I was looking around BME for some tattoo ideas when I got distracted by piercings (my first tattoo is going to have to wait). I browsed around looking mainly at cartilage and eyebrow piercings. Soon I decided that my first piercing would be through my cartilage and that I would do it myself.
At A Glance Author brad Contact bradb@virginia.edu When It just happened Artist Christina Studio Acme Tattoo Location Charlottesville, VA I started with the research. A lot of people don't like the idea of DIY piercings, but I felt I was competent enough to manage it. However, after some careful thinking, I realized I would be graduating from UVA this year and therefore doing a lot of job interviews; maybe a visible piercing isn't the best idea at this time.
I started looking around BME again for new piercing ideas. I thought that I would never get a genital piercing... it's just going to hurt way too much. The one piercing I saw that made me cringe more than any others was the Prince Albert. I couldn't look at it without grabbing my own penis in pain. Besides, a genital piercing just didn't seem to fit my personality.
Then I got this crazy idea one Friday night; I'll get a Prince Albert. I don't know why, I just had the sudden urge to do so. I did some quick research on BME about PAs and some reviews on piercing studios in my area. I called up Acme Tattoo in Charlottesville, VA that night and scheduled an appointment for noon the next day. I wanted to get it quickly before I changed my mind.
It's Saturday: I arrived at Acme Tattoo by myself. The piercer, Christina (who is pretty cute by the way), was surprised. She said most people have a whole support team with them. All my friends are in college, so they were still asleep on a Saturday afternoon. She asked why I wanted a PA. I told her that it was my first piercing, and I wanted my first to be pretty intense. I didn't want to get a "trendy" piercing. She agreed that PAs are pretty intense, especially for a student.
The place looks pretty clean, but then again it's my first time ever being in a piercing/tattoo studio. The piercing room had a nice trickling water sculpture to help calm my nerves. She went over the planned procedure: she was going to pierce me with a 12 gauge needle, stretch it to a 10 gauge and then insert the captive bead ring. The stretching is supposed to help keep the bleeding to a minimum. She told me she was using a 3/4 inch captive bead ring, which is a bit large, but it should help the piercing heal faster. It turned out that they were out of 10 gauge tapers, so she would have to pierce me with a 14 gauge and stretched it to a 12 gauge. No big deal. I'll just be stretching it when it heals.
It was time to start, so I pulled down my pants and got on the table. It was a little cold in the room, but I'm sure she's heard that excuse tons of times, so I didn't bother. All of her instruments were sealed in sterile plastic bags. After I was cleaned and marked, she began working the receiving tube into my urethra. Even though she lubed it up pretty well, it was the most intense part of the process. It didn't exactly hurt the most, but it was a weird feeling that lasted for about 20 seconds. I felt like vomiting or passing out, but I didn't. Next, the needle went in. I hardly felt a prick, and it was only for a second. The most painful part was the stretching. It hurt like a bitch, but like the needle, it only lasted for a second. Overall, the pain was intense, but not as bad as I expected.
Before I knew it I had a steel ring going through my penis. I paid $80 for the piercing and gave her a $5 tip. I wish I had given her a lot more, but I was feeling kind of light headed at the time and couldn't think too well. I'll just have to get another piercing and make up for it then (I'm thinking nipples).
It has now been two days since the piercing. It hasn't bled at all except for a few crusties the morning after. I guess the stretching of the hole really works. Pissing does not hurt, but I am definitely more sensitive to the urine stream running over the pierced hole. I can still stand when I piss; the ring I have doesn't seem to create that shower head effect I've heard so much about. Erections at night don't cause any pain, which is the thing I feared the most. The only time it hurts is when the ring rubs against my pants when I walk, but I can minimize this by putting my hands in my pockets.
I love my Prince Albert. I wish I could show it to everyone (I guess I could, but that's not such a good idea). It hurt, but the pain was well worth it. When I look at it in the mirror, I still can't believe I actually went through with it. You have no idea how unlike me a piercing is, let alone a Prince Albert! My advice: get a PA.