The last Frontier--Tongue Piercing

At A Glance Author Richard Contact rkeenan@wscgate.wsc.edu Artist Lilith Studio Autoboras Location 580 Yongue Street, Toronto

I have eleven other piercings. 8 below the belt, two nipples, and my left ear. I've been resisting the tongue piercing. It would be obvious when I spoke, I work as a teacher, and it could slur my articulation.

But there would be a good side to it. It looks good, starts some conversations, it enhances kissing, and my lovers should like it.

So I debated this. I met Lilith at the Starwood festival this July and she has these marvelous arm tattoos that drew me to her before I even knew she was a piercer. She's also a Kali priestess, so that adds an extra energy to whatever she does.

I drove through Toronto on my way to the Kalidoscope festival and connected with Lilith by phone. She would hold the store open while I drove over there.

On the way there I thought of the piercing and wondered about the pain on this one and I drove past the CN tower downtown. "It looks like a piercing needle" I say to myself.

I go for it anyway.

It's been mentioned in other reports, but you do have to be prepared to enter her piercing parlor. It is part piercing parlor, part shrine to Kali, and part zoo.

The cats will greet you and they will be curious. Lilith might show you the snake and the iguana. Even with the critters, Lilith is meticulously clean.

She knows where she's going with the needle, too. She showed me the veins in the bottom of the tongue, where you have to avoid them. She gave me a glass of ice chunks and told me to suck on them around my tongue to help deaden sensation and reduce swelling. This gave me time to look around the room. On my left is a sink and trays with piercing equipment and sterile solutions. On my right is an elaborate altar to Kali. It is the only Kali altar I've seen with a sink in it.

"If Kali doesn't like the client, the client leaves," said Lilith.

I'm a Kali devotee, so that is no problem for me. I was making this a Kali devotional anyway. Nice to have a priestess do it.

After a half hour of conversation and Ice sucking, it was time to do the piercing.

Lilith handed me a handful of paper towels. "Hold this here, under your chin. You're going to drool." I did.

Next came the forceps. They clamped not uncomfortably in the center of my tongue. I was ready for the pain. I believe she said to take a deep breath. The 14 gage needle went in quickly and just about painlessly. The same with the barbell. The only pain was when she had to twist my tongue to fasten the lower ball on the barbell. It was quick. Just about nothing to it. Nowhere near the pain level of getting a nipple done.

I relaxed a bit to get used to the endorphine rush, got Lilith's advice to get Cepecol mouthwash to use three times a day, and to suck on ice cubes for several hours.

"Don't do any oral sex or tongue kissing for two weeks. If your partner has any infection you will most likely get it."

I moaned..."That's going to be difficult...Those are things I like..."

"Then wait one week, if you must, but you'll be vulnerable to infection. "

Bummed about partial abstainence but thrilled by the new piercing I re-entered the world. I found a motel with shag rugs on the wall and the ecstacy channel to watch while I sucked ice cubes. Both were comforting.

Swelling and slurred articulation did occurr for about four days. I went on the the Kalidoscope festival and faithfully used the mouthwash and ate more gently. I chewed slowly. There was no need to live on soup and juice for a week, but you learn quickly how much you use your tongue when you chew.

Some of my friends around the campsite asked why I would do such a thing, especially before a festival, but I was happy with the outcome and the piercing and I'd do it again.

There was one memorable kiss. An exciting woman gave me a flirtatious kiss, turned to her friend and said "He's got metal in there", and then practically sucked it out. I liked that.

No infection happened. My tongue and articulation recovered, and I'm almost the way I was, except now enhanced.

There's a sometime discomfort. Once in a while when I speak the lower ball on the barbell will hook on my lower teeth. While that isn't painful, it is distracting.

There's no trouble eating. I keep thinking as I chew that I may swallow the piercing, but that never happens.

This piercing is a keeper.