Where at next?

At A Glance Author synnda Artist ??????? Studio ***** Location Atlanta,GA

After having had my ears, tongue, nipples, and bellybutton pierced I kept pondering the maybes of another addition. As all piercing junkees know, as soon as one heals the next one becomes a "where" not an "if". While sorting through all kinds of ideas, I wondered about a labial piercing. Since this would be my most intimate of piercings, I was noticably nervous when soliciting advice from friends. The next question soon became "an outer or inner"? I searched many columns, articles, and webpages before deciding on an outer labial piercing. It appeared to be a stimulant of sexual desire, as well as just looking really neat. A close friend had went through the experience relatively unscathed, so thought I would gather all my courage and go find studio.

Having been out of the area for 3 years at college, neither me nor my friend knew any local piercers. With my best friend in tow, we went on the search for "the" perfect piercer, (after all this was the unmentionables we're discussing). For a total of almost six hours, my friend and I drove over 45 miles around and through the city of Atlanta. Even though I grew up in the suburbs the business of body modification had grown leaps and bounds since my first piercing foray. That origianal building is now somewhere between a parking lot for doctors and a coffee shop. At each establishment we waited politely to be seen by some of the best. The initial questions of cleanliness, experience and certification were always met with guarantees of affirmation. However, it seemed that the season of summer is rather like a mod-fest in Atlanta. Not one studio had an opening available. Finally arriving at the last studio in town, I decided that if I didn't do it then that I would remain whole below the waist forever more. Without knowing the piercer or the studio, I entered to begin the experience with much anticipation.

Since the business was occupied by only one artisan the wait didn't seem to be a problem as with other more popular studios.In our exhausted state this was a definite plus, so we perused a few magazines as we sat in silence. Within minutes, the "artist" (I apologized for the loose use of the word) appeared. While he seemed unaware of hygeine standards held by most free worlds, he was nice enough and more importantly, available. The entire adventure was going well until I realized that sanitation wasn't a priority.Having seen many other studios that very day, I knew that the floor shouldn't be sticky and the walls should be clean of bodily fluids. Even though the needle, jewelry, and gloves were brand new, I quickly noticed stains on the ancient examining table and an odor that drifted up from the table as I lowered myself gently on top of a clean towel, (placed there by my concerned friend). Against all of my friend's warnings, I was determined to proceed; after all, the actual equipment was clean right?

As I watched the guy gather his tools and get prepared, I tried to remove myself mentally from the horrific table. Despite my best attempts to find a happy-place I soon knew that I would live to relive my actions on this day. I felt his rough skin even through the latex gloves as he manipulated my body into place. The placing had to be perfect and I was taking all precautions by utilizing a handheld mirror. When everything was just so, he clamped down on my outer labia, asked me to breathe deeply and on my exhale I felt the needle push through. I think I might have taken the man's head off with a punch from hell had my friend not had a firm grip on my hitting hand. The pain was much more intense than anything I had ever been through. While my other piercings had some tolerable pain involved, this thing felt like it was suddenly attached to every nerve ending in my body. We decided that a long rest and an icepack would be a good enough reward for my brave showing and went home immediately.

The next few weeks were sheer hell as I tried to go through my daily life with a smile and tell people it wasn't so bad. After three weeks of playing should I or shouldn't I go to a doctor, I prepared myself to lose the piercing with nasty repercussions. Luckily, almost 6 months later, I am still alive to tell the story. Although I did end up with an infection in an embarassing spot to show the family doctor, antibiotics and some tlc cleared everything up. The new addition is beautifully placed and holds more pride for me than any previous hole-punching.

Now I face another dilemma.

Where next?