At A Glance Author Grady Contact Grady@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Verno Studio Holy Mackerel Location St.Paul, MN A small flyer on the counter of the coffee house caught my eye. Among a smattering of band names the word "suspension" jumped out at me. Later than night, I was standing in a bar in St. Paul, watching a pretty young girl do a suicide suspension and a large man hang from his knees. (Oh, man, that one always gets me. I've watched my shock/surprise/appreciation boundaries stretch a lot as I grow older and discover all kinds of wonderful things, but knee suspension still gives me the willies.) That show was one of the most amazing experiences I've had yet in my life.
That suspension show led me to Holy Mackerel and to my pair of genital surface piercings.
A week before Thanksgiving, my friend and I walked into Holy Mackerel, the piercings parlor housed inside Visual Addiction tattoo studio. Verno, the piercer and also the recent knee-suspension veteran, greeted us warmly. We had been impressed by him at the suspension, by his remarks before the show and his conduct throughout, and were not disappointed. He put us at ease immediately. We chatted and discussed what each of us had come for: my friend wanted his nipples pierced and I was hoping for a triangle.
My friend went first, and after his endorphin-induced giggle fit subsided, I slipped off my pants and hopped up on the table. Verno teased me lightly about my lack of modesty, but considering he said it as he was prodding around in my junk, I wasn't too impressed. "This seems like an inappropriate time to be coy," was my reply.
A triangle was quickly discarded as an feasible piercing, and labia rings were considered but also eventually abandoned. Verno was kind to me in my disappointment, and suggested surface piercings. I really wanted to leave with something, but was initially hesitant. Surface piercings seemed so... severe. But that old mod itch was strong in me and I already had my pants off, so I agreed.
As he was setting out his tools, Verno remarked that he had gotten out two barbells, assuming that he'd make the suggestion of a "V" on my pubic mound to compliment that natural shape. I had assumed we were taking about only one piercing, but once the idea was in my head I knew he was right. After about seven seconds of agonizing over price, I was totally on board.
What followed was a lot of marking and measuring on Verno's part and quite a bit of wiggling and trying to be helpful on mine. I was very pleased with his professional demeanor and the easy way he talked with both of us, not only relaxing everyone but making plain his wealth of knowledge and skill.
And finally came the piercings. After all that fooling around and marking, my pre-piercing rush had virtually disappeared. Once I lay back on the table, however, it came back in full force. After some breathing exercises, Verno pierced me on the count of three. It hurt, of course, but I I was surprised at the reasonably low level of pain. Though a surface piercing seems (to me at least) so extreme, much of what is being pierced is below the skin, and therefor can no feel pain. These were likely some of the easiest piercings to sit through that I have experienced. Much easier than my nipples. Jewelry insertion was no problem, I didn't even feel it. At first I didn't believe that he'd really put it in.
During the procedure Verno continued to talk to me, checking on me every 15 seconds of so to make sure I was doing okay. Aside from some lightheadedness, I did great. Little to no bleeding and no pain whatsoever as soon as the whole deal was over.
Verno continued to caution me in spite of my endorphin-driven optimism, and we went over aftercare very thoroughly.
For a month now I've stuck to my aftercare regimen as strictly as possible: washing with Provon in the mornings, a salt soak in the mornings and another before bed. It's been three weeks and my beautiful pubic piercings look like they've been there forever. I went back to Holy Mackerel a week after the procedure for a checkup, and ended up leaving with a micro transdermal implant, but that is another story.
One thing I loved about my nipple piercings is the intimate relationship I developed with my breasts during the healing process. It's one of my favorite parts of the body modification procedure; what you learn about you body and how you relate to it differently afterwards. Now, I have a heightened sense of my hips and groin area. For one thing, I realized that every counter top and desk in the world is right at the level of my junk and that I lean against these surfaces all the time. After a few painful bumps, I was cured of that practice. Aside from those few painful bumps and a time or two I sat wrong getting into the car, I've had no distress at all.
If you're looking for a place to put some surfacing piercings, consider your pubic mound. Itself it moves not at all, and is generally well-protected from outside forces, both aids to healing. Not to mention the incredibly high hotness factor and the fun of a piece you can show at your discretion.
And if you're considering any piercings at all, make a pilgrimage to Holy Mackerel in St. Paul, Minnesota. Verno is quite possibly one of the awesomest men ever born, and a consummate professional. Trust your body unto him. It's not that far from the interstate, laziness is you only excuse.