About 2 years ago, I decided I wanted to get a new piercing to change my look a bit. My parents are pretty anti-body modification, so it took a long time to convince them that a piercing would be ok. After much begging and asking, they caved.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Elizabeth Studio The Ultimate Location rochester ny Finally, a day after my 18th birthday, they gave the OK (I realize that I could have gone without their permission... but I still need a place to live.) and I set out to find the right piercing studio for my new piercing.
After a ton of research into what kind of piercing, how much it would cost,where the good piercing studios were, and whatnot, I finally decided on a piercing. I decided that my first piercing would be the rook of my right ear. I took one look at a picture on the internet and knew that I wanted that particular piercing. After talking to a lot of people, I chose the Ultimate in Rochester NY because everyone I talked to had great experiences there and I knew they'd be professional and I'd come out with a good piercing. After everything, (piercing, jewelry, aftercare, tip, etc.) the price came to about $55.
I walked into the studio and met the piercer. Her name is Elizabeth, and because she is a registered nurse, she knows everything she needs to and more. I told her I wanted the rook piercing, but I was nervous because my ears are abnormally small (about 1 1/2 inches, top to bottom). However, she knew that my rook was the right kind and that it would be the right spot for my ear. I signed some paperwork, and she informed me of risks. She gave me a choice between a hoop and a barbell, and after a second of thought, I chose the barbell because I had heard infection had a smaller chance with barbells.
Once all that was settled, she led me to the room where she would pierce my ear. I sat down, and my 2 friends stood in the corner (I asked to make sure this was fine). She proceeded to tell me exactly what kind of jewelry I had picked out (a 16 gauge barbell) and explain to me what would happen. She explained that the equipment was in autoclave bags, how I knew everything was clean, pulled my hair back, cleaned the area and continued giving me info. She was incredibly thorough and made sure I understood that everything was clean and the proper tools necessary. I felt instantly comfortable with her.
When the time came, she told me to take a deep breath and she pushed the needle in. I had never had a piercing before other than my ear lobes 10 years before, and I was expecting the worst. However, the pain was VERY momentary, and was over after about a second. I waited for the pain to come, and it never did. I was handed a mirror, looked at my ear, and fell instantly in love with her work.
She told me to clean it 2 times a day with the sea salt water solution, being careful to not move the jewelry too much. It helped that my cleaning solution was in a spray bottle. She gave me a packet on body piercings which proved itself very helpful, signed a business card with her number on it in the event of any questions or problems, and wrote out the information of my jewelry (gauge, length, material), and sent me on my way.
The healing process has been pretty good, no major problems. Every once in a while, I have to clean it off because it gets crusty, but other than that, it has been nothing but easy. I had a hard time sleeping on it at first, but after 6 months, I no longer feel any type of discomfort after cleaning or sleeping on it. It was achy for the first 3 months, which is to be expected, but not too badly. The worst thing that happened was when my car antenna hit my ear in the middle of January during a snowstorm, which caused a little bleeding and bruising, but that was my own stupid mistake.
If you're in the Rochester area, make the trip to the Ultimate. They are the best piercer in Rochester (I would know, I went to another studio for my belly button and WAS NOT pleased with the results). This was definitely my best piercing experience yet. I will definitely be going back to the Ultimate in the near future.
I'm absolutely in love with my rook piercing, even after getting a few more piercings. It is my favorite piercing EVER. If you're considering it, get it. It is so pretty and unique and, luckily, easy to hide if necessary (My grandparents wouldn't like it too much...). I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I could not ask for a better piercing or piercing experience.