicy Girl Crystal@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Tommy T Studio Tommy T's Body Piercing Location Huntington Beach, CA ( Orange County ) So, my girlfriends and I were downtown in Huntington Beach, shopping of course, and we were handed a flyer for Tommy T's Body Piercing. Now all the girls know I have been talking about piercing my navel for way too long, and I think they are sick of me not ever actually doing it. Instantly my best friend, Jenna, is excited saying, "Hey, you should go get your navel pierced!" Before I can even come up with any kind of defense or argument, the other girls are like "yeah, go get it done!" Oh my god, now I am really getting nervous! We finished our shopping. I had bought a new top that was pretty short to show off my new inevitable piercing.
We drove to Tommy T's, which was only a 5 minute drive from downtown, so I didn't really have enough time to plan my escape. The girls and I walked in the store and were greeted by Tommy T himself. He asked what he could do for us and Jenna blurts out "she's getting her navel pierced!" Tommy joked with me for a minute about being nervous and I started to realize that I was worrying a little too much. Okay, I can do this I told myself. Tommy showed me the jewelry I could pick from. There were all kinds of different ones with gemstones and real diamonds even. I am definitely coming back to buy more navel rings after my piercing heals. I really wanted the 18K Gold navel ring with the heart shaped real diamond, but I'll have to work on that one. Tommy explained that he only uses medical implant grade jewelry for initial piercing and that the dangle pieces my girlfriends were wearing would not be appropriate for me to get pierced with because they were made of an industrial grade steel and silver, but I could wear them later when the piercing was healed for short periods of time. He showed me some dangle pieces that were implant grade stainless steel and said that if I wanted a dangle I could either go with one of those or a white gold or yellow gold dangle in 14K or 18K gold. I picked out an 18K White Gold curved barbell with a pink heart stone. Tommy explained that the gold was Nickel-free and is alloyed specifically for body piercing. Other gold jewelry, like rings and bracelets and even other gold body jewelry, that is 14K might contain nickel, which can irritate the skin. I didn't know that. No wonder some of my gold necklaces started to make me itch.
Tommy asked me to meet him at the register and I paid and he gave me my paperwork to fill out. He also gave me a box of Dr. Piercing's Aftercare, which is what I was going to use to heal my piercing. My girlfriend had a problem healing her piercing and she said that all they had told her to do was clean it with anti-bacterial soap and her navel got really dried out. Tommy explained that there were 2 steps to the aftercare. The first step was to use a small amount of antibacterial soap to clean off the piercing, but it must be diluted with water. The second step was to use the Dr. Piercing's Aftercare, after rinsing off all the soap and water, and that that was going to heal the piercing. I sat down, filled out my paperwork, and waited for Tommy to be ready. The more he talked to me the more I felt comfortable with getting my navel pierced. He was very well educated with what he does and that made my apprehension go away.
After about 15 minutes, (Tommy had said that he needed time to sterilize the jewelry), we were ready to go. He asked me to have my friends watch my purse and my phone and to follow him inside the parlor. I walked in and I could feel the air conditioning, which was nice because I could feel myself sweating just a little. He asked me to lie down on the table and he tucked my shirt up a little, so he could clean off my stomach. He wiped a big section around my navel and let it sit on me for a while. After that he took a bunch of q-tips and wiped off whatever the stuff was that he put on my navel. He asked me to stand up and he used a pen to dot where the piercing was to go. He then asked me to lie down again and he went to the sink and washed his hands. I tilted my head back so I could look out of the big window and I could see Jenna and all the other girls hanging out watching me. They all had big grins on their faces. I couldn't believe it. I was finally going to get my navel pierced and now I was getting excited to get it done. Tommy saw me smiling a little bit and asked "not so nervous anymore?" I said, "No, I'm ready." He had put on his gloves at this point and had the clamp on my navel. He reached over to the tray and got the needle. I couldn't see any more than that cause I was staring at the ceiling. A little pinch and I thought it was from the clamp, but it was the needle. My piercing was done and he was putting in the jewelry. I couldn't believe it. I had been worrying over nothing. I was pierced! I could hear my friends through the glass commenting on how good it looked, so I couldn't wait to take a look at it. Tommy asked me to have a seat on the couch to relax for a couple minutes and then I could check it out in the mirror. I did what he suggested and relaxed for a little bit. I looked down to check it out and it looked so gorgeous! I went up to one of the mirrors on the wall and looked at it. I had done it finally and it was perfect!
It's been about a month since I had it pierced and it is healing quite nicely. I haven't had any problems with it and I love the way it looks. Jenna and the girls have gone to Tommy T's a couple times since to change out their jewelry and get me a couple of other pieces to change it to later. Tommy T did a great job. He was very nice and handled my nervousness just fine. If I ever think of getting anything else pierced I will definitely go back to him.