My friend, S, and I had decided this past spring that we wanted to get our clitoral hoods pierced. We both did the research, but we had to wait until we had the cash.
At A Glance Author JV Contact JV@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Andrea Costantino Studio Infinite Body Piercing Location Philadelphia, PA We had heard about Infinite Body Piercing from a few friends of ours, and upon looking it up online, we thought, "Damn. This a good place." So I called, expecting to make an appointment, only to find out that they only do walk-ins; excellent.
S and I were super stoked about it. We went to a spa and got waxed (not needed, but we wanted to get waxed anyway), and then we drove up to Philly to Infinite to get pierced yesterday.
The place is really really nice. It's kind of small, but so clean. There are signs everywhere to remind people to be cleanly, which is really appealing to me as I am weird about germs, and is nice because a piercing place really does need to be clean. A nice girl asked my friend and I if she could help us, and we told her about how we wanted vertical clitoral hood piercings. She helped us to pick our jewelry, gauge, and answered any questions we had. (btw, the metal will not be picked up by airport metal detectors: my main fear.) We paid for the piercing and jewelry, and then we waited for our piercer.
Our piercer's name was Andrea. She looked really young, mid-twenties, and she was so so so nice. She took my friend S, and my other friend K (who wanted to change the jewelry in her lip ring), and me to a room. The room looked like a mix between a doctor's room and a dentist's room. Everything was completely sterile and in sterile packages. There were latex-free rubber gloves in the room. There was a large leather chair, similar to the ones dentist's use.
She asked who was getting pierced first, (ME!), and I undressed from the waist down and sat on the chair. First, she prepped my friend and me of the fact that not all girls can have VCH, which is good because it's true. She checked out my goods, declared them fit for a VCH, and then proceeded to take a Sharpie and mark where she'd be piercing me. She gave me a mirror to check it out and told me exactly what the piercing would look like when she was done. And throughout all of this, she changed her gloves about 3 times: every time between touching instruments and my vulva. Oh, and she gave me the Sharpie!
The whole time she was doing that, my friends and I asked her questions and she absolutely didn't mind answering them. I asked her about her favorite and least favorite piercings to do, how many times a week she does clitoral hood piercings, etc.
So, now to the actual piercing. She told me what she'd be doing, explaining about the receiving tube, the needle, the jewelry, and she told me what to expect. She cleaned me, sanitized me, and then told me to relax. I was reclining on the chair with my legs spread and my knees wide apart. She told me to breathe deeply, and I did, several times, just willing my body to relax. She said, "Alright. This is your practice breath. In. Out. Good. Now this one is for real." And as I breathed out, she pierced me.
Holy mother of god jesus christ, it hurt. My whole body tensed and I jerked a little and my knees came inward. But it was over in five seconds and I couldn't feel anything afterwards. It was uncomfortable when she was putting the jewelry in and tightening the balls, but I had to force myself to stop laughing. Perhaps I was laughing out of relief. Or out of nervousness. Whichever. Anyway, it was over and it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be and it hurt a helluva lot less than my four earlobe piercings.
She mopped up the little bleeding I had, and then told me about how to clean my piercing. Things she stressed: wash my hands before touching the piercing, no sexual contact until COMPLETELY healed unless a barrier is used (dental dams, condoms, etc.), sea salt baths once a day for at least five minutes each day, and finally, to buy Dr. Bronner's baby mild soap as she swears by it.
So I got up, put my pants back on, felt a little sore, and then sat on a stool to watch my friend get pierced. (She did fine, btw. she has more piercings than me, but seemed to be way more nervous. i think she should have gone first!) Then my other friend got her lip jewelry changed and we were on our way out! We tipped her generously because damn, she's one really cool cat.
If you're in the Berkeley area in CA, drop by Industrial Tattoo and Piercing as that's where she works. (She was a guest piercer at Infinite)
Oh yeah! She was so proud of mine, I guess, that she asked if she could take a picture of it! I agreed because hell, that's really flattering, and she took a picture of my piercing and now it's in her portfolio! So if you're looking at Andrea Costantino's portfolio and you find a picture of a vertical hood piercing, that's me! :)
Once I got home, I did my business and then before I went to sleep, I did a salt bath. It was a little tricky, but I've figure out it's best to use a small bowl and to crouch down in the shower with my legs spread. My piercing isn't acting up or anything, and the only thing that's a problem is bending over: my underwear gets tight and pulls a little on the jewelry.
I feel amazing and empowered and content. It's nearly all I can do to not stop giggling everywhere I go. I can only think: I have a vertical hood piercing and none of these people know about it. It's such a lovely secret and it makes me feel good to have it and I cannot wait until it's healed and I get to get some practical use out of it! ;)
I really recommend this piercing to anyone who wants it. But do your research, don't be afraid to ask questions, and make sure you're following the healing directions precisely. Oh, and bring a friend because mine really helped to calm me down and keep me grounded.
I love my piercing!