So far, so good

At A Glance Author Josh Contact Josh@bme.anon Artist The Studio Tribal Ways Location Boston, MA

I'll start out by saying that I just had it done earllier today, so I guess eventually I owe you all a follow up with details of the healing process and how sex and masturbation work out in the next few weeks.

I am generally conservative with my appearance, dress like a preppy college student and my only other piercings are 2g eyelets in both ears. I had wanted a genital piercing for a while, just under a year now, at first I was tempted to get a hafada because I had though that it would be the least painful, but by the time I was ready to make an appointment, I had realized that if I was going to let a stranger stick a needle through my genitals, I better have some benefit from it. The thought of a PA made me queasy and I was particularly interested on a pair of dydoes, but I doubted I could stomach to holes in my glans at once, so with some research, I decided a frenum would be the best way to ease into genital piercings.

So this morning I went to the studio, nervous, but less than expected. The piercer decided I was most suited for a circular barbell, 14g. I was a little dissapointed with the gauge, having started my ears with 10g, but I was not going to press the issue. We talked over the relevant issues while he cleaned me up and prepared my penis. The actual piercing was surprisingly painless, it hurt less than 10g ear piercings. I was looking away for nost of it, but after the needle was through, I could not resist looking down. All I saw was a corked needle through my dick. I exclaimed "Holy shit!" because of two things, one being the visual effect of having a foreign object through my penis, the other being that there was hardly any pain. When the piercer put the barbell through, it stung at first for a second, but still much less than I had anticipated. There was a tiny trickle of blood, and although I can consciously feel the barbell dangling, it does not hurt. It also looks much better than I or any of the people who have seen it so far had thought it would.

The studio was not one I had used before, and I had mixed feelings about how some of it went, although not with the actual piercing. I made the appointment about four weeks ago and I had made it early in the shift so there would not be a long wait. Unfortunately, there is only one room used for piercings ther, so I had to wait for everyone who had appointments before me to clear out, and then for the room to be prepared. I spent forty-five minutes in the waiting room, which was most likely the least comfortable part. Once underway, I was more than satisfied with the cleanliness and professional attitudes of the two piercers assisting me. To my surprise and dismay, I did not even get an adrenaline rush from this. Last piercing I had a ringing in my ears and broke out in a cold sweat immediately afterward. A friend of mine who had an ampallang done said he had a head rush all day. Maybe I'll eventually experience that.

Choices in Boston are very limited, this was the only place other than the Piercing Boutique in Harvard Square that I haveany experience with. I know that the artists at Tribal Ways have been in the business for a long stretch of time and people who I knew had used it before, although none for genital piercings. Tribal Ways was also started by a Registered Nurse, which is caming because that means that at least one person involved with the whole process has some legitamate medical knowledge. They also offer a twenty four hour help line if, god forbid, anything were to go seriously wrong with a piercing.

The Aveeno baths feel great, and I cant wait to put my member to use. Since it is a circular barbell, I do have some concern about it snagging. The piercer said he has only had one patient rip his frenum and he was "old and kinky," which does not descibe me in the slightest. I was told that I could put it to use as soon as I was ready, but thatit would not fully heal for three months. that seems like a faily conservative estimate, because the same was said about my ears regarding stretching, but they have done wonderfully.

If anyone is shying away from genital piercings because of the pain, I highly reccommend a frenum piercing. Tribal ways alsogets a reccomendation, but if possible, try to be the first available appointment, as waiting around is not at all pleasant.