So I've been wanting a cartilage piercing for a while, but only seriously planning it for about 6 months. I wanted to get it when I was home for winter break, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to while I was still swimming. Before this piercing, I'd only had two lobe piercings in my left ear and one in my right. So when I came home for summer, I was ready to get this, and I recruited a friend who had been contemplating a piercing (she already has tattoos) to come with me to the piercing place.
At A Glance Author fourleftfeet When A week ago Artist Anthony Studio Ink-Side Out Tattoo Location Norwalk, CT We went into the store only ten or fifteen minutes after it opened, and there was a woman getting a finishing touch on a tattoo she had gotten a few days earlier, so my friend and I filled out some forms and looked at tattoo designs as she finished. Tattoos are not for me, I don't like anything enough to get it permanently placed on my body, but it was cool to look at all the designs people had brought in. The piercings were very reasonably priced, $20 for my cartilage piercing, and $50 for my friend's snug piercing, which is less than either of us were expecting. The piercer was very nice and answered my friends question about her snug piercing and once we figured everything out, we headed into the room.
The piercer was very organized and everything was packaged and clean and labeled, which gave the shop a very professional feel. We decided my friend would go first and we chatted with the piercer as he pierced her, then it was my turn. I was very nervous, because I'd heard varying accounts of how badly this hurt, but I was there and my friend had already gone, so I knew I couldn't back out.
I sat in the chair and the piercer set out everything he would need; some antiseptic, new clamps, new needle, and a sterile packaged 16g CBR. He cleaned my ear and marked where the piercing would go. I thought it was good so he put the clamps on my ear and said something about the needle going through smoothly. I began getting really nervous, my heart started beating really fast and I made my friend hold my hand. But before I could even think about it the needle was already through and he was getting the jewelry ready. Once he put the needle in I didn't feel it, but my friend snuck a glance and stated that yes, I did have a needle sticking through my ear. He didn't tell me when he was going to pierce me, he just did, which I personally liked because I didn't have the time to freak out and expect this horrible pain. It hurt a little bit, more like a pinch than the stabbing pain I was dreading. I didn't even feel the jewelry go in, and within two minutes I was good to go.
Its only been a couple of days now, but I've been fairly vigilant about cleaning it with saline solution as best I can. It hurt for the rest of the first day, but now it doesn't hurt very much. I still can't sleep on it, but I expected that, especially for the first week or two. It's still tender to touch and move around, but I try to get the solution everywhere to keep the piercing clean. It makes me really happy every time I look in the mirror, I love the way it looks, and immediately after my friend and I got pierced, we went and bought some new jewelry to put in once our piercings heal a little bit. The piercer offered to change it into whatever jewelry I wanted because he said it would be a little difficult for me to change it on my own, especially if it's still fairly new; as he explained my 16g CBR would not be as easy to open on my own as my friend's 18g. So I'm planning on going back in about 2 or 3 weeks to have him change the jewelry and to hopefully (depending o n how this piercing is healing) get a second cartilage piercing right above this one!
All in all, it was a great experience, the shop was very professional and clean, and the people working there really made me feel at ease. I would recommend Ink Side Out to anyone, it is a small shop but the artists/piercers are very nice and did a great job for both me and my friend. I'm definitely going to go back for my second cartilage piercing, and maybe even some more after that.. I haven't decided yet. But I definitely have caught the piercing bug, so we'll see what is in store for days to come!