I thought it was about time that I wrote about both of my failed my navel piercing experiences. So here goes...
At A Glance Author Emz Contact Emz@bme.anon IAM PyRoKiNeTiC_AnGeL Artist Mark Studio Voodoo Lounge Location Middlesbrough, North East England An awful lot of my friends have their navels done. The kind of girls who are always showing off their midriff, because they are very thin and highly attractive, you know the kind. I had wanted mine done for a while, but since I haven't got the flattest stomach in the world (huge understatement!) I waited a very long time before finally going through with it. The tip of the iceburg was when my new boyfriend at the time (now a distant ex) told me he loved the look of them. I realised I would be happy with the results, but not as happy as he would be.
I talked my friend Joanne into her having her navel done, since she'd just turned 16 and she'd wanted it done a while. I decided to have my lower navel done, since she was having the normal standard piercing, just so I could be a little different.
Things went as planned. We went shopping with our friend Holly, and as it got closer to the time, we went to Voodoo. Holly doesn't enjoy the whole piercing scene really, but she's grown to accept it, and she's often interested by the stuff I tell her about mods.
I think one of Holly's favourite places to hang out is Voodoo's waiting room. She really likes the plants, and the benches, but most of all the friendly and comfortable atmosphere. I remember on one occasion she asked if we could go back the following weekend, and have a picnic. We did go back, and we did take food.
Anyway, we got to the studio early and Joanne and I filled out forms then looked at jewellery, discussing how we needed jobs to afford everything we liked the look of. Since Joanne hadn't been pierced there before, Mark didn't know her age, so he asked for proof of ID. I've been there often enough and filled out so many forms he should know my birthday by now.
Although I had talked Joanne through the stages of piercing many time to put her mind at ease, and she'd met Mark a few times before when she accompanied me to Voodoo, she was still very nervous. But I wasn't going to let her back down now... I calmed her down by letting her that she'd be fine, showing her Mark's certificates of courses and inspecions passed and I asked if she wanted to go first or second. She couldn't decide, so I called second. At least that way she wouldn't change her mind as she saw the needle jabbed into my stomach.
We both went into the piercing room together. As we passed Mark, he announced that it was going to hurt lots... Joanne looked worried, and Mark reassured her that she'd be fine, and I was the one he was going to hurt. That lightened the mood for her a little, and she relaxed a bit. It only made me more eager to lie down on the bed and let Mark work his magic.
Mark proceeded to talk to us and make us giggle for the next 20 minutes, before even getting to me. Joanne's piercing went fine, and she said she hardly felt a thing... We spent another 15 minutes or so talking while Joanne laid on the bed, adrenaline pumping from her first non-ear piercing. I was excited to be next, but I let Joanne have her moment.
As I was about to step up from the waiting couch, I asked Mark if it was possible to have a larger piece of jewellery for my navel. He got really excited and started talking about scalpels and dermal punches... I dont think he had noticed how serious I was, before rushing off to look for thick needles and tapers. He had a look through the stock and found he had no large gauge banana bars, and I didn't want a ring, so I said I'd settle for a small lower navel piercing, and I'd go back to have a lager upper navel done soon.
All went well, and afterwards Joanne, Holly and I went to eat. We were a little sore, but nothing we couldn't handle.
A week later, I went back and had my upper navel done. They were both fine for a few weeks, then my upper navel flared up, and became very sore. Mark suggested I tried a few different things, but none of them worked, and I finally gave up and took out the jewellery.
Two months later, I've also taken out the lower piercing. It hadn't rejected like the other, but it hadn't even started to heal, and it was highly annoying. My navel is rather low down compared to most, and it was always aggrivated by trouser waist bands. I decided that small gauge, lower navel piercings were not for me.
But don't worry, there is a happy ending... In four months, I'm having my upper navel scalped to 8mm. Mark is only charging me the price of the jewellery, since I had so much trouble trying to find new jewellery to save the old one.
I honestly can't wait for that day... I'm making a "date" with a friend of mine who I met through IAM, who's having his tongue split after I have my navel done. I have to give Mark the good news that he'll be cutting and burning us, one after another. That is going to be a memorable day indeed.I'll keep you all posted.