I'm now realizing how little money there is when you are in school and holding an apartment, a car loan, and insurance, on top of every day bills. Naturally, then, if there is any money left over after the bill collectors are done with me, I can't afford to put it toward a piercing, even if I really want it. All this in mind, I was really wanting to put another piercing in my tongue and just didn't have the cash...until Labor Day. The local piercers seemed almost to be having a contest to see who could outsell whom in their Labor Day piercing sales, and I, the poor consumer, made out like a bandit!
At A Glance Author Amanda Contact faeneleafrunner@cs.com When It just happened Artist Nick Boggs Studio Visual Impact Location Elmira Heights, New York Monday, I went to school and work in the morning, and was out of work by 6:30. Down at Visual Impact, they had my tongue piercing for a mere ten dollars! You'd think this was mad, and they'd lose money on making it so cheap, but with the crowds that poured into that place that night, I'm positive Nick made a good deal off of this. It was insane in there! I got there about quarter till seven. Expecting to meet my boyfriend there, and he wasn't there yet, I went to the desk and kept John, the apprentice, company for a while. The entire front room was packed with people...people in line, people on couches, people milling about just waiting.
I waited for hours. We ate, we waited, we went to the store, we waited, we went down the road a little way to get ice cream, we waited again...it was a long time. Finally, at quarter after one in the morning, it was time to go to it. There were a bunch of people in the room, everyone nervously watching the next person getting pierced and wondering just how bad this was going to be on them. No one wanted to go next, so I decided to be brave. My hand shot up. "I'll be buff! I'll go."
I went and got my boyfriend to come hold my hand, and sat down on the table. Poor Nick had been there all day, piercing for the past 13 hours. His face had purple ink smudges all over, and he looked exhausted. Still he was awake and professional, and I must give him kudos for that. He examined my tongue and wanted to know where I wanted to put this piercing. I wanted to put it in front of my other one, but he looked a little wary at putting it there, as there wasn't a lot of space to work with. Instead, I opted to put it a little way behind the first one. First, I rinsed with the Listerene...ick. He marked it and looked at it. I looked at it...little did I know, the other piercing, done by another piercer, was off-center. *growl* Why me? Always with the crooked piercings.
I stuck out my tongue, and Nick carefully dried it and marked it. I checked it out in the mirror and declared it lovely. Back on the table, now, and into the clamps I go. It was a little weird, because I was sitting there with my tongue hanging out, drooling all over creation. Mmm...drool. Nick didn't seem to mind, so I wasn't too concerned. He picked up the cork and needle and jewelry, got himself all situated. I took Luke's hand, and closed my eyes, not that nervous, just excited. Nick counted my breaths, in and out, three times. On the last exhale, he pushed it through and into the cork on the other side. It did hurt, but not too bad...it stung more than really hurt. I opened my eyes and started to breathe again *because I forgot to*. Luke was rubbing my back softly, while Nick kept playing with the jewelry, putting it through, tightening the balls.
He took a paper towel and cleaned all the drool and blood off my chin. I kept comparing this piercing experience to the last one, and last time I didn't drool, and I didn't bleed. I stood up, went to the mirror and hung my tongue out for examination. It was great! It felt, and still feels, weird to have two balls in there instead of one, but I love it. I thanked Nick, stayed to hold my friend's hand, then went and paid and tipped and took off. It had been a l-o-n-g day, and I just wanted to go home.
In the morning, I was swollen like a bitch, and couldn't really eat breakfast. I keep rinsing and rinsing all the time, which helps it to feel better. I went to work, and talking to the customers was an interesting experience. Half of them asked what was wrong with my mouth. Did I just go to the dentist? I showed a few people, and they either thought it was really cool or really nasty. Yay for them...I happen to be in love with it! It still hurts a little, still swollen. Ice helps that, or frozen fruit, which is yummy, too. One hint...do NOT use Listerene for your rinsing. Straight Listerene will burn your tongue, and that is not comfortable. I'm just using half Listerene, half water, which seems to be mild enough.
Of course, I have to make mention of the fact that Nick Boggs is a really great piercer. He is very talented at what he does, clean, precise, and I really respect him and his work. If ever you're in the Southern Tier of New York, and find the uncontrollable urge to put metal through your flesh, hit Visual Impact on Corning Road, in Elmira Heights. It's a really great studio...I've had all but one of my 8 piercings done there, and they've all healed beautifully. Say hey to Frank while you're there, too. He's a groovy, groovy dog...