I distinctly remember the first time I saw a girl my age with a navel piercing and thought it was gorgeous. Of course, it was very stereotypical of teenage girl to want a navel piercing, but still I loved them. My mother felt differently, of course. Somehow, two earlobe piercings were much different than a single navel piercing.
At A Glance Author Valerie Contact Valerie@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Erik Studio 23rd Street Body Piercing Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma For months before, I researched and perused the Internet for every site and every picture I could find. I strongly recommend this for anyone wanting to get a piercing, as I found out a lot of information that I never knew before. It was through The Association of Professional Piercers that I found the studio I wanted. Now all I had to do was convince my mother that it wasn't that serious, which was easier said than done of course. I took the "it's not as bad as this" approach by asking my mother if she'd be okay with me getting my nipples pierced. Shocked by me saying this, I then said,"See? My navel's nothing compared to that." This didn't work at all, so I decided to just sit down and talk it out with her. Once I knew she was okay with it, we set a day to go and I began to anxiously wait.
The night before, I wrote down the questions I needed to ask the piercer and everything that was required to clean the piercing. The day of, we bought plastic cups for the saline soaks and then drove over to the studio. It was in a fairly shady part of town, so I was a little apprehensive about going in. I'm glad to say it was a case of don't judge a book by its cover. Walking into 23rd Street I was very impressed by how clean it was. It even smelled clean. My mother and I went up to the front desk where a man welcomed us. I told him I was there for a navel piercing and he proceeded to show us the selection of navel jewelry. He was very informed as he talked about the jewelry for navels, which made me very comfortable. I chose a barbell with a small, pink gem. After I chose, he copied our licenses and we signed the agreement paper. Through this time, I remembered to ask him about their autoclave, the piercer, etc. just to make sure they were legit (and to put my mind at rest). After I was thoroughly convinced, he took us on a tour around the studio. He showed us the autoclave room, the contaminated tool room, and the room where the actual piercing would take place. Everything was very clean and sterile, even the bathroom looked great!
After the tour, he went over all parts of the aftercare and then we paid. After this, we waited for the piercer to be ready. We were waiting for about 10 seconds when the piercer called me back. Since I'm 16, my mother also had no choice but to go with me (which actually turned out for the best because I got to squeeze her hand). I sat down on a contoured cushiony table as he set up everything. He was very meticulous with changing his gloves, which I was very glad to see. Then, he cleaned my belly button with some kind of soap and marked the spot. I got up and looked in the mirror to make sure I liked the placement. I laid down on the table and he put the clamps on. Personally, the clamps didn't feel bad at all. It was an odd feeling but not painful. I could feel the needle at the top of the inside of my navel as I breathed in, and then out. As I breathed out, he pushed the needle through with an "aaaahh" escaping my mouth. As he put the jewelry in, I kept my eyes planted firmly on the fluorescent lighting above. I knew that if I saw that large needle or anything he was doing, I'd probably get a dizzy feeling. It actually worked very well. I didn't freak out about the size of the needle or anything. After he put the barbell in, I got up but actually didn't even look at it in the mirror. I suppose I was just too nervous I would get sick or pass out by walking around too much.
We went back to the front desk, picked up our Provon and sea salt, thanked them, and left. Afterwards, my mother bought me brand new sheets, as 23rd Street had recommended having very clean sheets.
I've now been lifting my shirt every couple of minutes and looking at my stomach with joy. I don't regret doing it. If you are interested in getting your navel pierced, make sure you do your research and choose the best piercing studio possible.
~*Valerie*~