Thinking about getting your tongue pierced? Go for it. Here's my story. =)
At A Glance Author CraftyPerson2003 Contact CraftyPerson2003@bme.anon When It just happened Studio Club Tattoo Location San Diego, CA There was one guy waiting to get his tongue pierced before me. I signed on the dotted line while my husband and his best friend took off to get some coffee. The piercer said he'd be a few minutes and took the guy before me and they went into the piercing room. I sat down and checked out the piercer's 'portfolio'. It was cool. At the end there were a few photos of a guy suspending himself by two hooks. Cool.
After about 4 minutes of leafing through the book, a girl came up to me and introduced herself. We shook hands. She asked what was I doing... getting pierced or tattooed. I explained I was getting my first piercing other than my ears... a tongue piercing. She said "awesome" and sat down in an empty chair. She started talking about how piercings were so personal to her. I agreed with her.
After that, the two guys and the piercer walked out. The girl across from me asked how it went. He turned around with a grin on his face and showed us his tongue with the new addition. He seemed proud. He paid for his piercing. It was now my turn.
The piercer led me to the room. It had 3 white walls and one wall was glass so people walking by could see you. Anyway, he starts off asking me some questions. Do I smoke? No. Good, he could skip that part. Do I smoke anything else? No. Good, he could skip that part as well. After a few more questions, he told me I could not give oral sex for at least 2 weeks. He then said, people/friends will give you advice on your piercings, he asked that I please follow his aftercare rules. Sea salt diluted with water. He said no mouthwash and gave me some sea salt and an aftercare card.
Next he gave me some mouthwash and said swish it around until he said okay. I swished for about 30-45 seconds. It was so strong it made my eyes tear a little. Then came the worst part of the entire experience. He took my tongue and wrapped some gauze around it to dry it out a little. (You must understand, putting gauze in my mouth is like scraping a fork on a plate or scratching a chalkboard. It was AWFUL!!!) He checked out my tongue and said he was pleased with what he saw. He used some type of marker to dot where he was planning to pierce. (I didn't get the option of giving my opinion, but that's okay....)
After that, the time had come. I had to lay down. He told me to breathe deeply and to relax. He did the gauze on the tongue thing again (twice?? Come on... I'm dying here...) and then gently massaged my tongue for about 10 seconds. After that I guess I started putting my tongue back in my mouth because he told me to stick my tongue all the way out. He then told me the importance of staying still. He didn't want to hurt me and he didn't want me hurting him. He said he was applying the clamp to my tongue and it might feel a bit uncomfortable.
About 10 seconds later, I felt an odd sensation in my mouth. Apparently he had already pierced my tongue. In another 10 seconds, he had the stud in my tongue. He said "All done" and that it was time to sit up. As I sat up, I did my best to say "You have GOT to be kidding... it's done?" It came out more like "Yzou hav got twoo be kidding... izz done?" Yup. It was done. The piercing itself and putting in the jewelry took all of 20 or 30 seconds...!!!
If you can stand to get a shot at the dentist or the doctors office, this is a piece of cake!!! It didn't hurt. A slight pain yes, but biting your tongue hurts more. Really!!
I had read that people who have gotten their tongues pierced say they expected it would hurt much more than they thought it was going to hurt. Knowing that when I was sitting on that table, I KNEW it wasn't going to hurt, and in turn, I wasn't scared. It was an awesome experience. The piercer was friendly, knew his stuff, and made me feel completely comfortable with what was about to happen.
I would totally recommend this as a first piercing. You'll LOVE it!!! I plan on piercing 'other' things as well. I'm considering getting my tongue web pierced among other things.
Don't be scared. Make your appointment, and go for it!!!
-- Lisa