My first foray into genital piercing involved a dull safety pin and the notion of a new piercing I thought I invented (it turned out to be a Christina. I actually managed to do a straight piercing and put in jewelry and I even managed to start healing it. I then decided it was getting in the way much to often and took it out. I have a scar from it now to remind me.
At A Glance Author Cari Contact Cari@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Dan Shinook Studio Hemp 2000 Location Cranbrook, BC
The second time I thought I would go about this much more intelligently by going to a "professional". There is a reason for the quotation marks. I was quite intimidated by Dan at Hemp 2000, who is quite a large man and gives off a decidedly biker vibe, so I decided to go to the other piercing shop: Transformations. This shop is located within a hair salon and the "artist" divides her time between obnoxiously chewing gum, hairdressing, and body piercing. Red flags started going up right away, but she's the only other piercer, and I was being a chicken. She told me that she is the only local piercer certified by the Association of Professional Piercers.
I had come with two friends, but they weren't allowed to come back because it's "private". Red flags were flying. I had done a lot of research regarding the vertical clitoral hood piercing at that point and had a pretty good idea of how it should go, so naturally I was alarmed when she brought out a clamp. Everyone knows this piercing is supposed to be done with a needle receiving tube. Red flags were everywhere. However, being young and having no backbone when dealing with adults, after timidly asking if maybe she should use a receiving tube I relented and lay down.
She clamped the skin of my hood and pierced it. It hurt enough to yelp. She put in the jewelry and at first glance it looked okay and I just wanted to get out of there so I paid and left.
Even though my piercing did nothing for my sexually I kept it because it looked okay. Then one day a ball came loose, the bar fell out, and the piercing was lost forever and I was left with a small scar.
I missed my genital piercing, so I decided to get another one. I fell in love with the triangle and set my mind on it, but I kept the VCH as my fallback in case my anatomy wasn't suited to it.
I went in to Hemp 2000 and was lead to the back room. When I told Dan I wanted a triangle he told me it depended on what I thought was a triangle. He said he gets a lot of girls asking for one thing, then they see a picture and go: "Oh no! Not that!" So we looked through his little book of female genitalia. It turned out my idea of a triangle was exactly correct.
Then I had to take my pants off and get up on the table. This is when it hit me that I would actually have to take my pants off. Anyways, I got over it and hopped onto the table.
As soon as I got up, he exclaimed, "She pierced you THERE? How does she get away with that shit?" And then I knew just how misplaced my piercing had been. It was a crooked surface piercing; definitely not what I wanted.
Still grumbling about the lady at Transformations, he got me all marked and then casually remarked, "You know, if it's done properly you really have the build for a hood piercing. You should think about getting it later."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said back, "hold the phone. Do you think the VCH will be better than the triangle?"
He told me he was absolutely sure it would be better, and so I was remarked for a VCH. Then he pulled out a needle receiving tube, and I could hear the angel rejoice. Then he pierced me. It hurt. I screamed. Loudly. I then fainted for a few seconds while my friends, who had been allowed into the room, laughed at me. I got sat up and reoriented with the world and then he explained the aftercare to me.
I am to pee on a Q-tip every time I use the washroom and to clean the piercing with my own urine. I was quite taken aback by it at first, but he explained why and so I relented. He gave me a generous handful of Q-tips to keep in my purse.
Before I left he let me pick out a glass bead to put onto the bar above the bottom ball when it heals. He said I would be quite pleasantly surprised when I put it on. It's still new so I haven't tried it out yet, but when I do I hope he's right!
It's been five days and it's only a little bit tender when touched, otherwise there's no pain. Walking and climbing stairs have become more exciting and I think it may cause me to exercise more.
If you gained nothing else from my experience, take these three things: Don't pierce yourself with dull safety pins; never, ever, under any circumstances, go to Transformations to get pierced in the Cranbrook area; and talk to your piercer before you get anything done, he might have something better for you.