I am a 15 (16 in June!) year old girl who has been dying for my belly to have a cute little decoration for years. When I was 12, I begged my mom to let me get it, and of course she said no (There would have been laws protecting 12 year old's from having any modification done outside of the ears anyways, but I decided my mom was more crucial to convince than the law). She finally said when I was 16 I could get it done, as long as it was my last body piercing. When I was 13, it was almost a fad to pierce your own belly button, and since I wanted it that bad, I took matters into my own hands. It wasn't painful (due to lots of ice) and everything was perfect, except I didn't have the right jewelry. I stuck a diamond earring in it, but when it got infected a few days later, I took it out. It left a tiny, but strongly noticeable, scar.
At A Glance Author GeminiGatito Contact The_True_Kitti@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Aaron Studio Tribal Ways Location Boston For the past couple of weeks, I went overboard trying to convince my mom to get it now. My reasoning went, "I want it to be HEALED for my birthday so I can change the jewelry around and not have to worry when I'm in pools." She was hesitant about it and said she wouldn't commit to anything. The only thing that really held her back was that I didn't want the top, I wanted to get the bottom done.
Two days ago (Friday) was when I got my progress report in school. My grades haven't been that good in the past 2 years, so when I brought home 2 A's, 3 B's and 2 C's, my mom was ecstatic and said I could get the piercing the next day.
A freaky coincidence: A few days before that, me and my mom were playing with our oracle book. With the piercing on my mind, it was only appropriate to ask "will I get my piercing done within the next few weeks." When I opened the book to the answer, it read, "yes, but with the help of a man in touch with his feminine side." My assumption was that my piercer was going to be gay. But the next day my mom had a hair appointment with our GAY hairdresser. She was telling him how I wanted it done and he told her about Chameleon in Harvard Square. We didn't make the connection until the next day.
Saturday came! My mom and I planned on meeting my boyfriend at a coffee shop right near Chameleon. We all got something to drink and walked over to the shop. When my mom wasn't finished with her drink, I was having panic attacks and getting wicked anxious to go in (this has always been a problem with me). Finally, we went in and asked about the bottom. I was so upset when they wouldn't do it (because it would reject in 2-3 months). I decided to get the top done anyways. When we went to fill out the forms they decided to tell us they couldn't do it because I was 15, not 16. I went insane.
I heard of Tribal Ways in Boston and convinced my mom the extra train ride would be worth it. I called up to ask how to get there and we finally made it! I was so excited that I was finally getting it done! My mom said that Chris, my boyfriend, would go in with me and not her (she has the tendency to make people feel uncomfortable with hmm's and other noises). Me and Chris went in the room with Aaron. He marked the space and said that the scar tissue could be perfectly hidden by it, and even work to prevent the ring from being pulled out. He told me to lay down, and took forever to get ready.
I kept my mind off the pain for 3 years because I knew I would talk myself out of it. I also have a fear of hospital needles, and didn't think that piercing needles would bother me. I kept my hands up by my face, and was thinking of all the horrible things that were about to happen. It got so bad that I was ready to walk out after all the work put into the day.
Finally he put the clamps on, which only pinched for a second, but did not hurt. He told me to take a deep breathe in, and I did while making a squeaky noise when the needle was shoved through. He did it so fast; I'm not lying when I say it didn't hurt at all. It was a weird feeling when the ring went through, but it didn't hurt. I was impressed, and I told him. He laughed and said "he's been doing it for 10 years and its amazing what he gets paid to do." I stood up and admired the tiny ring in the mirror.
It was yesterday when I got it done and it still doesn't hurt. I was surprised by the lack of pain since every story I've read said it hurt. If you're in Boston, go to Aaron! He's incredible and gets it done fast!