I overcome my fears by a leap, so to overcome my shyness about my body, I decided to get a genital piercing. I had heard from many friends that they healed quickly and easily, so I decided to take the plunge. I went to Chameleon, where I had previously gotten my industrial by a different piercer, as the experience had been great. Erin, however, is the only one at Chameleon who does genitals, so I had to wait for a day when she was actually working. (My advice is to call ahead for Erin's schedule, as she only works part time, three days a week or so, and it would be frustrating to get all prepped mentally only to be let down.)
At A Glance Author JR Contact JR@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Erin Duff Studio Chameleon Location The Garage, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA As prep, I shaved the night before. I figured, hey, if someone else was going to be getting that close to my vagina, I might as well get up close and personal beforehand.
My best friend Haley accompanied me; there was no way I was going to do this alone! We talked to Erin first, who was very helpful and reassuring. She took me behind a closed door to discuss the piercing, so that I would be as comfortable as possible when asking questions, discussing options, etc. Then I went and paid for the piercing. We wound up having to wait a bit after that, as a woman who had taken a blood-thinning painkiller had started bleeding from her new belly button piercing. Erin was extremely apologetic about the wait, however, saying, "It'll only be a little while, Miss Thang."
Next was the hardest part for me: dropping my pants for a total stranger. Off came the pants, and then I gingerly removed my underwear. My friends all have hood piercings, but when Erin took a look at my anatomy, she gasped. "A Christina would look incredible on you." I wasn't sure what to do, because I had heard Christinas were quite painful, but I sort of liked the idea of having a different piercing from all of my friends. Erin reassured me that it would be beautiful and unique. She told me that she desperately wanted one, and would get one if she had my anatomy. Well, I hadn't prepped myself for nothing, so I decided to go for it.
She cleaned all of her supplies and put on gloves, and I climbed on to the table. I inched my butt to the very edge, and spread my legs. If Erin and I had begun as strangers, well, she knew me pretty well now. She warned me that the clamp might be painful, and set it up. Okay, it was not comfortable, certainly, but it didn't really hurt as much as I had anticipated.
To be honest, it was a bit painful, but not nearly pas bad as I had imagined. I didn't even buck my pelvis when the needle went in. I exhaled when it went in, and held Haley's hand, but I didn't It was a rather large gauge compared to what I expected, but it was not nearly as bad as I had heard. I stood up in front of the full-length mirror (totally pantsless, and no longer caring!) and was so very pleased. It looked wonderful.
The healing process was pretty smooth. I sprayed it with a saline solution every time I went to the bathroom, cleaned it gently with unscented soap in the shower, etc. The only pain I really experienced was when I bent over. I couldn't bend at the waist to pick something up, but rather had to drop to my knees to get whatever it was I needed. That was for about a week, and beyond that, it didn't really hurt. I did take the elevator rather than the stairs for about two weeks, but that was mostly precautionary, as I wanted to prevent unnecessary friction on the piercing. I just fully removed the piercing for the first time yesterday, although very briefly, to give the barbell a full cleaning, and to verify that it was as healed as I suspected. It was very easy to reinsert the barbell, and the piercing is definitely healed. Christinas take longer than hood piercings to heal, but it still healed rather quickly.
Since I got my Christina, I have found myself to be much more confident about my body, which was my goal for the piercing. I have shown the piercing to many friends, where previously I would have never shown my stomach, much less my vagina. It's a beautiful piercing, and I love that it's something that people only see if I choose for them to be so privileged.
I loved Erin, she was so wonderfully comforting, which is imperative with such a personal piercing. She was very clean with everything, and I would certainly go back to Chameleon, and to her. In fact, I'm planning to get my nipple pierced there with Hales in September. I definitely recommend Chameleon to anyone, whether you're a seasoned veteran, a first-timer, or getting a piercing outside of your normal comfort zone.