It had been a long time coming. For the past year or so, I'd been thinking about getting something pierced. My lobes, which had been pierced since I was seven years old, just weren't cutting the mustard. It took me quite a while to decide just what to pierce next. About nine months ago, I decided that the navel would be a great place to start, but self esteem issues (namely a little bit of tummy) kept me from actually getting it done. The majority of girls I knew with navel piercings had either flat, toned midsections or were just plain skinny, and while I was closer to the former, I couldn't mentally get over the little belly I had.
At A Glance Author Ria Contact Ria@bme.anon IAM pandoria When A month ago Artist Bil Studio Focus Body Piercing Location Iowa City, Iowa As time went on, the thought gently persisted. My midsection got stronger, and albeit not flat, I came to revere my body as an at least fairly decent structure. Friends gave me compliments. Boys told me that they liked girls with a little belly. Time kept passing with no needle penetration of my navel to speak of.
By March, I'd gotten my first tattoo (of which I always knew there would be several of), and I was more than ready at this point. I searched through portfolios and recommendations of piercing studios in two different cities, and at the recommendation of a friend who had been pierced multiple times by Bil at Focus, I made my decision. As my friend and I made plans to hang out that day, he went with me.
When we got to the studio, I explained to Bil what I wanted to do. It was an interesting discussion. Somewhere between February and March, my plans to get one ring in my navel evolved into my wanting of a three-ring navel project, one in the top, and two in the bottom, preferably three rings looped together to look like a trinity knot.. So I explained what I wanted to do long-term with Bil, and he explained that while the idea sounded cool, it might not be the best piercing to get; to get three rings hooked together and not have any excess pressure on the piercings would entail using rings that were larger than what I would want in my navel. Then he described an idea for a three-ring navel project that he'd been interested in doing for a long time but had never actually gotten to do. I decided that I really liked the idea, and that I could definitely be the person to try the idea out.
We made the decision that it would be best to do one hole, the top, this session, and after a few weeks of healing and waiting, I would come back to get the two in the bottom. His apprentice started setting up the area for the first ring, while I stood up, lifted my shirt a bit so my navel was exposed, and Bil marked where the hole would be. Since the markers are not reused, he asked if I'd like to keep it, and I did, seeing that it was a very different sort of souvenir.
I laid down on the padded table. Bil asked if I was nervous, and I said that I wasn't, which was true. There was no hyperventilating or sticking my fingernails into the table and holding on for dear life. I was just looking at the ceiling, which was a very interesting tin imprint from probably the early 1900's, and things on the walls. He got the caliper ready to pinch the skin that would be pierced, and told me that I might feel a pinch. He put it on and asked if it hurt – and while I felt it, I wouldn't describe it as painful, just a bit irritating. The needle was taken out of its packaging, prepared, and he told me that on the count of '3', he would push it through. I knew it would be important to regulate my breath, so on '2', I took a deep breath and relaxed my body.
The needle went through, and I felt a little pinch. The feeling of the caliper was more irritating than the 14-gauge needle that had just gone through my skin.
He had explained exactly what was happening the entire time. He told me that next he would thread the captive ring through the needle, remove the needle, and then put on the bead (the ring was internally threaded). After the bead was on, I hopped off the table and watched the apprentice clean the area. They both went over the aftercare instructions with me and gave me a thorough written copy with their contact information on the back in case something should happen. I paid, tipped, and thanked both Bil and his apprentice, and we were on our way.
Overall, the experience was incredibly positive. A month later, the hole is healing well, and I get more excited every day about going back to get my navel project finished.