So I was living and working in London, after having spent 7 years of my life in Birmingham. I was excited to be in the capital and wanted to "change" things. I considered myself as pretty boring. After all I was a teacher, spoke like a teacher and dressed like a teacher. I wanted to do the whole "fitting in" thing but everybody seemed to be really into drug taking and wearing PVC. Probably hanging out with the wrong kind of crowd. Anyway, turning into an industrial babe wasn't an option since I had to look presentable for the day job. I also thought I was getting on a bit....for the purple hair and general "look at me I'm different" look.
At A Glance Author shantia Contact shantia@bme.anon When Two years ago Studio 7th Sun Piercing studio Location Woolwich, London
One day, after work, I went for a walk in Woolwich. For those of you who never had the pleasure of visiting Woolwich, it is quite...flavourless. You add your own flavour to the experience which is good. I happened to walk outside a piercing studio. I felt that I had nothing to lose to get in (they wouldn't unleash the dogs on me). It had quite a variety of occult books which is something I enjoy reading. While I was looking at the books I heard a 16 year old girl's mum, trying to convince her not to have her belly button pierced. She was totally determined. I was intrigued and hooked. I wanted to know what difference would having your belly button pierced would make. After all, it was only a piece of crooked metal. She eventually got in and had it done. I waited to see how it would look and I really liked the result. I remember thinking that it was really sexy and that it suited her well.
I waited till the happy teenager and mom had gone and tentatively asked the piercer what kinds of piercing one is able to have. She was very informative and did not laugh (visions of her in stitches did not occur). That was the beginning. I went back home and got on the net. I found various sites with nipple piercing pictures and found out everything there was to learn about it. I was particularly interested in what could happen to you if things went wrong. Once I had all the necessary information I was happy to proceed. A few days later I was back at the piercing studio having it done.
I was afraid I would chicken out. The atmosphere though was very inviting and friendly. I went very early and the piercer was not there. I had to wait for her while looking at all the wonderful jewelry. All the people working in the shop had multiple piercing and they were happy to talk about their experiences with me. When the piercer came she told me that I should go to the back of the shop. I walked into the "sterile room" where I was asked to remove my top. I stood there shivering (was quite cold) wondering how painful the procedure would end up being. I looked at my naked self in the mirror and felt really depressed. I was scared and not willing to admit it.
The piercer must have felt it instantly as she started telling me stories about her children. She was a real person and not just some monster that held the fate of my breasts in her hand. She sprayed my nipples with something that made them numb quite quickly. Then she washed her hands, put on gloves and put antiseptic onto my breasts. After that she took a disposable needle and some weird apparatus that clamped my nipples from either side and held them firm. Then in one move she pierced the first nipple. I could not believe it. There I was looking at my pierced nipple and simply not believing it. The pain lasted only for a second and then it was gone. I guess I felt a dull pain once the barbell was put into place but not something unbearable. Same went for the other nipple though the right one hurt less. In about 20 minutes the whole thing was done. I felt eager to have more.
Before I left the studio, the piercer gave me some very sound advice. No touching, no playing with piercing for some time, applying antiseptic spray twice daily, sleeping on my back for the night and not wearing any constricting underwear. Though it sounded a lot, it was easy to follow and saved me from nasty infections.
I am still very happy with those piercings. I had more done since then but I never got that unique feeling of exhilaration. Obviously it was all in my head. Piercings cannot make one more "exciting" but they can definitely give you something nice to look at.
Shantia