So I had my left nipple pierced about a month ago by Sera at The Painted Lady here in Harrisonburg. Ever since then, I've been wondering where to go from there. I don't think I'm a big fan of facial piercing, and I already have my earlobes done. Last night after posting the experience of my nipple job, I began to seriously consider the Prince Albert. All the experiences I read at BME implied that it wasn't nearly as painful as the nipple had been. (I can now confirm that this is true.) After sending in my nipple story, I turned and looked at my roommate and said, "I'm getting the Prince Albert."
At A Glance Author Patthew Contact Patthew@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Nick Swartz Studio Alley Cat Tattoo & Body Piercing Location Harrisonburg, VA He seemed confused by this desire. "Why would you want to pierce your dick?!" I told him about the pain differential, and this did nothing to ease his confusion. A couple of our friends showed up later in the evening to for a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some TV cable, and I told them about it too. The one friend, who we'll call B, simply reacted as though he had heard a particularly interesting argument in a debate class. The other friend, who we'll call A, doubled over as though he had been kicked in the jollies and gasped for breath. I just didn't understand their fear of what to me was an intensely exhilarating experience. My mind was made up...my penis was going to be punctured.
Earlier today I was in a film class, watching clips of a very boring movie we had watched last week and talking about the nature of reality and other such intellectual hogwash...but all I could think of was the idea of looking down at Little Patthew and seeing a shiny steel apparatus emerging from my urethra. It had to be done TODAY, I told myself. Come what may, by the end of business today I would have a Prince Albert.
When I got back home from class, I called Sera at Painted Lady and asked how much experience she had with P.A.'s. "I don't do urethral piercings," was her unfortunate reply. One builds a trust with someone who has performed previous peircings, and learning that she couldn't help me was a disappointment. She recommended Alley Cat, also in Harrisonburg. I called them and asked if anyone did urethral piercings, and they turned me over to a guy named Nick. I asked him how many Prince Alberts he had done, and he had to think and said probably several hundred. This eased my fears considerably and I asked about pricing. The whole thing would come to $95, which is about what I expected. After speaking to him, I looked up Alley Cat on BME and sure enough there was a report from someone else who had gotten a PA from Nick, and reports of other piercings as well. All my fears calmed, I made time in my schedule to have it done later this very evening.
A group of my friends including my roommate and B went to dinner and I asked if B could give me a ride to Alley Cat. My roommate decided to bet me that I would scream in pain when it was pierced, and I took him on. I went a step further and said that I wouldn't make any noise at all! It was a small bet, only $2, but it was the pride of the matter that counted! Hearing of the bet, everyone else in the group decided to accompany me to Alley Cat. After we finished eating, we made our way toward the car.
When we arrived at Alley Cat, I asked for Nick and he was doing a piercing for someone else. My four companions and I entertained ourselves by viewing the various pieces of body jewelry available (one ring with a HUGE gauge was nicknamed 'the door-knocker' by my roommate) and the tattoos. I think a tattoo of some sort may need to be my next body modification. I've definitely been bitten by the mod bug. I used the lavatory for the last time with my unmodified member and then emerged to find Nick (who I realized I'd seen in a commercial for Alley Cat) coming out of the piercing room. I told him I was there for a Prince Albert and he realized I was the guy who'd called him earlier in the day. He had me fill out some legal documents, checked my ID, I handed him some money, and then he asked if his apprentice could watch the procedure. I figured if I was going to let one relative stranger view, manipulate and puncture my penis, why not two? So into the piercing room the three of us went.
I told them about my bet with the buds outside, and they agreed to be my witnesses. I was laid out on a table that could easily have been found in a medical ward as Nick arranged his tools and handed me what looked like half of a surgery gown with a hole in the middle. "I'm sure you can figure out what this is for," he told me. Funny, I didn't realize Alley Cat was run by the Amish! Jokes aside, I was impressed with the professional nature of the entire experience. I laid out my sheet around my genital region, at which point Nick took some sanitizing gel and wiped it on the piercing area as he explained what he was doing to his apprentice. He then marked the spot with a purple stuff called something-violet (not iodine as I thought it was with Sera) and then grabbed a metal shaft about the width of a cigarette, I thought. I had a sneaking suspicion what it was, but I had to be sure... "What is that in your hand?" I asked, and he told me that it was the 'receiving tube'. It would be inserted into my urethra. Now, I've never had a catheter inserted, let alone a tube nearly the circumference of my little finger. This had me more nervous than the piercing itself did. And with good reason...it was not a comfortable insertion. Quite frankly, it hurt, but it was over with soon enough. Then I was instructed to take a long deep breath, then exhale...and repeat twice. Then, without much warning, the needle was put in. Compared to the receiving tube it was almost nothing. I looked down and saw the needle in place, with a small cork (I think) on one end. I saw this with a sense of detachment, mind you...much like the nipple piercing, it felt like this was happening to someone else, and not me. I looked back at the ceiling at the actual ring was put in (larger in diameter than the nipple ring), the bead was put in place and it was done! I was very impressed with Nick's handiwork. There was some blood, but not much...at that point, anyway. And oh yes...I won my bet, by the way!
By the time I got back home and inspected, more blood had shown itself. I cleaned it with saline solution and dabbed it with some toilet paper to dry. Then, came the first time urinating! This would be interesting. I sat down, of course, and let 'er rip. There was a slight stinging sensation as the stream started but it was not intense at all and lasted only a moment. There was some more blood, however. The bleeding did stop, thank goodness, and I should have left well enough alone. This is the part of the story where I get to warn people: don't go out drinking the night you get a major piercing done! Some friends of mine were performing at a show in a local bar, and I decided to have a few beers...conveniently forgetting that alcohol prevents clotting agents in the blood from working. When I looked down at my pants and saw a red spot, I thought it was a little late, and I the wrong gender, for my first period...then I realized what was really happening and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Things were cleaned up and the bleeding did stop again, but for your own sake don't make my mistake.
All in all, I'm extremely happy with the results, I love the way it looks, and I have nothing but praise for Nick at Alley Cat. If you want this done, do it. But make sure you trust the person doing it.