Towards the end of April I had a dream in which at one point I looked down at my body and I had two genital piercings, a Christina and an outer labia. When I woke up I was confused as to why I would dream about this. Not only that, but I couldn't remember anything else about this dream. I had no recollection if seeing myself with these genital piercings was a small part of a bigger dream.
At A Glance Author Lyla Contact heylyla@msn.com IAM Lyla When N/A Artist Jeffrey Saunders Studio Rockstar Body Piercing Location Providence, Rhode Island After a couple days of thinking about this dream, I told my sister Melissa about it, expecting nothing more than a chuckle and maybe a strange look. A few days after telling her, I realized I wanted these piercings. For the first time in my twenty-two years of existence I wanted a genital piercing. While it did come as a small shock to me, I wasn't completely surprised. I am no stranger to the needle. In the past four years I have been in and out of a couple piercing studios, giving my parents gray hairs. This time would be no different.
First step taken care of. I wanted a Christina. Step two: research. I looked at a ton of pictures and read numerous experiences on BME. Luckily I had an IAM account as well, so I had the opportunity to talk to a few girls one-on-one. It was incredibly helpful and I recommend it to anyone who wants more information on anything they are interested in. Most people are willing to help others, especially in the BME/IAM community. They really are a community of friends.
Step three: find a piercer who will do a Christina. I immediately went to the shop where I have gotten most of my piercings. Unfortunately I wasn't happy with what they had to say. My main concern was jewelry, and they didn't offer what I wanted to use. A little disappointed, I turned to a man I know who is highly involved in the body modification scene here in Rhode Island. I asked him if he could recommend a piercer in the area. Knowing him and his contacts I trusted his judgment. He gave me a name and a location, and within a week I went to check him - and the shop - out. I was immensely pleased with everything that went on during that first meeting. The piercer was very welcoming and friendly; we even found out that we shared some of the same friends. He answered all my questions and showed me the jewelry he would most likely use (of course depending on my anatomy). Everything seemed so perfect; the jewelry, the environment, and the feeling I got being there. This was it. This was the place I wanted to be for the final step. It was all working out. He was waiting for some new jewelry to come in and I wanted to wait until my week off from work, which was a few weeks from then. I told him I would keep in touch and see him soon.
Next was the waiting game. I kept busy, hoping time would pass quickly. I also continued researching, talking to other girls, as well as a piercer from across the country. I was very excited and "raring to go." I thought I would be nervous, but I wasn't just yet. I set a date with the piercer and as long as he got the new jewelry in before then, everything was a go.
Less than a week before the day I was hoping to get it done, I e-mailed the piercer to find out if he had got the jewelry in. He hadn't. I became anxious. I didn't have to get it on that date, I could have waited, but I really wanted it then. I had the week off from work, which gave me plenty of rest and relaxation time. I didn't want to miss out on what seemed like the perfect time to do this. So I started searching for alternative piercing shops and ended up talking to the piercer who did my boyfriend's Prince Albert. A quick disappointment later, she doesn't do Christina's. I was worried I was running out of options.
Two days before I wanted to get it done, my wonderful sister called a piercing studio that one of our friends goes to. Good news, they do Christina's. Great news, they use the jewelry I wanted to use. That night we went to talk to the piercer. His name is Jeffrey Saunders and he is the manager and chief body piercer at Rockstar Body Piercing in Providence, Rhode Island. We met and talked about the piercing, which he prefers to call the Uptown Girl, and by the end of the night I had made an appointment. I know I smiled more in those two days, than I have in my whole life.
I woke up on the morning of my appointment day feeling excited. The preparation was simple, but important. I showered and made sure to eat a good meal within a couple hours before my appointment. Shortly before launch time, my boyfriend Craig came over. He was going to drive me to Rockstar because I wasn't sure what sort of condition I would be in afterwards. We got to Thayer Street and walked the few blocks to Rockstar. I was beginning to get nervous.
When we arrived, Jef was with another customer, so I got the paperwork and payment out of the way. Once he was done, we sat in the waiting area for about thirty minutes talking about what exactly was going to be done, as well as aftercare, and he answered any last minute questions I had. When we were both convinced that everything was said that needed to be said, he went in the piercing room and got set up. I was left in the waiting area with my sister and boyfriend giving me looks that said, "You are really going to do this..." I was very nervous by this time.
What seemed like less than 10 minutes later, Jef came back out and asked if I was ready. I gave my sister one final look and gave Craig a kiss (hoping it would calm my nerves). When Jef and I got in the room we talked a bit more. Mostly him reassuring me that everything was going to go smoothly and I had nothing to worry about. I undressed from the waste down and got up on the bed. Cleaning the area and marking took the longest. Jef wanted to make sure he marked it exactly where I wanted it and where it looked most perfect. After marking, he showed me the needle and jewelry. We went with a 14 gauge ¾" surface bar with 3/32" raisers, flat disc on top where the pubic mound is and a ball where the outer labials meet. Before inserting the needle he told me to keep my breathing rhythmic. Deep inhale through the nose, hold it for a second, and then a slow exhale out of the mouth.
Suddenly I was counting down the seconds and completely focused on my breathing. Deep inhale, hold, and during my exhale Jef inserted the tip of the needle. Not painful. Deep inhale, hold, and on this second exhale the needle was completely inserted, still no pain. Another deep inhale, hold, and the jewelry was inserted on the final, almost non-existent exhale. There was the pain I was waiting for. Considering the insertion of the needle didn't hurt, I'm going to assume it was the jewelry that caused the pain (this was my first time being pierced with a surface bar). I let out a little grunt, and then it was gone. The pain didn't last longer than a second or two. I was still conscious and I wasn't even bleeding. Jef inserted the needle and jewelry from top to bottom, so all that was left to do was screw on the ball and clean up. This gave me time to compose myself. I was shaky, but overall feeling good. I got up, took a look at my Uptown Girl and instantly felt great. I carefully got dressed while Jef cleaned up. A few last minute words were shared before I thanked Jef, gave him a well-deserved tip, and thanked him again.
I walked out of the room and into four eyes staring at me. One smile from me and I got two smiles in return. I was still a little shaky and decided to sit in the waiting area for a few minutes before we headed out. I could feel it, but there was no pain. I couldn't believe how great I felt. Before leaving, I picked up a can of saline so I wouldn't have to go to the store.
That night we all hung around the apartment and I went to bed early. The day after, the three of us went to the Rites of Passage BBQ up in Massachusetts. Craig drove again, which I am eternally thankful for. It was about a two-hour drive and I won't lie, I was overjoyed to get out of the car when we finally got there. I found out that sitting down for a long period of time is a little uncomfortable. Not terribly painful, just a little awkward on the fresh piercing.
So far the healing has gone well. No bleeding, no bruising. My aftercare is three warm sea salt soaks a day, done with gauze, and a saline rinse after each soak. I'm doing my best to take good care of this piercing. I know the Christina has a high rejection rate and I have read about rejection during and after the healing time. This worries me slightly because it is quite possible that my Uptown Girl is my favorite piercing, and it would be sad to lose her. I hope that my experience story evolves into a success story.
It is now two weeks later and I am still smiling. I give all my thanks to Jef at Rockstar for being a wonderful guy and a skilled piercer. I thank my sister for having an open mind and encouraging me in something we never thought either of us would do. I am very grateful as well to have my boyfriend, who has not only been helpful but also very supportive. I consider myself very privileged to have these people in my life.