I had wanted my navel pierced for some time, but I never really had the urge to do it for some reason. I had always been somewhat uncomfortable around needles since I was little. But finally, around the beginning of December I decided that it was time for me to get the piercing.
At A Glance Author Erin Contact Erin@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist PeaT Studio Level 5 Location Sarasota, Fl
I had only lived in Sarasota for about 1 1/2 years so I was not really familiar with any of the tattoo and piercing shops in town. I really did not want to end up at some ghetto shop. I had heard some really great things about a shop called Level 5 Tattoo. They have a big ad in the phone book which advertised that it was Sarasota's best tattoo and piercing parlor. The ad also had the shop's website address listed, so I spent a good amount of time checking out the portfolios of all the artists (especially the piercing portfolios). After checking out some other shops that did not compare with this one, I decided to go to Level 5 to get my first piercing.
I walked into the shop and the first thing I noticed was the smell of the shop. It had the same antiseptic smell that a hospital or a doctor's office would have. The shop was also very well lit and clean. This put me a little more at ease, which was good considering I was nervous as all hell.
I walked up to the guy who was at the counter, who turned out to be PeaT the piercer, and told him I wanted my navel pierced. He had me fill out a form while he photocopied my driver's license. After I paid him $45, he led me back to the piercing room to get started. By this time I was really nervous because this was going to be my first non-lobe piercing. But I really wanted it so there was no backing out now.
When we got back to the piercing room I noticed that it was also very clean and organized. I saw the autoclave and the spore testing results were right next to it. I got to pick out my jewelry (light blue gem banana bell made by Industrial Strength). Peat was very nice and professional throughout the entire procedure. He explained how he was going to do the piercing and that it would not take very long and not to worry. He then started to set up for the piercing. He took out all the sterile needle and set up right in front of me. Seeing the needle actually made my heart jump a little bit.He told me to tuck my shirt up into my bra to keep it out of the way. Then I laid down on the table while he wiped an antiseptic around my navel. After that, he had me stand back up so he could mark where the piercing was going to be. Once he was satisfied with the placement, he told me to lay back down and relax. He clamped my navel which was very uncomfortable, but it did not hurt at all. He said to take a deep, slow breath in as he was pushing the needle through and it would be over before I knew it. So I closed my eyes and took in a very deep breath not concentrating on anything else. I did not really feel the needle as he pushed it through, but I did feel pressure around my navel. And sure enough it was over in about 30-40 seconds. After standing up and checking out my new addition in the mirror, I was kind of mad at myself for putting it off for so long.
Peat then handed me an aftercare sheet and some sea salt. He explained how to mix the sea salt with distilled water and how to clean it and how often to clean it. He also told me that if I had any questions or concerns I could either call the shop or email him anytime. I went home that night very happy about my new addition. I had only a little discomfort for about a week and it bled a little, but beyond that no problems. Even though it was just a typical navel piercing, I just loved showing it off.
Little did I know that getting this piercing caused me to get the "piercing bug". About 6 weeks later, I returned to get my inverse navel piercing and I didn't stop there. Currently, I have 8 piercings (14g navel, 14g inverse navel, 8g tragus (right ear), both nipples @ 14g, and three 16g nose studs (left nostril). I also have one tattoo around my right ankle. I have many more piercings planned along with some more tattoos. Who ever thought that an addiction to pain would feel so good??