"I am woman! Hear me roar!"
At A Glance
Author Pug Mom
Contact Pug Mom@bme.anon
When It just happened
Artist Jesika
Studio Saint Sabrina's
Location Minneapolis, MN USA
It was a Saturday evening; I was bored and feeling restless. I wanted to do something, but I wasn't sure quite what. Then a thought popped into my head: Why don't I get myself the vertical clit hood piercing I've been thinking about for a while? I called up a few friends, hoping they'd discourage me from my clearly insane plan, but - "great" friends that they are - they all encouraged me to go ahead and do it. So I promised myself that I'd call in, and if my piercer was available that day, I'd go get it done. So I called, and she was, and so I went in.

Perhaps I should explain my reasoning behind getting this piercing. Some people get piercings for the heck of it, some for cosmetic purposes, some for sentimental reasons - some for a variety of the above. I've never had the piercing bug - I've got my lobes done, and that's it. I do have the tattoo bug, however, and it takes major willpower to not go out and get a new tattoo every month (willpower and a lack of cash, of course). However, the VCH piercing had caught my attention for some time, and lately I was feeling ready to get it done. A couple months ago, I had ended a bad relationship. For two years, I spent my time, money, and affection in being there for him. And, well, he didn't. Once it was over, I tried to be his friend instead. However, after truly being honest with myself, I realized that my ex was (and continued to be) a negative influence in my life, and he needed to go. So last week, I told him goodbye, and that was that. Since then, I had been surprisingly upb eat and peaceful. I had been thinking of a way to mark this moment in my life - probably the first time I consciously put myself as a priority and broke ties with someone who continued to hurt me. I wanted to get something to remind me that I'm important - that I should always be the priority, and that I should never willingly put myself in a situation or relationship that causes me pain, because no one is worth it. I thought about a tattoo, which would have been fitting. My ex had always hated tattoos, and when I got one last December, he made me feel guilty and trashy for loving it and wanting more. But I didn't have the money for a tattoo. Also, I had been looking into VCH piercings and they just seemed so feminine and empowering to me. It is a piercing that's (arguably) only for you. No one can see it. It isn't done to impress the general public. It's yours alone - your hidden little secret. And the location is a huge deal; piercing your most delicate area requires coura ge and tests your limits of pain endurance. I'm not a pain junkie - I hate pain, and I'm sure I always will. But the pain makes you remember and appreciate the moment; enduring those three hours of pain during my tattoo session, or those seconds of pain during my piercing, makes the final product even more special. I think we can all agree that getting something feels better if you worked hard, or endured much, to get it.

So, for all the reasons stated above, I drove my tiny Yaris all the way to uptown Minneapolis, to see Jesika at Saint Sabrina. I had heard good things about Jesika on BME - I also knew she specialized in genital piercings, and had been piercing for 10 years. And as you can imagine, I wanted to make sure that the person tinkering with my girly bits was VERY experienced. I had been to Saint Sabrina in the past to get a tattoo - in the end, I was put off by the tattoo artist I saw, so I went somewhere else. But this time around, I felt very happy with my choice. Jesika was pretty and un-PC and pierced everywhere. Awesome. They checked my ID, got me to fill out paperwork, and Jesika helped me pick out jewelry. I wasn't sure whether I was suitable for the VCH or HCH (I hadn't done the Q-tip test), and I knew some people could only do one or the other. We picked out jewelry for either one, just in case, and headed upstairs. I wore a comfy dress, having heard it was both comfortable and dignity-preserving (and they were right), so I just slipped off my panties and hopped up on the doctor-like chair. Jesika was very nice about the whole thing, answering my questions and concerns, and poking around as gently as she could. I noticed she was very clean - changing her gloves several times and using only disposable equipment. Right off the bat, she told me there was no way in hell I was getting the horizontal hood piercing, unless I wanted to walk around with my legs like an upside-down V for the next 2 months. She recommended the vertical, although my anatomy raised some concerns about the possibility of migration. She reassured me, however, that the possibility was very slim - but she wanted to let me know, regardless, so I could be fully informed. She also told me that if she thought it wouldn't work out, she would refuse to do it (which spoke to her professionalism). So I told her to go ahead and do the vertical.

Now, I'm not sure exactly what she used for the piercing - there were no clamps, but I'm not sure if there was a receiving tube, or if she freehanded it. I wasn't paying much attention because, well, my girly bits were about to pierced with a big fat needle! The last thing I wanted to do was look down there and see what was going on. However, I have a suspicion that Jesika used a receiving tube (just from the experiences I've read here regarding how they feel). I believe the jewelry was 12 gauge and some. She told me to breathe in, breathe out, and then she pierced it. Honestly, I find it difficult to categorize the pain level. On the one hand, it was very painful - it might even have been the most pain I've ever felt - but on the other hand, it only lasted the second it took for the needle to go through. So I guess if I had to choose between getting it done again, or, for example, a 6 hour tattoo, I'd probably go with getting it done again. I feared I would scream involuntar ily or something like that, but I just grimaced and muttered a belated "ouch" after she was done. She quickly grabbed the jewelry and pushed it through - that felt like I was getting pierced again, which I really wasn't expecting. I involuntarily jerked my legs a little both times; when she was done, Jesika laughed and said she was glad I hadn't kneed her in the chest, since that happened on a regular basis. After the jewelry was in and the balls screwed on tightly, she finished her instructions on aftercare, gave me a little pad to catch any bloodflow, and sent me on my way.

I was worried that I would feel it when I walked, and that it would hurt, but fortunately, I didn't feel a thing. I paid for the piercing - $40 for the piercing, and $38 for the jewelry - and went home. After I got back home, it started to throb a bit - it didn't hurt much, but it was uncomfortable. But by that time, I was really tired (hadn't gotten too much sleep that night), so I passed out on the couch and when I woke up the pain was gone. Today is the second day, and I've been following the aftercare instructions - salt water several times a day, and I feel fine. There hasn't been any blood since yesterday, and I don't feel it at all. I'm hoping it stays this way and I heal quickly. And I absolutely love it - the jewelry itself is a curved titanium barbell, with turquoise balls. It looks so cute, and matches my skin color perfectly. And more importantly, every time I feel it or see it, I am reminded to always put myself first, because I deserve to be happy, and no one is worth feeling pain over.


Disclaimer: The experience above was submitted by a BME reader and has not
been edited. We can not guarantee that the experience is accurate, truthful,
or contains valid or even safe advice. We strongly urge you to use BME and
other resources to educate yourself so you can make safe informed decisions.


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