It's been four months since my last piercing (navel) and so I've been itching to get another for some time. I'm still starting out with the body mods... before my navel I had a vertical hood piercing and that was my first non-ear lobe piercing ever. I've made a point of sticking to things that are pretty unobtrusive and more for my enjoyment than anyone else.
At A Glance Author Raych Contact Raych@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Simon Studio Punktured Location Brisbane, Australia In the hunt for my next piercing I had been searching for something a little bit different. I know that rooks are getting more popular but in the area I live it's something very rarely seen. I met a girl not long ago and saw this tiny little ring hanging from her ear and it just looked so cute I instantly fell in love. We had a bit of a chat about it and I decided on the spot that it was to be my next project!
I went to Punktured (part of a shop called Off Ya Tree in the Queen street mall) and had a look at some jewellery. My boyfriend was with me as he was to have his tragus re-pierced as he had to take it out for some surgery and it closed up really fast! Simon the piercer came over and had a chat about jewellery options and aftercare etc. I chose a curved bar as the ring they would have had to use was really big. I plan on changing to a tiny ring once it's healed.
My boyfriend went in first and it was while I was waiting that I started to get REALLY nervous. I was waiting around the doors hoping to hear some indication of how painful it is when I heard a big 'arghhhhh' from my man and at that point I almost changed my mind! I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain so this was a big test for me. But I took a few deep breaths and kept myself occupied looking at the funny shirts they have for sale (on a side note – my favourite: a t-shirt with a picture of some cutlery and the slogan 'spooning leads to forking' I love it!)
When it was my turn I went into the piercing studio. I am always so impressed at how clean this place is. I sat on the little bed and watched Simon prepare all the equipment. He changed gloves really regularly and made sure everything was perfect. He is really good at easing my nerves and we chatted about my uni course and his kids and work and all sorts of random things and I found I calmed down pretty quickly.
He marked a little dot and had me check it's positioning and then it was all ready to go! I lay down on the bed thing and started to breathe deeply to calm myself. I felt the clamp go on and then a really hot surge.... It was painful but nowhere near what I was expecting. I let out a few choice words and before I knew it I could feel him screwing the ball on. He kept chatting and had my stay lying down for a few minutes as he cleaned the area as it had bled a little.
Then it was time to go. I think I thanked him about a thousand times and went out to show off my fancy new rook. One of the other girls working came and had a look and said she loved it and I felt soooo happy as I left.
We wandered around the shops for a while and within about 10 minutes I started to feel a bit dizzy. Not to the point that I passed out but just really spaced out and a bit sick. Add to that the super cramped lift to the car park and I was struggling a bit. I got my boyfriend to drive my car home just in case I got worse.
It's now about 3 hours since I was pierced. I feel a bit spacey still and have a bit of a headache but my ear is fine and I don't really have much pain at all. I LOVE my new piercing and can't wait for it to heal so I can get my little ring in there. They said around 2-3 months so it can be my Christmas present to myself!
Anyone from the Brisbane area I highly recommend heading to Off Ya Tree and seeing Simon. He is such a professional.... And so good at what he does and great at calming nerves and making the experience a lot more enjoyable.
To anyone thinking of getting a rook – go for it! Seriously. I'm the biggest wimp and if I can do it anyone can. I think people like to exaggerate pain to make themselves sound tough because I had heard so much bad stuff about the pain of rooks. But it was well worth it. Now I've gotta find my next one!