I have always been fascinated by body mods, but for a long time, I never thought I'd get any. First of all, I had painted myself into a rather tight corner with my choice of career – I'm in my last year of law school, already working at a firm. It's a very conservative atmosphere, and not one that would look kindly on mods. Secondly, I've always been the patient at the doctor's office who passes out cold on the floor after a TB test or a shot – hardly the first person you think of who would willingly sign up for large needles. But the idea of getting pierced stayed with me – I couldn't ever shake the feeling of "I want to do this." And the more I thought about it, the more the above-mentioned reasons seemed irrelevant. The quote, "I never wanted to be different...I just wanted to be me," which I first read on a shirt in BMEShop, really stuck with me. More and more, I thought about getting pierced. And the more I thought about it, I thought about a specific piercing – my nipples.
At A Glance Author Ashley Contact Ashley@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Tasha Halverson Studio Obscurities Location Dallas, TX And one day, it was more than just an idea – it was a plan. I did my research on BME (thankfully, the experiences are sortable by location and by studio!), and decided that Obscurities sounded like the place for me – excellent reputation among customers and their peers in the industry; Allen Faulkner (the owner of Obscurities and one of their piercers) was a founding member of the APP, etc. I checked out their webpage, was even more impressed, and decided to stop by one afternoon and see about making an appointment.
The first time I went in the studio, I liked it immediately. White walls with flash; a couple of small tattoo rooms up front, with people getting work done, talking, hanging out. Glass counters full of beautiful jewelry. Very clean, but not clinically sterile and cold – the place just felt friendly.
I asked the guy working the counter who would be available on the date (June 26th) I wanted my piercing. I knew that Obscurities had two piercers, Allen and Tasha Halverson – I didn't really know who I wanted to do the piercing, and figured I would just go in and try to meet both of them, and see who I liked. Without realizing it, I had picked the weekend of BMEfest 2005, so Allen wouldn't be available – he'd be on the beach in Mexico. But, said the guy at the counter, Tasha would still be at the studio. Tasha came over, smiled, introduced herself, and asked what I wanted to get done; I surprised myself by being utterly unselfconscious saying "I want to get my nipples pierced." Tasha smiled again, nodded, and told me what time she'd be in the studio on the 26th. No need to make an appointment, just come on by. I liked Tasha immediately. We talked about jewelry a little - I knew from my research that Obscurities didn't do nipple piercings with CBRs (due to difficulty healing and the potential to get them caught on things) but I wanted barbells anyway, so that was fine with me.
>From that afternoon to the 26th, not an hour passed without me thinking about the piercing. And as much as I thought about it, I didn't feel anything other than anticipation. The day of the 26th, I woke up and was, for the first time, a little apprehensive, but mostly excited. Obscurities didn't open until 2:00 p.m., so my boyfriend, who was delighted with the idea of the piercings and tagging along to hold my hand, came over around 2:00 so we could get a late lunch. After we ate, we headed over to Obscurities, where the two tattoo rooms up front were buzzing with activity, people were looking through books of flash, chatting – the same friendly atmosphere I remembered. Tasha remembered me immediately, took my driver's license and got started on the paperwork while I hung out at the counter, and my boyfriend looked for new jewelry for his septum piercing. Tasha brought me a form with all the appropriate warnings and waivers, and I filled out a brief section about my medical history (currently under a doctor's care? No. Currently on any medications? Birth control pills. History of blood disorders? No. History of fainting? Yes. Had I eaten in the past 3 hours? Yes. Etc.) I signed, paid (which was less than I expected, happily - $125 and some change for my two piercings, my two barbells, and a new CBR as a thank-you present for the boyfriend), and left Tasha a $25 tip on the credit card.
Tasha went in the back to put the jewelry in the autoclave, and then we all went outside for a quick cigarette break. I appreciated the chance to chat with Tasha for a little while – she was really nice and easy to talk to, and any butterflies I had were subsiding rapidly. After we had all finished our smokes, we headed back inside, and it was time to get pierced!
