My decorated nipples came to be after a friend I was with decided to get her lip re-pierced and I just happened to have some extra money in the bank. Normally Piercing Experience in Atlanta is closed on Mondays but by a stroke of luck Brian Skellie was doing paperwork and flipped on the open sign. If you live in Georgia and you aren't sure where the best place to get pierced is, I will always stand 100% behind the little shop on McLendon Avenue. They're clean, professional, kind, funny, state of the art, and voted 'Best in Atlanta' by Creative Loafing for five (maybe six, now?) years in a row. After eating a full meal next door and wandering around the neighboring shops to waste some time until the studio cleared out, we were ready to take the leap across the street.
At A Glance Author Stasha Contact Stasha@bme.anon IAM stasha When Six months ago Artist Brian Skellie Studio Piercing Experience Location Atlanta, Georgia We both go inside, fill out a page of paperwork about our health and whether there are any substances in our system, have our drivers' licenses scanned, and wait for a bit since Brian was the only one working that day. There were plenty of books on tribal body modification and flyers for upcoming events to keep our minds clear and content. After a half hour or so he was ready for us. The piercing rooms are as sterile as any doctor's office but with a feeling of calm that most doctors lack. He started off my measuring my nipples to find the perfect length and put the jewelry in an autoclave machine.
My friend decided to go first and her experience went smoothly. Within fifteen minutes she had a tiny, new lip stud upon her face. After she moved to the other side of the room I stood up, dropped my shirt, and got marked up. I'm some what shy when it comes to exposing myself but I had absolutely no hesitation in this situation. Even when Brian would joke around it remained completely professional and comfortable.
With the suspense and realization of what I was about to undergo building, it was time to lay in the chair and stare at the intimidating 12G needles and gauze laid out beside me. There were no clamps involved and I think I'm spoiled having never had to deal with what I've heard are more painful than the needle itself. He began by loosening the muscles around my nipple and asked which side I wanted done first. I guess my eyes widened at having to make a decision on top of being so nervous because at that point he turned into a comic genius. I instantly relaxed and decided on the left. He told me to concentrate on my breathing and how cute my nipples would look with a shiny titanium barbell and after three deep inhalations he pushed the needle through and I was halfway done. It hurt enough for me to make an, "eep!" sound but not nearly as much as I had heard.
I was worried about having to wait for several minutes before the second nipple was pierced (I did not want to lose that endorphin rush!) but Brian was on top of things and in a blur I was inhaling and exhaling and pierced again! The right nipple is hard for me to remember as well as the left because I was on an adrenaline and endorphin high with my mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. I've always heard from people who get multiple piercings in one sitting that the second or last one is the most painful but for me, the first won by a hair. He showed me how little I had bled and held up gauze for me to slip my bra over. He explained to me he preferred natural, dry healing and to keep up good nutrition while my body did the work itself. He also discussed how tegaderm pads worked in the shower and what kind of gauze to buy.
The overall experience was about as perfect as you could get. Brian changed gloves several times, kept me calm, and I left the shop with more knowledge on aftercare, the history of piercings, and the problems with a lot of studios today than I could ever learn on my own. The million dollar question most people ask is the obvious, "Did it hurt?!" And my usual answer is, "Well, a needle through your skin never feels GREAT but it didn't hurt so much I wouldn't do it again." My nipples were incredibly sore for about six hours after the procedure and the biggest hurtle I had to overcome was learning to sleep on my back. I told my mother the next morning and her response was, "Getting mine done was incredibly painful!" So much for being the rebel of the family! It's been six months so far and I still get a few crusties when I'm sick but other than that they're happy, healthy, and decorated!