I have always been fascinated and intrigued by body modification, piercings especially- unfortunately, I am cursed with ultra-conservative parents. Over the years they had (grudgingly) allowed me to get several holes pierced in my ears, including my left tragus, and my navel. I have always respected their wishes and not gotten my tongue or lip pierced although I would dearly love to. A while ago I got to thinking about what I could pierce that my family would never notice (I pierced my navel without my parents' consent, however after they caught me they allowed me to keep it- after, of course I had served my punishment).
At A Glance Author Kate Contact Kate@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Julia Studio Orchid Location Edmonton It was about three days before my birthday and my best friend Talla and I were spending the day at West Edmonton Mall, because I had some Christmas money I was just dying to spend and we later planned on seeing a movie. I was feeling restless and we wandered around the mall aimlessly for about an hour before passing Dragon FX, the studio where a month earlier, a close friend of mine had his nipples pierced, and inspiration struck. When I told Talla that today was the day for my new piercing, she suggested we go visit a friend who had had her nipple pierced a year before in the mall. Our friend suggested we go to Orchid, a small and inconspicuous studio located behind the HMV stage. Before I could chicken out, I dragged Talla across the mall to the studio. Upon entering the store seemed small but clean, and I spotted an autoclave in the corner and immediately felt reassured.
The man behind the counter spoke to me for a few moments and he told me that I didn't need to make an appointment as Julia, who did all the piercings, was free right now. I didn't expect things to happen that fast and I felt my stomach flip with anticipation, excitement and fear. I filled out the consent form and paid for my piercing beforehand, a request that I always make so as to stop myself from getting too scared and leaving the store.
Julia and I made our way into a small but very clean piercing room and she instructed me to remove my top and bra. She then got me to stand very still as she cleaned and marked my nipple (the right one) and then she had me lay down. She put on fresh gloves and clamped my nipple, the pain was minimal, actually, barely noticeable, and as she coached me through breathing exercises she pushed the needle through. I remained quiet and calm until the last few layers of skin before the needle exited through the other side- the last push made me gasp out loud, "Oh shit!". The sting immediately ceased and she slid in the ring, closed it, and let me look at my beautiful new piercing. I was very pleased, it was aligned perfectly and the ring looked simply gorgeous.
After thanking and tipping Julia, she had me sit in the shop for fifteen minutes as she went over aftercare with me. I kept trying to leave but she thought that I looked pale and was nervous that I was going to faint- although I tried to explain to her that I was just naturally pale skinned, she made Talla promise that she would make me eat something as soon as we had left the studio. The new piercing throbbed for about an hour and then just minimized to a dull ache.
It has been almost two weeks and there is already little to no pain, and for aftercare I gently clean the area and ring with a sea salt solution. It hardly hurt at all and I love it so much, I am thinking about getting the other nipple done soon. It was a fantastic experience, however I would not recommend Orchid to have it done. The more I think about it, the more suspicious I should have been when they didn't ID me, only asked if I was sixteen or older, when the price was very low ($53.50 canadian) and when I didn't get a choice of jewelry. I plan to go to my favorite and most trusted studio, Strange City, and buy replacement jewelry and get my regular piercer to check it out for me.
My advice is to always listen to your instincts- most studios won't pierce female nipples unless the girl is eighteen or older, and I have never ever been to or heard of a studio that hasn't ID'd the customer before. I let my excitement get in the way of common sense, and while I haven't had any trouble yet, I am terrified that before I get to Strange City, something will go wrong, that my body will reject the ring or that I will have an allergic reaction.