Tasha, my boyfriend and I went into a small piercing room in the back. Like the rest of the studio, it was immaculately clean – stainless steel trays and counters, a biohazard container for disposal of needles, equipment and supplies laid out very neatly, and a padded doctors' office-style table in the middle of the room. Beautiful photographs hung around the room; their colors stood out even more against the white of the walls, the stainless, and the grey table under the bright light.
Tasha explained that she was going to mark me while I was standing up, for symmetry, and pierce me while I was lying down. I took off my shirt and bra, and Tasha put on latex gloves and a surgical mask, and cleaned both nipples and the surrounding area. Then she used toothpicks dipped in gentian violet to make cross-hatch marks around my nipples – lines running horizontally and vertically – and explained that the marks would make a grid so she could place each piercing symmetrically. All this was done very quickly and skillfully – she worked with confidence, and obviously knew what she was doing.
I laid down on the table, and got a little flutter of anxiety in my stomach. I reached out for my boyfriend's hand, he made a silly face at me and made me laugh, and I felt better. I didn't really want to watch the actual piercing, so I closed my eyes and listened to Tasha walk me through everything – this is just me putting on the clamps, this is me adjusting the clamps and getting everything lined up. Finally, she told me to take a deep slow breath, then let it out, then to do it again – and as I exhaled the second time, I felt this incredibly quick stinging pressure, then the extremely bizarre feeling of something slipping through my nipple. And then it was over, and Tasha was telling me to keep breathing, that was it! And I opened my eyes and saw my boyfriend grinning at me, and I told Tasha that it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I could hardly feel the actual insertion of the jewelry at all – mostly just the movement of the barbell in the piercing as Tasha expertly screwed the ends on. And that was just as quick as the piercing, so before I knew it, my boyfriend and Tasha switched sides, and Tasha was getting ready to do the other nipple. The process was repeated – clamp, adjust, breathe, breathe again – then the quick pressure, a little more sting, the same slipping feeling – and both piercings were done. Again, I didn't feel the jewelry at all. We chatted a little as she put the second barbell in. Tasha cleaned me up, and helped me sit up slowly. She told me to take my time, but I felt fine, and eased off the table (carefully) and checked them out in the mirror. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. I gingerly put my bra and shirt back on as Tasha cleaned the room up, took a tray into another room to clean it, then wiped the table down.
Tasha walked us back up to the front to give me my aftercare instructions. I really liked the fact that Obscurities gives their customers all the aftercare supplies they'll need – for me, it was a baggie of sea salt and a bottle of Provon soap – and a brochure with aftercare instructions and tips for faster healing. She walked me through the instructions and gave me some tips (use shot glasses to soak the piercings; wash them in the shower, but make it the last thing you do; sleep in a tight tank top or a bra to keep things from moving around or to keep the jewelry from catching on anything). She told me to call if I had any problems, and I thanked her profusely.
That day, the piercings hurt a little – not bad, just little twinges of pain occasionally. I avoided it by trying to move carefully and not jostle things around too much. Since that night, I haven't had any pain, and just a little soreness. The piercings bled a little in the first couple of days, but not too much, and I haven't had much crustiness – just a little, and nothing that didn't soak off easily. And I actually like the ritual of cleaning the piercings – make up a sea salt solution, soak the piercings for 10 minutes, gently wipe any crusties away with a cotton swab, then wash with the Provon, as per the instructions they gave me.
The piercings are beautiful, and I couldn't recommend Obscurities and Tasha any more highly. My boyfriend, who has more experience with piercings than I do, spoke very highly of her, and commented on how skilled she was and what a good job she did. I felt the same way – she was very gentle, her skill put me very much at ease, and I was very comfortable with her. And the jewelry is gorgeous – really good quality. All in all, it was an extremely positive experience, and I'm so glad that I finally did it. As strange as it may sound, I feel much more like myself now - I had thought about doing this for so long that by the time I finally got the piercings, it felt strange not to have them! And now, I think I'm hooked – I'm already contemplating what to get done on my return visit!