At A Glance Author marthasway Contact marthasway@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Bryan Studio Rings of Desire Location New Orleans Louisiana Sunday afternoon, the weekend before Mardi Gras 2002, a generous benefactor provided me with funds for fun to come: my Crescent City Triangle. My benefactor, an old friend so dear that he's my son's godfather, and I had discussed adding to my piercing repertoire for months after he was the first partner to enjoy my tongue piercing the previous year. He surprised me that morning with cash toward the project, offering apologies for not joining me for the apadravya he was yearning for (his wife was adamantly opposed to his project) as he provided me with the means to my end: enhanced beauty and pleasure for years to come!
After crossing the Mississippi River on the Algiers ferry, we walked down Chartres Street, ducking into the wine shop for him to accomplish the errand he had ostensibly volunteered for. He went off to a gala brunch bearing bottles of Alsatian Gewurztraminer (really the best wine to accompany gumbo—the only time Champagne is my second choice) while I headed down to Rings of Desire on lower Decatur Street.
I had been there before to buy and replace jewelry and had always been impressed by the professional and efficient good nature of the staff. Many of my co-workers are marvelously modified, so I knew that Rings is THE spot in New Orleans for piercing and I had been all over their fabulous website while researching what I wanted to do next.
Waiting at the counter during the busy noon hour, I watched as other customers discussed the merits of different metals and jewelry until it was my turn to say, "I want a genital piercing." I told Jen at the counter that I was interested in a triangle but wanted professional help in deciding if that was the best option for my own personal anatomy. I asked for Patrick, since he shops at the bookstore where I work. He deferred to Bryan as the more experienced in the piercing I was considering, so it was decided. I signed the release/disclosure form and then I was ready for the painful part: I forked over the cash. It had been a few hours since breakfast and the shop was very busy, so Bryan suggested that I come back after lunch. He set aside the blue glow-in-the-dark balls I had chosen for the ends of my curved bar and set out a 14 gauge and 12 gauge, so that we'd have the appropriate hardware ready after examining the site.
After a quick lunch, (my waitress had amazing pastel Technicolor hair in braids and dreads piled atop her otherwise blonde head), I returned ready for the fun part. Bryan led me upstairs to one of the antiseptically clean piercing rooms, closed off by fully mirrored sliding doors. After a thorough scrub and donning latex gloves, he began a well rehearsed but seemingly spontaneous patter filled with expositional information as he prepared his tray, explaining as he went exactly what the procedure would be and what sensations to expect both during and after the piercing, including aftercare instructions.
After a brief examination, full of pleasant tapping and tugging, he determined that my clitoris sits up nice and high, making me a perfect candidate for a 12 gauge triangle. He used a permanent marker to place dots on either side, entering from the left and had me look in a hand mirror to approve the placement. Back on the table, with my feet on his thighs, he applied the forceps, tightening the instrument and using a purple penlight to double check the placement since it's such a sensitive and vascular area. Concentrating on taking take a deep breath and big exhale, he had the needle receiver through before I could gasp again!
The spike of white-hot pain gave way to a rushing wave of endorphins the next instant, while Bryan said the next pinch would be putting the jewelry through. WOW! It was done, and I was exultant! I left with my purple sheet of carefully delineated aftercare instructions, a little pouch of sea salt for the saltwater soaks and a bottle of Provon, the preferred and utterly addictive mild antibacterial cleanser, plus the marker and penlight as souvenirs. I walked the eleven blocks back to the ferry with a wraparound smile, enjoying my new secret sensation.
Aftercare was surprisingly easy—certainly easier than after childbirth! The biggest challenge to starting the healing process was finding the right size glass to form a vacuum seal on my vulva for the saltwater soaks! The first couple of times I cleaned out the little crusties, I got a little queasy, but it wasn't so hard after that. I kept gingerly touching the area with sanitized hands, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
I was ready to play on Mardi Gras and my benefactor was awed and delighted. Alas, his wife was less than thrilled when she happened upon us as he was worshipping at the vestibule to the jade chamber, but that's another story.