I know it's important to be honest with your piercer, and I knew it even before I got pierced. But I let my pride get in the way of being honest with my piercer with my very first experience.
At A Glance Author Eldumpweed Contact Eldumpweed@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Shane Studio Ace Tattoo Location Glendale, AZ When I was 13 I had pierced my navel myself. I didn't even have a proper piercing needle. So needless to say, it got infected. Pretty bad actually. But I took everything out, let things heal, and eventually you couldn't even see the mark. That's really lucky. I would discourage anyone from doing that without knowing what they're doing. So I am kind of embarrassed by it, because it was a very dangerous thing to do. The infection I did get from it was pretty bad, but it could have been a lot worse. And if I hadn't taken the ring out, it probably would have been rejected and my poor belly button would be really screwed up.
So anyway, a while ago I went with my boyfriend to a tattoo and piercing studio for the first time. He's been pierced before, but I had never been to a studio. He was getting his nipple done, and I came to watch. He knew how much I wanted to get something done, but he also knew what a wimp I am sometimes. He wanted me to see how easy it went, and that it really was no big deal. His piercer was Shane, and we both went into his room. My boyfriend laid back on the char. So, he got pierced and it was no big deal, took a few seconds. And in the blink of an eye he had his shirt on and it was done.
Then Shane offered to pierce my navel for $10 cheaper than the price on the wall, so $30. I was so nervous by the idea, that I thought about it a little while, and I declined so we left. I got in the car, drove a couple miles and changed my mind, so I hit a bank and got some cash. I pulled out $60, just so that if he charged me $40 I had plenty for a tip.
I went back in, and had to wait just a few minutes while Shane was doing something in the back. In a few minutes he was ready for me and took me into his room. I was really quiet and nervous. So Shane tried to start some conversation to loosen me up. He asked if I'd ever had it done before, and I lied and said no. I was embarrassed that I had pierced myself as a kid, and I didn't want to admit to it.
So I laid back and Shane got everything ready. He started to push the needle through my skin and it went smoothly, for a moment. Then the needle got stuck. I had apparently scarred from the first time I did it. He pushed and pushed and it didn't want to budge. He stopped for a second, leaving the needle in and muttered that he couldn't just take it out. He took the needle again and told me it was going to hurt, and he pushed as hard as he could. I felt like my skin was tearing, not getting cut. I hadn't said much before, I had been too nervous, but now I was cursing. Shane was very nice and reassuring about it. He was cursing with me. It felt like it took forever, but I know it was only a few seconds.
As soon as it was over it didn't hurt a bit, even wiggling it a little. Shane went through the normal care talk, and I knew most of it already since my boyfriend had been pierced before and he told me about it.
So then I asked him how much he wanted to charge me, since I had left after his offer to do it cheaper earlier that day. He said "whatever," so I handed him that $60 cash. He asked me how much change I wanted and I told him not to worry about it. I pretty much gave him a 100% tip, if we went off the$30 price. I felt bad for putting him through the trouble of piercing through my scar, and my boyfriend was short on cash and gave him a kind of little tip. I told him I would be back someday, and he said "shit, I'll pierce you for free next time!"
Later that day I saw Shane again, I had left some of my keys in a convenience store a couple doors down and he was having a smoke when I came out. He wanted to see it again to make sure it still looked ok and that it was straight. He apologized for it hurting so much, and I told him it was no big deal, that it was fine now. I felt bad for not telling him the truth about doing it myself as a stupid kid.
I haven't gone back yet, mostly because I can't get most of what I want because of my job. I will go back to Shane, he was great. It was my own fault that there were problems.