About a month ago, my friend mentioned that she was thinking about getting her hood pierced. We talked about it a little and I looked up information to point her in the right direction to start research. She hasn't gotten it yet (I think she actually lost interest, but really wants a tattoo now), but looking at BMEZine I was really struck by the idea of nipple piercings. I saw photos of girls who had them, and they just looked awesome! In addition, I've always felt like my nipples weren't sensitive. I mean, I had fun when guys played with them and all, but they had to get really rough for me to like it at all... I thought that with increased sensitivity, I'd really appreciate that aspect of sex/foreplay more. I have larger-than-average breasts (36D), so even though it's a little silly, I think that maybe their size related to the lack of sensitivity? In addition, I thought that nipple piercings were cool because they weren't obvious... even my earlobes closed up when I was younger, so I can look, not exactly conservative (my hair is dyed an unnatural color), but not 'weird' when I go to work (a conservative retail job). Since I was away from school for about another 8 weeks, I figured that it'd be optimal healing time before I started having fun again.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Warren Studio Buzzbomb Tattoo & Body Piercing Location Venice Beach, CA I made sure to read about autoclaving, what to look at in a piercer, how to take care of the piercings, etc. I headed down to Venice Beach (I don't have a car, and Venice Beach has several piercing/tattoo parlors). I was slightly wary because I know that Venice is primarily a tourist area, so there might be sketchy people who do bad jobs, knowing that people often can't come back to complain. However, there are also lots of pierced/tattooed people in Venice, so it would stand to reason that they would have quite a few regulars, too, and therefore good piercers. I went the first time to just check out the prices and how I felt about different piercers. For instance, at one place I asked the guy about aftercare and he was like, "You can just use a little ear piercing solution," and didn't mention anything else. That made me wary. Everyone pretty much quoted the same price for a pair of nipple piercings ($60-70, jewelery included). I talked to some people from House of Ink, which is a respected place with really competent artists, but unfortunately their building was damaged in a fire recently, so they're in a temporary area. I liked the piercer, but didn't feel that he had the right equipment (since he had to order a lot of new things, since most of his stuff was damaged in a fire. I liked a girl I talked to a little, but then I actually saw her pierce someone's nose... she wore the same pair of gloves the entire time, even before the woman came into the piercing area, and did other office tasks while wearing the gloves. In addition, she had food on the workbench at the same time (!!!) I finally talked to someone that I felt comfortable with, mainly because he was willing to talk to me about different kinds of piercings (he pointed out different kinds in the portfolio I looked through), and he was older and was covered in tattoos and had a few piercings. I went home to think about it, and decided that I'd be comfortable with him bec ause he had a lot of experience and was knowledgeable, as well as havi ng a good workspace.
So I waited until I got my paycheck in the mail and cashed just about the whole thing (I didn't work many hours!), put on a padded bra, got an ice blended drink (plenty of sugar) and headed down. I told him what I wanted and, before anything, he copied my ID. (He also asked if I was over 18 before I even got to look at his nipple/genital portfolio, which I appreciated). I got my nipples measured (I'm not the world's most modest person, so I had no trouble with quickly popping off my top for the measurement). He gave me the checklist (where I say I won't sue and that I saw everything being sterilized & I wasn't hopped up on goofballs, etc). I checked off everything, except for the ones about aftercare, viewing sterlization, etc, until I actually saw all of that. He picked out a 14ga barbell set, I paid, and we went to the work area. It was only separated from the rest of the place by curtains, but he was very cautious in completely securing them, making sure I was comf ortable, and he also didn't answer the phone once we got in there... (it seems that a lot of piercers have the phone ring at inappropriate times, and sometimes they even get it!) It took several tries to get the dots right. He told me that I had a small 'groove' in one of my nipples (the left, less sensitive one), so he would have to pierce it lower than the other one (i.e. more towards the back of the nipple). He also said that, since I was so tense (especially in my shoulders), the nipple markings kept moving around... that was pretty interesting to know, but makes lots of sense. Pretty much every time he liked the placement, I didn't, until we figured out a good placement we both liked. He changed his gloves a few times during the entire procedure.
Finally, he told me to lie down. I arched my neck so I wouldn't have to see anything... just seeing the clamps coming made me nervous! He started with my right nipple (I'd already mentioned that it was more sensitive), and he told me, "Okay, take a deep breath... and let it out" and as soon as I did, bam! It's hard for me to say what it felt like, now that it's in the past, but definitely intense. The truly painful part lasted a few seconds, at most... I didn't feel the barbell go in at all. I've heard horror stories about people when the needle really tore through, or the jewelery caught while being inserted, but I think that the entire experience from needle piercing to barbell being secured took about 5 seconds, tops (there was a clock in there I was kind of watching, and also from my breathing patterns). I know I was like "Oh ow, fuck!" but the intensity was so brief that that's all I could say. "Did you enjoy that? Well, I guess not since you said 'ow, fuck'"... that's right! Heh. I didn't think it would hurt that much since my nipples aren't that sensitive, and it didn't, but it wasn't the 'oh, was THAT it?' experience I've read several times on bme. It ached a little, and I had to sit up so he could adjust the chair the other way (the chair was flush with the wall). The second one... well, first he didn't take forever to put it on, and did it extremely quickly, as if it were just an extension of the pain from the first one, although we did the same breathing exercise. Wow, they were both in! I think that I was in the piercing area for about 15 minutes, and the actual experience of getting pierced (from first clamp to last barbell being secured) only last about 90 seconds, tops. (The 15 minutes are time to mark my nipples, a little resting time, etc)
Even though it sounded super-busy outside (this parlor is on the beach, after all), he sat down while I recuperated from my injury. I was pretty happy & dazed, of course, with all of the endorphins, but I managed to ask (and retain!) the information about care and various scenarios. I felt horrible that I couldn't tip very much, but I'd already spent, like I said, almost my entire paycheck on the experience, hopefully, spreading the word will help... I told him about the other piercers I'd seen on the boardwalk, and once again was glad I'd chosen someone with experience... he was very professional about everything. After a few minutes, I got dressed and staggered out, happy and dazed... I bought some sea salt, and went over to the bus stop. Since my breasts are pretty large, I made sure to put a dull pressure beneath them, although I probably looked weird, with a dumb-ass smile on my face while holding my arm under my boobs, hehe. It was definitely sore for the first d ay, in the way that infections get sometimes, which made me paranoid -- it had only been in for one-two hours, what are the chances that they were infected? I went to sleep wearing a padded bra, and woke up with no problems and almost no soreness.
A few hours after I got home, I did the sea salt soak. I've been using dial once daily, and the sea salts. I've had only tiny tiny bits of blood (I don't even know if it qualifies as bleeding!) All in all, I was very happy with the level of professionalism that I found, even in a place as stereotypically 'sketchy' as Venice Beach, which is often known more for its crazy street performers & pickpockets than anything else. I'm thinking about going over next week and seeing if I have a hood suitable for a vertical hood (once again, I need a few weeks to think it over)... I guess it's true, about the piercing bug!