My long-awaited industrial was a "gateway piercing" for me. I had waited a long time for it, lusting over pictures of them on bme for about 6 months until my mother surprised me one day. She handed me $70, and said "Happy early-18th Birthday, lets go get you jabbed with needles". So off we went to Ken's Underground, my chosen studio after calling and surfing around to check out the options in my area.
At A Glance Author CJ Contact CJ@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Matt Studio Ken's Underground Location Dover, DE, USA So we arrived at Ken's and I was bouncing off the walls with excitement (and perhaps a bit too much caffeine. I don't advise downing a Rockstar before getting mods!). My mom came in with me for moral support, and perhaps morbid curiosity. We were greeted by the very rad Bill, who would later do my navel piercing, but that's for another time. I told him I came for an industrial and showed him my ear. Matt, the piercer on duty, came over and rang me up (it was $70), and also let me check out some of the nifty industrial jewelry they just got in, and I chatted with another girl about to get her tongue pierced while I waited. She asked what I was having done and when I told her she replied, "Ooh, those look so good, but I don't think I could do it..." When she asked if she could watch me get pierced I said "sure!". Little did I know what I was in for...
I went into the room and sat up on the chair, and Matt readied his equipment, with my mom and the random girl already sqicking and cringing for me... I told Matt I wanted it in my left ear and he marked out the spots with the pen, then measured my ear and compared barbells, trying to find the perfect size for me. Well, the optimal size (1.25in) was out of stock - how lucky - so we went with a size smaller. He claimed that any bigger and I'd be at higher risk for keloids from the shifting during healing, and better to go too small than way too big. So I agreed, and he swabbed me down with all that good sterilizing stuff, and picked up needle #1. At this point, random tongue piercing girl ran out of the room, too scared to watch, which made me giggle. Those lovely endorphins began to kick in prematurely and I was shaking a little, but nothing noticeable or anything.
Finally, Matt told me to take a "reallllly deep" breath in, and as soon as I did, BAM, there's the needle, punching sideways through thick cartilage, an instantly my ear is on fire. Perhaps I wasn't expecting an industrial to hurt this much, but I didn't get all the way through with my exhale before it turned into a yelp.
Then the needle was through and I was trying to convince myself that, hey, that wasn't *that* bad!
..And then Matt says "Okay, there's ONE down!"
I honestly thought both holes were done and the jewelry was in!
But the second hole hurt even more than the first, thanks in large part to to fact that he did it quickly, then started to insert the jewelry... and ran into a problem. Turns out that the needle either hadn't pierced it through 100%, or it was trying to close, or something, because the jewelry couldn't go through! So he told me to take another very deep breath, and hold on. I did so, and since the jewelry was already through the first hole, he went ahead and jabbed it through the half-pierced second hole. OUCH! This time, my exhale turned into a yelp, and then into an "oh f**k!"
He told me all about the aftercare again, approximate healing times and tips for optimal healing, and he let me check it out in the mirror for a while. I LOVED IT!
It bled a LOT. We went shopping afterwards, and I looked like I'd been attacked by a vampire for all the blood running down my neck!
But I couldn't stop looking at for weeks. I still love it just as much as I did the day I got it.
It healed gorgeously. All I did was wash it with soap and water, twice a day, and turn it. About 4 months later, it was more or less completely healed.
I get so many compliments on it, it was definitely worth the pain and the money. My industrial was my "gateway piercing" because it was the mod that made me realize my undying love for body mods, piercings especially. I've since gotten more in my ears, and my navel, also at the fabulous Ken's Underground. And you'd better believe I have plans in the works for many more!