Well, being a fan of body piercings on others, I'd been contemplating the idea of getting something pierced on myself. Unfortunately being beyond the exploratory college days and in a very conservative work environment, I thought nipples might be an interesting way to start. The piercing would be discrete and, based on my Internet readings, could enhance sensitivity – which is always a plus! Being rather particular, I set about finding a reputable shop – but alas nothing near home that was satisfactory. With an upcoming trip to MI, I decided to look for shops there. As luck would have it, one shop Pangea Professional Piercing in Ann Arbor had many positive reviews for all sorts of piercings. After viewing their website and some email correspondence with the shop, I booked an appointment for shortly after my arrival in town.
At A Glance Author M Contact M@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Andrea Studio Pangea Location Ann Arbor, MI As the hour for the appointment drew closer I found it tough to concentrate in my meetings. Before heading off to the shop, I grabbed a quick snack (commonly encountered Internet lore to eat, or commonly expressed regret for not have eaten) and headed out. As I was the last appointment of the day, I was greeted by Andrea who was extremely personable and put me right at ease. After going through the requisite paperwork, settling charges for jewelry and piercing, and giving me written after care instructions, she happily answered all my questions.
Heading into the piercing room, she explained each step of the process, and again covered proper aftercare. I watched her open all the sterile packets with the autoclave indicator strips in place. She took her time placing the markings on each side. I had already decided on doing both nipples at the same time, as I like symmetry. She changed her gloves constantly, and I was confident in the cleanliness of the process. Once we were satisfied with the placement, she had me lay down on the table and placed the sterile scrub on both nipples. She did use the clamp, which was not too intense – especially compared to some previous clamp experiences, if you know what I mean. Then after a few deep breaths she pushed the needle through my left nipple. It hurt a bit, but not nearly as much as I had expected. A moment later, a 14-gauge stainless steel barbell was happily residing in my left nipple. After confirming that I was good to go for the second side, the process was repeated. I will say that it was a bit more intense than the first side, but not enough to cause me to shout obscenities or bring a tear to my eye. Regardless, a moment later jewelry was in and I was pierced! After reclining a moment with cool compresses over my freshly-pierced nipples, I got up and had a look. Very nice! After putting on my shirt, I gave her a tip and went back to the hotel, smiling all the way.
Andrea did a great job – they are even, both are at the same depth, and they look awesome. There was no bleeding during the piercing, very minimal swelling the night after and so far (after 72 hours) no apparent bruising. She encouraged me to stop by before I leave town so she can make sure everything is healing well. So far, following my instructions carefully, I've been washing them with antibacterial soap at the end of my shower in the mornings and doing a sea salt soak in the evenings. So far, I would say that the new piercings are only mildly uncomfortable when I sleep on my stomach, or if I bump into something, or forget and stick a pen in my breast pocket. Certainly my nipples seem a bit more sensitive in the shower, but that may be simply because I'm thinking about them more at the moment! I can't wait until they are healed enough to play with. I will also be interested to learn what my wife thinks of the additions – I'm planning to leave them for her to discover when I return home. Once these are healed up, I think I might get something else done – maybe an ear (like a rook or tragus), or perhaps I'll pick something "South of the Border" (like a PA – but my only worry there is spraying down my shoes and innocent bystanders through the extra hole when I piss).
After learning how modest and short-lived the discomfort of piercing was, and how much I've grown to love them over the past few days, my only regret is that I didn't do this much sooner! Although it is quite a tired saying at this point, it is true that you should pursue getting a piercing done if you want it – even for old farts, relatively speaking, like me! It's never too late to follow your bliss. And that concludes the story of my first piercings done while on a business trip to Michigan. Now that I'm busy healing some flesh wounds, I can start searching for a shop closer to home, just in case I need another hole – or want to start stretching these out!