Not long ago, I was researching through all of the great experience logs on BMEzine, and now it feels oddly full filling to be writing my experience down for others to see!
At A Glance Author SLO Skewered When It just happened Artist Louie Studio Traditional Tattoo, Higuera Location Location San Luis Obispo, California, USA I've vaguely wanted a Prince Albert for a few years, but was only seriously interested within the last year, when I realized that I could in fact get one. Looking back, I can spot mental/stereotypical barriers that I'd constructed for myself that prevented me from doing many things that I've always wanted to do. By getting my PA, the entire journey could be akin to shedding old and unnecessary beliefs about how the world works. Although my career field is unfriendly to body mods, I've never had a problem with that because I haven't ever really wanted to have anything other than my PA done - it's preference, really. I like the idea of appearing -in a sense - to be "yet another drone climbing the ladder", when in effect, I can customize my body to reflect how I really want it to be.
That all said, the vast sea of user logs was priceless to me. After my piercing today, I discovered that everything that happened was exactly in line with what I had read and therefore come to expect. The following list of things stood out:
(1) I scheduled an appointment for 7pm so that I could got directly home and tend to the bleeding, drink fluids, and relax.
(2) I prepared for the piercing by stocking up on gauze, surgical gloves (so the blood doesn't leak), a candy bar and water for after, clean Q-tips for cleaning the piercing site, Dial antibacterial soap, and Iodine-Free Sea Salt for the salt soaks.
(3) I knew to take the car instead of the motorcycle because I read that people get lightheaded sometimes, and the last thing I needed was to crash on my way home.
(4) I knew that the normal size for a PA is 10g, and that you can stretch it to 8g during the procedure if requested. (I got a 10g CBR).
(5) Blood would be a steady companion.
(6) The procedure (as detailed below)
(7) How much to tip (I tipped $10), and how much to expect it to cost. ($70 including jewelry)
(8) I stayed away from blood thinners - these range from allergy meds to aspirin, to even grape juice. (I still bled like crazy though, I imagine it would be worse if I'd downed an aspirin with grape juice!).
So, on Sunday I walked up to the Traditional Tattoo (and piercing) studio in Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo hoping to get a my PA. I'd called around a few shops in the area, and while I was impressed in general with what I heard over the phone, the only shop I set foot in was Traditional. The studio was clean, classy, and had a relaxed, confident feel to it. I had watched several piercing videos on youtube (nipples mostly, because that may be next on the list!) and one of my pet peeves about the studios I saw in the videos was that most of them were blasting very loud music and the piercer/tattooists were all very "tough guy"-ish. Being a skinny little guy with absolutely no body mods or tattoos, this would have been pretty nerve wracking. Traditional had music, but it was in the background and everyone there gave off a good vibe. When I went on Sunday, the piercer (Louie) was on his day off, and the guys at the shop were all really good at letting me know when to come, wh at to bring, and what to expect. They let me book an appointment, which was nice. I'm not sure if they always let you make an appointment if you walk in, because I know you can't make on over the phone. I guess that makes sense, because they don't want 12 year olds to prank call and never come.
Last night, I had trouble sleeping - I dreamed that I was going to miss my appointment, and (several times) sat straight up in bed and looked at the clock! When I woke up, I felt a bit apprehensive, and while I think I knew deep down that I was going to follow through, I needed to make sure that I was making the right decision. So, I read through more PA stories here on BMEzine. This site was great at allaying my fears and encouraging me to pursue my desire to get pierced.
I'll be honest and say that I spent a good part of the day saying "farewell" to my non-pierced penis! Honestly, a WEEK (to two) of not walking the dog is really pushing it!
After stocking up on the supplies I'd need for the aftercare, I ate a good sized meal, tried to take a nap, and then it was time! I told my (shocked) roommate where I was going, and drove the short distance to the studio. When I walked in, Louie came up and introduced himself, and set up the private room while I signed the paperwork. There was a girl getting a tattoo by one of the artists I'd spoken with the day before, and they were having a good chat while he inked her.
When everything was ready (about 3 minutes), Louie had me come into the private room and sit in the archetypical doctor's chair. He explained the procedure and asked if I had any questions - I didn't, and we were ready to go! I'd looked over the equipment, and saw that he'd set up a sterile field on a sterile tray that he operated off of. He never let his hands or tools touch anything other than my penis (!) or the sterile tray.
Getting started, he first used a toothpick with ink at the tip to mark the area to pierce, then asked me to check out the placement. Everything looked good, and he talked me through the procedure as he first (I think) applied numbing gel (xylocaine???) to the receiving tube. I've done some urethral play in the past, and was actually looking forward to this part! The entry stung a bit, but not anything I wasn't used to. Afterwards, I got a better look at the tube, and by golly, that thing is substantial! One of the experiences that I read about exclaimed that the tube was 'bigger than a pencil eraser'. This is true, but the tube really doesn't hurt. It stings from the stretch, but it's not a show stopper. Al the while, he'd had me looking at two rubber duckies near the ceiling (the chair was reclined at this point) so after the receiving tube went in, I really couldn't tell what was going on by feeling alone. He then warned me that he'd be inserting the cannulated needle, and had me breathe in the 1-2-3 pattern that I read about.
Now, one of the varying things I'd read about was the pain of the needle going through the urethra. Some people say they hardly felt it, while others say it hurt badly. In my case, since I was rather enjoying the feel of the receiving tube, the needle was a bit more painful than I'd imagined - but, I'd imagined hardly feeling it at all. The pain is intense, but manageable, and very short - less than two or three seconds, if that long.
I remember that once the initial pain was over, there was just a dull ache as he put in the CBR ring. I'll tally up the pain distribution:
First painful thing: receiving tube, responsible for 20-30% of the total pain.
Second painful thing: needle, responsible for 60-70% of the total pain.
Dull aches, small adjustments to the receiving tube, etc: At most 10% of the total pain.
Once the ring was in, he had me take a look in the mirror, and I'll be honest - and I know that this sounds strange - but as I looked at my pierced penis, I felt as though I'd always had it pierced and that it was just "right" for a ring to be through the tip!
Louie made sure I was OK (I didn't make any noises, panting, squirming, etc) and mentioned that I took it really well. He let me know that I could have as much time as I needed to sit in the seat and rest, but I was fine, so we went to the register (right before this, he went to the back to wash his hands even though he'd worn gloves and didn't have any blood on himself) and I paid the $70 plus a $10 tip. We shook hands, and he gave me the aftercare sheet, then I was off!
I felt perfectly centered, normal, and even headed, and never felt the least bit dizzy/lightheaded/queasy, etc.
I got home, and had to pee. I had the normal "clotting snot" experience that everyone seems to have, and after packing up my pierced penis in the glove Louie had given me, I spend the next 5 minutes wiping the blood off of the floor. It looked like a murder scene! Since then, I've used the bathroom three times and took a shower. The piercing is still bleeding pretty heavily, but I expected it.
You really do learn something from the experience of having your bloody penis drip blood all over the place. I'd call it a mind-expanding event!
In summary:
(1) The pain/discomfort is not worth thinking about. It's brief and insubstantial.
(2) The piercing looks awesome.
(3) Be on good terms with cleaning up your own blood. Make a game out of cleaning up the blood drops before they clot and become difficult to get out of, say, (formerly) white bathroom rugs.
(4) Expect to bleed a lot, for a few days.
(5) Bring food to eat after the piercing.
Louie at Traditional Tattoo gave me a great experience and I've started off on my modding journey on a very positive note!
I absolutely love my PA, have no regrets about anything of it, and am greatly looking forward to taking it out for playtime!