At A Glance
Author	Imminence
Contact	Imminence@bme.anon
IAM	Imminence
When	Six months ago
Artist	Joel
Studio	Duke City Ink Tattoo
Location	Albuquerque, NM

Ok, from one piercing addict to another, this is how it all went down. I started visiting Duke City Ink here in Albuquerque with my friend Autumn. After just one visit, I was hooked to that specific studio. Now, I was hooked on it not only because the friendliness of everyone that works there, but also their practices of cleanliness and sterilization.

After frequent visits, I was talking with Joel, the piercer, about what my next piercing would be. He had suggested, seeing as though my nose was already pierced on the right side of my nose, that a lip piercing on the left side would accent the nose and make it fit together nicely. I contemplated this for about 3 weeks, then decided that I would go for it.

I talked it over with my husband, who isn't really a huge fan of body modification. Sorry, he's not a fan of it on himself. He loves seeing me come home with new holes :) At the time of discussion, he kind of shrugged it off, like it was a passing phase. He made it known, that it'll be harder for me to get a job, and whatnot, but he was semi-supportive. I showed him the exact spot I was going to get pierced, and he agreed that it'd look kinda sexy. So wow! I got his blessing!

About a month before my birthday, Autumn and I walked into Duke City to hopefully get my lip pierced that day. As I talked to Joel, I couldn't help but notice a piece of jewelry that matched my nose jewelry PERFECTLY! I pointed to the piece with excitement, and since there was no wait, I was ushered into his room. Handing me a small cup of mouthwash, he has me sit in the chair, as he goes through all the standard procedure, telling me how they sterilize and clean everything beforehand. After spitting, I watched as he took the clamps from the plastic, and then the needle. He laid the tools down on this kind of tray they have in dentist offices, and everything was very clean.

I laid down in the chair, as Joel dried the inside of my lip, and took out a small marker to mark the spot. After seeing it in a hand held mirror, I agreed, and he proceeded to clamp my lip. I don't know why, but I wasn't nervous at all. All the while, he keeps talking to me, and making me feel even more comfortable. I take a deep breath in....and PHEEEEEW, I have a hole in my lip. What?! It's done?! I hardly felt a thing! I mean, to describe the feeling, it felt like someone pinched my lip.

To tell you the truth, the only thing I was worrying about during the whole procedure was how I was going to pay for it. I mean, I didn't have the $40 to throw around! But then, Autumn came to my rescue, and said it'd be my birthday present from her. She's the best!

After all was said and done, he went through the aftercare instructions. To this day, I still gag when I have to rinse with sea salt solution, but I substitute that for mouthwash :) To this day, I have no scar tissue, and the lip and nose jewelry look wonderful together! Everything went great, everything feels great, and I'm very happy that Joel suggested getting my lip done.

I've since realized, that not many people have the side of the lip done. I've seen many medusa's, madonna's, and labret's, but only a small amount of piercings like mine. I think mine suits me well, and I hope I never have to take it out again...

Oh yeah! I got this job that required me to take the piercings out, so I did. I went without them for about 2 months, until we had a meeting at work, and they encouraged all of us to be ourselves. So what did I do? I went back to Joel to get my lip repierced. (It had grown in within the first day it was out). So, I showed up to work with all my piercings in. I was fired. I don't care. They can't tell me to be someone I'm not.

To this day, Duke City Ink has the best people, the best facility, and they don't use that icky original Listerine. They use the FLAVORED! Hey, at least they care about what the customers think of it! If you're in the Albuquerque area, and you want piercings or tattoos, go to Duke City Ink, and ask for Joel (the piercer), or Brandon (the tattoo artist). They're the best in the city. Go on. You know you wanna.

Oh! And just so you know! My husband has confirmed and re-confirmed that he's glad I got my lip pierced...says I look "dead sexAy!" w00t!