It all began one night last May. My best friend and I were sitting outside a Starbucks in downtown vegas, sipping our soy carmel lattes, discussing body piercings. At this point, I'd already had various cartilage piercings, as well as tongue piercing. She was talking about getting her nose pierced, and I briefly mentioned that I wanted my rook done a while back. So she asked if I wanted to go straight down at that moment, and get pierced! It was so spontaneous, I really hadn't put much thought into actually getting my rook pierced, so it was a really exciting feeling!
At A Glance Author Michelle Contact Michelle@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Nate Studio Around the Clock Location Las Vegas NV The ride to the shop was really fun. The whole ride there, my friend and I wondered and discussed what we thought each piercing would feel like, and how badly it would or wouldn't hurt. I like to say I've got a low pain tolerance, but I have yet to get a piercing that was intolerable. I couldn't imagine the rook being painful, just another crunch like any other cartilage piercing I've gotten.
So we arrived at Around the Clock, both extremely excited for our spontaneous piercings we were about to get! The shop piercer Nate was there that night, a heavily tattooed and modified gentleman. He had my friend and I fill out the usual paperwork for the piercings, all the while telling us about the procedure, the jewelry he would be using, and common reactions others have to being pierced. I'm the type of person, that when I am getting a piercing on a new body part for the first time, I ask a million questions regarding the pain and procedure, and I want to know every little detail about what's going on while I'm getting pierced.
My friend decided to go first, getting her left nostril pierced. It was a quick procedure, and it didn't seem entirely painful. She complained that it made her eyes water, as if someone punched her in the nose. I was already getting butterflies thinking about my rook that was about to be pierced.
Nate had me sit in the usual teal green dentist's chair, and I laid back to get comfortable while he prepped his supplies. As I watched Nate lay out the needle, the lube, the cork and so on, I started to get really nervous. My friend kept talking to me, and I could see she was trying to distract me, to put me at ease.
After putting on his gloves, Nate marked my ear and had me check the placement. Perfect! I couldn't wait to see the finished product. He fumbled around with my ear for a bit, before finally telling me to take a deep breath, and he would count down. On three, he told me to exhale. 1... 2..... 3.... Phew! A quick crunch and a dull pinch, and the needle was through! Piece of cake, the pain was NOT bad at all.
Nate got the CBR ready to follow through with the needle, but just as he began to slide the ring in, he lost the connection with the jewelry and the opening of the needle, and that was it. The needle was out, but no jewelry was in my freshly poked hole. When he explained that he would need to put a fresh needle through the hole again, I felt my heart sink. I knew a needle going through a fresh hole would hurt, but I told him just to do it and get it over with. After opening up a new package with a needle, he cleaned my ear again, and went through the process a second time. 1... 2... 3.... CRUNCH! I won't lie, it did hurt quite a bit the second time around, but it was nothing unbearable. The CBR slid right in, this time there were no problems. Nate cleaned up my bloody ear, and told me to sit up and check out my fresh rook in the mirror.
My poor ear was hideously red and irritated, but the new ring in my rook looked sublime! I was absolutely in love! I paid and tipped Nate, and left the shop with my friend. Aside from occasional soreness, I didn't have any problems with the next few weeks of healing.
Cleaning a fresh rook piercing is awkward at first, because of the placement. I used q-tips with dial soap and bactine, cleaning the ring daily, front and back. Within a few months the piercing was healed beautifully, and I didn't have any problems at all.
It's been a year now since my rook experience, and I still have it pierced, and I still love it! If you are contemplating getting your rook pierced, but maybe are unsure about it, I highly suggest going through with it! It is not a painful procedure, and if you take very good care of your piercing, you shouldn't have any problems. I suggest a rook piercing to anyone who would like a cartilage piercing that doesn't move around too much or get bumped.
And always, be sure to get pierced by an experienced and trusted body piercer. And keep up with the aftercare. Happy piercing! :)