I'd been wanting a navel piercing for a long time, and after giving birth to my son I told myself if I lost all my pregnancy weight I would go for it. So after 1 year of getting back into shape it was time, but I wasn't thinking too seriously about it until I had a business trip planned in the Bay area. San Francisco is my favorite city in the world and I wanted to bring back something special to remember it by, what better than a piercing!!
At A Glance Author Anne Contact Anne@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Raelyn Studio Black and Blue Tattoo Location San Francisco, CA I had seen Black and Blue Tattoo's web site a while ago and decided that it would be the place for my piercing experience. I liked the fact that it was women-owned and operated; I just had the impression that the piercing would be well done and the premises and tools would be clean. My best friend is gay and she wholeheartedly approved of my selection!! So off I went with my SO for my 6pm appointment with Raelyn, B&B's piercer. I had a few reservations about the whole event prior to the appointment; I was worried that it would really hurt, that it would take too long to heal or not heal properly and turn out really gross, or that the piercing would bug me after it was done. Reading the stories on BME's web site was extremely helpful, the fact that everyone seemed really delighted with their results encouraged me to go for it.
Raelyn ushered us into her studio, and set about her work. She explained the whole process to us and asked to see my navel. I was wearing overalls so I wouldn't have to deal with a waistband after the piercing, and she had me tuck up my shirt under my bra. She proclaimed my navel to be perfect for piercing, and measured it carefully both standing up and sitting down. Next she asked me what kind of jewelry I wanted. I had already decided on a curved barbell to start off as recommended by several piercers on the Web. I let my SO pick the jewelry, he selected a gorgeous moonstone then Raelyn disinfected and marked my navel after approving his choice. We talked about the pain involved, and she assured me that by the time the brain registered anything, it would be over, and that the navel is one of the least painful piercings to get. Next she unwrapped the jewelry and the needle from their packages, the needle seemed so big!! Then she had me lie down and instructed me to breathe slowly and deeply while she walked me through her actions. By this time I was quite nervous and couldn't wait to get it over with!!
She checked her markings again and clamped my navel. The clamp had 2 holes which she lined up with the markings. The clamp's pinching was uncomfortable but not outright painful. I decided to close my eyes for the next part. She waited for me to take a deep breath and the needle went in. I felt a pinching sensation but no pain. I could feel the needle inside me as she waited for a second, then I felt it go out and her putting the jewelry in. She was done!! It only took a few seconds and didn't even hurt; it was more 'pinchy' and uncomfortable than painful. Raelyn was chatting with me during the whole process which I found really comforting. I stood up and she had me look at my new navel in the mirror. It was gorgeous!! I was very happy with the result and so were Raelyn and my SO. It wasn't even bleeding and looked perfect. I was beaming!
Raelyn instructed me to soak my piercing in the tub twice a day to loosen any crust, using Dial antibacterial soap to make a diluted lather to wash it while moving it up and down. She put some Bacitracin ointment on my new piercing and gave me the rest of the packet to use at home. Then she put a Band-Aid over it to protect it and told me to be careful during sex and sleeping on my tummy, and not to wear any waistbands that would rub on it. It was time to leave. She also showed me how to do salt-water soaks with a cup if the piercing needed cleaning and I didn't want to take a bath.
My new piercing was tender the first evening; I washed it before going to bed, changed the Band-Aid and put on more ointment. It had bled a little. The next morning it felt a lot better, I'm very diligent about cleaning it. Now it doesn't hurt any more, it's not red or swollen nor is it oozing. It does get a little tender if I twist my waist around too fast. Otherwise I hardly feel it at all; it's already very much a part of me. I am extremely happy about the whole experience, and would recommend Raelyn for her excellent work and great attitude.