I've wanted a hood piercing ever since a friend of mine told me about hers a couple of years ago. The problem was that the nearest piercer who could do it for me was in Bristol and I was a bit unsure about pulling my trousers down in front of a stranger, a male one at that, no matter how many times he's seen it before. I admit I was worried about any desensitisation that might occur and it also seemed like there were more piercings that I wanted to get first; tongue, labret, ears, etc. so I put it to the back of my mind for a while and concentrated on other things.
At A Glance Author wolfbane Contact wolfbane@bme.anon IAM wolfbane When A week ago Artist Ellie Studio Cold Steel Location Camden, London Once I got onto BME I started looking at hood piercings, in particular the vertical. I read people's experiences and looked at pictures that had been submitted trying to work out whether it would suit me. Recently I got a job at a school which meant that any more facial piercings were out of the question so I started to think seriously about getting my hood pierced. I asked questions on the Cold Steel forum and did more in depth research on BME. I decided that I definitely wanted it and that when I got the chance I'd go ahead and get it done.
The chance actually came sooner than I thought. I'd arranged to go to the London Tattoo Convention and was meeting and staying with Queen of Sleaze Town (Christine). We'd spoken a lot on BME and the Cold Steel forum and I mentioned wanting to get my hood done so she suggested going to Cold Steel so that I could get my hood and she could see about getting a triangle. I thought that sounded like a great plan so we arranged to meet on Saturday and head straight to Camden and Cold Steel. With the when and where side of things sorted out I needed to figure out some of the more particular details; namely how the hell do I figure out whether I'm suitable for a vertical hood and how do I shave. First port of call again was the Cold Steel forums. Deciding that I didn't want to share my entire embarrassment with the whole forum I posted in the ladies only section. Imaginatively enough I entitled the post VCH. I want to get mine done, I wrote, but I'm a bit...clueless, about these things. How would I go about checking whether I can do it (enough room, etc.) or should I leave that up to the piercer? That's not too bad, you might think – quite a common sense question to ask. That's true but I already knew the answer to the question, I just wasn't particularly clued up on my anatomy. But there was still more questions to come. And what's the best way to remove all hair from down there? When I shave/use cream there seems to be little bits left in the hard to reach places...(sorry if that's too much detail!). Yup, what I didn't want to share on a relatively small board has now been broadcast to the whole of BME's readership. But it's all about helping other, right?
Okay, let's look at the first question I had. The easiest way to find out whether you're suitable for a vertical hood piercing is to do the q tip test. Q tips are those little plastic sticks with a small cotton bud on either end; if you can fit one of the buds underneath your hood then you should be ok to get the piercing done. Sounds easy enough, but how do you know where to find your hood? Well, you find your clitoris then just above that is a piece of skin which partially covers it – that's your hood (The-Clitoris.com goes into more detail on anatomy). Of course if you're having trouble finding it you could always ask your partner. I did that and he said men have enough trouble finding the clitoris, much less the hood. He's got a point.
So what about the second question; to shave or not to shave? I had some varied answers on this. Some people yes it's only polite to shave down there, others said you can do but don't worry too much as the piercer should be able to deal with it, yet more said if you're not used to shaving there then don't do it, or at least not too soon before getting the piercing as you could cause irritation. The general consensus though was don't wax unless you're used to doing it, and whatever you don't do it close to the piercing; get it done at least a few days in advance. I also did a quick search on Google to find out what shaving etiquette should be adhered to and what the best way to remove hair is. I came across this site which proved to be quite useful; particularly the forums. I decided that the best thing to do would be to shave off as much as I could and then use Veet to get rid of the rest. To cut a long story short use a small handheld mirror to help you see the hard to reach places.
So I was all ready and waiting for the day to arrive. Saturday rolled round and I got to the station to find that, as usual, the trains were delayed. I nipped into the toilets to change into a pair of trousers as the skirt I was wearing was a bit too sweat-inducing and I didn't want to arrive at the piercing studio all red, flustered and damp. As it turned out I didn't leave Bath until 1.12 which meant I didn't meet Christine until 3 so we decided to go straight to the convention and I'd get the piercing done the next day. I was glad that I'd changed into trousers.
After a busy day at the convention on Saturday we had a lie in on Sunday and got up at 10.30ish to head into Camden. I wasn't too nervous when we started off but by the time we called into Cold Steel to ask if I could get my hood done I could feel the familiar nervous excitement kicking in. My appointment was at 1.15 so with some time on our hands we headed to Camden Market where Christine got some food and we wandered around some shops (one of which sold some gorgeous Lip Service clothing) until it was time to head back to the studio. We got there and I sat in the shop area while Christine went upstairs with Ellie to check if it was possible for her to get a triangle piercing. She came down after about 5 minutes and then it was my turn. I decided to go up on my own so followed Ellie upstairs and into one of the piercings studios. Much like the last time I was there the studio was extremely clean and tidy. Ellie told me what she was going to do (piercing first and then aftercare) and asked me to take off my trousers and knickers and hop onto the table. I did as she asked and sat there rather self consciously while she donned gloves and laid out everything she needed for the piercing. She then asked me to scoot back on the table and lie down so that I was comfortable, then to put my feet together and drop my legs as wide apart as I could. Being a horse rider that was no problem so I spread my legs as Ellie nodded – apparently impressed! It was strange spreading my legs in front of someone I'd never met before but she made me feel incredibly relaxed. The fact that she talked about her own piercings certainly helped, as well as me thinking that she's seen it all before. While it was new for me it certainly wasn't for her.
She showed me the receiving tube and explained that she was going to put that under my hood so that the needle would slide through that rather than stick me anywhere else. She mentioned that was the most uncomfortable part for most people and that once that was in place she'd pierce me when I exhaled. I was told under no circumstances should I trap my head in between my legs, even though my natural reaction would be to jerk away. That made me laugh so she put the receiving tube in place and I couldn't notice it, it certainly wasn't uncomfortable. I then took a deep breath in, breathed out and felt a short, sharp stab as the needle went through my hood. I did jerk a little bit but pushed forwards rather than trying to close my legs. Ellie said I was doing fine, inserted the CBR and put the ball in place and told me I was all done. I sat up slowly, scooted to the end of the bed, hopped off and started to put my clothes back on. Ellie then came at sat down with me and explained aftercare.
Aftercare is the same as with any other piercing I've had; soak it with warm sea salt solutions, don't touch it at all if I can help if but if I do make sure my hands are clean, and don't turn the CBR at all because that might hinder the healing process. Sex is allowed though a condom must be worn for the first 4-6 weeks and masturbation's fine provided I have clean hands.
Once everything had been explained I went downstairs and met Christine; I was bubbling over with excitement and was so pleased that I'd got it done. Walking felt a bit strange at first not because I could feel the piercing but because I knew it was there and didn't want to aggravate it. After walking for a few minutes though it was fine and I spent the rest of the day wandering around Camden and the convention. Sitting down feels strange sometimes, particularly if I'm in an awkward position, or I sit down with a bump, but otherwise I tend to forget it's there. Sex so far has been pretty normal, though I've been more careful than usual as I don't want to catch the piercing or irritate it. My boyfriend likes it though and I'm really glad that I had it done, even with all the embarrassing questions.