On a rather wild night out with the girls, one of my good friends decided to divulge the "surprise" she had been hiding from us for about a year - nipple piercings. After everyone's initial shock had subsided, one of the other girls and myself decided we wanted to do the same.
At A Glance Author *mandie* Contact *mandie*@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Qui-Qui Studio Kaleidoscope Location Springfield, MO I started doing my research, because while I hadn't lived in southern Missouri long I had a feeling it wasn't well-known for having notoriously clean or classy piercing joints. My friend is already heavily pierced (I'm more of a tattoo girl), so I don't think she was as worried; and she immediately said we had to go see Qui-Qui ("Kee-Kee") at Kaleidoscope in Springfield, MO. I had heard about Kaleidoscope from lots of people, so I was up for checking it out.
First, I went to their website (www.kscope4fun.com); which was totally helpful and full of pictures and explanations of the piercings available, how much they cost, what kind of care they would need, etc. Next, I called to make an appointment - the girl on the phone was super nice and said we could come in later that week.
When I couldn't get in touch with my friend, I nearly backed out; but I decided to go anyway and called my sister and my pal who had initiated the whole obsession by flaunting her piercings on our girls' night. I was so nervous I thought I'd throw up; when I got to Kaleidoscope, I was really surprised at how nice it was on the inside - even cooler looking than the pictures...very contemporary and pretty chic.
The bad news was that the piercer on duty that night (Ben) had been injured and had to go to the emergency room. I was told to come back the next day.
So I did; but this time I had to go alone! When I got there, I went through the regular process - had my I.D. checked, filled out paper work, told the receptionist what kind of piercing I wanted, paid, etc. Then, Qui-Qui came out from the back room to say that he was setting up and would be out to get me in a minute. I knew instantly that I was going to like him - he was super friendly and smiled the whole time.
The piercing studio at Kaleidoscope is very modern and clean - almost minimalistic in design concept. Visually it was very interesting; which is good when you're nervous and need something to distract you! Beyond that, it was VERY clean and neat and tidy. It was a perfect blend of doctor's office and trendy hair salon - it set me at ease to see that someone had obviously put a lot of time, effort, and care into the place.
Qui-Qui had me come in and talk to him about the procedure. He went through exactly what he was going to do, what kind of care nipple piercings need, and asked if I had any questions. I didn't. So, on we went. He took his time getting the "dots" (the marks he uses to guide the needle through) just right; which made me feel like he cared how it turned out for me personally, and didn't just want to "get it over with".
Then, it was up on the table! A flat-screen TV moniter on the ceiling kept my attention while Qui-Qui compiled the rest of his sterilized instruments for the piercing. He chatted the whole time he worked telling me what was going on and before I knew it, one of my nipples had been pierced - so fast! Next, he went around to the other side, warned me that the second one might hurt a little more...but was done piercing before he was done warning! It was amazing! He reminded me that in the time it had taken him to do two nipple piercings a tiny, little line would've been all that was done on one of my tattoos; and he was absolutely right. So, that was it - I was done! He told me to call him at the shop if I had any problems...and I was out the door with my new shiny pretties!
As of today, it has been nearly a month since my nipple piercings; and they are healing up so great! At first, I cleaned them with the solution that Qui-Qui gave me (included in the price of your piercing! which, by the way, was only $80 for both nipples); but soon after I was able to use the unscented liquid soap in the shower. Within a week they had stopped hurting too badly and weren't bleeding at all anymore. Right now, they look and feel great - I'm taking Qui-Qui's advice and am babying them for the first 6 months to a year; but as of now, I haven't had any problems at all.
Overall, my experience at Kaleidoscope with Qui-Qui was fantastic! I seriously can't say enough good things about the place or person. In fact, I am already planning to go back to have him do my lip piercing within a week or two. If you are anywhere near Springfield, I highly recommend that you take the trip and go to Kaleidoscope and visit Qui-Qui - I promise you will NOT be disappointed!