So I've wanted a tattoo for ages but unfortunately in the state of Oregon, if you're under the age of 18 then it is illegal for you to get one, even IF your parents are with you and give their consent. My mom knew how badly I wanted one, and I was expressing my desire to get one a lot, so finally she said she would compromise and let me get my tongue pierced. I got excited about that, but I still had to convince my dad, which took ages. Even though he still doesn't agree with it, he says that it's my choice. (I already have 7 holes in my body besides the tongue piercing, and I'm working on getting more however being under 18 is a bit of a problem a lot of the time!)
At A Glance Author Amanda Contact k0rnonthek0b@attbi.com When It just happened Artist Ahna Edwards Studio Attitudes Body Piercing Studio Location Portland, Oregon I know I probably shouldn't have, but I decided to chow down on some spicy food before I left, knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat it for a while once I got my piercing done! So that was good. Random thought: I am also one who likes to pass out when getting piercings so I was kind of freaking out about that as well so I figured I should at least get something in my stomach so I wouldn't die.
After getting all that lined up I had to pick a place to get it done. A place called Attitudes Body Piercing Studio was recommended to me by a few people (by the way if your in Portland, Oregon I would recommend it, the woman who works there is awesome, and professional. The environment is very friendly and the woman is super nice. Another reason why I chose her is because she is a retired nurse who realized that body modification was a growing interesting among people, so she decided she would open up a place of her own to make sure that it was done safely and correctly) so earlier today I drive down to Portland. Walk in, fill out some forms, show a bunch of ID, and then go back to the room where she does the piercings.
She hands me some paper toweling for drool and what not, then hands me a cup with Listerine to rinse my mouth with. Then sprayed my tongue with numbing junk. After doing that she tells me to stick my tongue out so she can put the appropriate markings on it. She then clamped my tongue, which by the way I don't understand why people say that hurts, because it didn't hurt for me at all. After the clamp she made sure everything looked good for piercing then- "take a deep breath" so I did, as I was breathing out... bam. Needle through my tongue!
For those of you wondering exactly how bad it hurts I will do my best to explain, after the numbing stuff goes on then it makes it so the pain isn't bad at all. To me it felt like Ahna (my piercer) pricked my tongue a little, then switched the needle to the bar, which wasn't as bad as I imagined it being. However apparently I was a little pale, probably from all the anticipation and stress about it that I had. Got me all worked up for nothing! Anyhow the numbing stuff actually really annoyed me, it made my throat numb too and I didn't like that. She told me to go to the store outside of the piercing studio and get a cup of ice to suck on, and some Listerine to use after I eat and drink anything besides water. Gave me my care sheet, and sent me on my way. Only after I promised to come back in 2 weeks to get my barbell shortened for no extra cost. (By the way incase you're wondering, it only cost $35 to do the piercing)
So for anyone who is wanting a tongue piercing but is afraid of the pain, or whatever reason you might have, I would say... get the hell over your fears and go do it! It is worth it! The only thing that really sucks is no drinking, smoking, kissing, or oral sex. Also the fact that it took me about 45 minutes to eat a bowl of soup which would normally take me about 5 minutes, but then again I only got it done about 5 hours ago as of now! But I still think it's worth it anyway! I was a little afraid to do it at first because the thought of them sticking a big hollow needle through my tongue didn't really appeal to me, but I'm loving it and I would do it again if I had to! If you have any questions, or want to know anything (or maybe want to see pics) just email me, I would love to hear from you!