My decision to start body modifications in general came from my need to start a new chapter in my life. High school was a horrible time in life for me; I had very few friends and I was considered either shy or stuck up by most people since I didn't really have anything to talk about with the cheerleaders or jocks. I spent my 17th birthday equipped with a heart monitor after suffering from chest pains, and missed 3 months of school at the end of my junior year after falling victim to severe depression. On top o that were other personal matters which made me uncomfortable with myself and my sexuality.
At A Glance Author Aquarian Contact Aquarian234@hotmail.com IAM Aquarian234 When A week ago Artist Erin Duff Studio Chameleon Location Cambridge, MA
After managing to get accepted to MassArt (one of the most wonderfully open-minded schools you'll ever find in case any of you are looking into it), and making real friends, I felt the need to celebrate. I wanted to make myself look the way I felt inside, to make the outside match the inside. I started out with little things, second holes in my ears, a navel piercing, a cartilage, but then I realized that although I felt more beautiful with those piercings they didn't have particular meaning. Hence came my decision to get the piercing I will be talking about in this story- my vertical hood.
I wanted something to reclaim my sexuality as all about me and no one else. I also wanted to have something that said I'm different than most people, and something that only people I really care about will know is there. On top of that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something that a lot of people would cringe at the thought of. I researched on BME (where else?) and read experiences. I always try to think of worse case scenario, just in case, but what I found was that there really wasn't a down side to this piercing. Not a single person said they regretted it, no one had complications, and of the experiences I read no one even decided to retire it for any reason. I was convinced. The only part I needed to work out was the where and when.
After reading through studio's web pages I decided that Tribal Ways was my best bet in this area. They had genital piercing listed on their web page for $70 including jewelry, and even explained what jewelry they used for best results. So I set aside a day when I didn't have class and headed down there to check it out. It took me a few minutes to find the second story studio, finally I looked up and saw the Tribal Ways flag hanged by a dirty looking window with an air conditioner sticking out. I dismissed this first unsettled feeling and headed upstairs. Well, when I got up there the first thing I saw was a doorway with chipped pain, a hand written sign, and a room straight ahead that looked far more like an apartment than a studio. The waiting room was dimly lit and again looked way more like an apartment than a studio. I don't mean to put these people down; they could have the most sanitary piercing rooms in the world for all I know, but my intuition said otherwise and I c ouldn't trust such a personal piercing to a place I wasn't sure about.
I got out of there but I was still determined to get my piercing. I wandered around Newbury street for a minute contemplating what to do. I had my navel done at Chameleon and they were very sanitary and friendly, but I wasn't sure if they even did genital piercing. So I called Chameleon... here's where things got a little bit weird. I was on a crowded street and I had to ask (loudly since I was on a cell) if they did genital piercing. I made sure I wasn't right next to any children (THAT would be an awkward question- "Mommy, what's a vertical hood piercing?") and called. Luckily they told me they did indeed do hood piercings, so I got on a train to Harvard Square. When I arrived at Chameleon I got a happy familiar feeling and I knew this place was going to work out. I headed over to get my jewelry and when I told the girl what I wanted she had no clue what kind of jewelry to use. Apparently not that many people go there for that piercing. I was sent over to the piercer to as k what to use, and when I got across the hall I was very pleased to see that Erin was working that day. If Owen was there I would have gone ahead and got it done, but it's more comfortable with a female.
Anyway, I got the jewelry thing worked out and sat down to wait. After what seemed like hours (it was probably about 10 min) Erin popped her head out the door and called me in. Now I just have to say that Erin is one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and I was very glad that she was the one to do this piercing. I was wearing a skirt for convenience so I just had to take off my underwear and hop up on the table. She had one of the tables with the stirrups on the end to put my feet up on and I really felt very comfortable with the cleanliness. It's like a doctor's office in there. As she prepared things she chatted with me. She told me that she had the same piercing and she loved it which made me feel so good about my decision. She told me that when she had hers done it was a demonstration in front of a group of guys. She said that as soon as the needle went through she jumped, which made the piercer slip and lodge the needle in her clit (all I can say is OUCH!).
By that time she had everything set and ready to go. Like most women I'm not altogether symmetrical so she took a while to mark off the spot the top hole should go to have the barbell stay centered. She had me look in the mirror and even when I said it was fine she decided to move it up a bit. It was awesome that she was so committed to getting it just right. Finally, after having me shut my legs to make sure the mark would stay centered, the placement was all set. She set up the receiving tube which wasn't uncomfortable for me at all. Then she lined up the needle and asked me if I was okay. I assured her that I do very well with piercings and pride myself on handling pain better than most people. She told me to take a deep breath, let it out... and as she stuck the needle through I proceeded to completely lose it and jump about a foot. I apologized profusely and asked if I had messed it up. Erin reassured me that after what happened to her she could be hit in the face with a baseball bat and still make sure the needle went through right. Have I mentioned how great she is?
For those of you who want to know about pain I wish I could say it wasn't that bad, but if I jumped most people probably would. It feels like someone is shoving a 14g needle through the most sensitive part of your body (go figure, huh?). The good thing is that by the time the pain registers in your brain it's already over with. It hurt less right after then even my navel did. The jewelry being put in was no big deal at all. She handed me the mirror again and when I saw it I was ecstatic. It was gorgeous! Because of the fact that she placed the upper hole further up it was perfectly straight and my hood itself even looked even. Some of the pictures I've seen of vertical hoods the barbell is twisted because of the elasticity of the tissue down there, I'm proud to say mine doesn't do that. It'd deep enough that it really stays put in the perfect place.
After becoming fully dressed again (which didn't hurt at all) I got instructions for care from Erin. Basic stuff really. I tipped her $10 and apologized for not having more to give her. She scoffed at that saying I was very generous but honestly she did deserve more, I'm just a broke college student.
Healing has been going very well so far. There's very little pain, only a tiny bit of pinching when I move certain ways. I have bled more than most people have said they did, but there doesn't seem to be much more to it then I few drops of blood, no signs of infection or anything of the sort.
I haven't had it long enough yet to know if there are really benefits, but honestly even if there weren't any it would still be worth it. It's gorgeous and I feel better about myself just knowing it's there.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to Email me.