At A Glance
Author	Soem
Contact	Soem@bme.anon
When	A month ago
Artist	Lynette Rose
Studio	The Piercing Shop - www.thepiercingshop.com.au
Location	Brisbane, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

I'm a person who bums around the internet just clicking on links and finding weird sites. I was at FetishKitten when I clicked on a link to a site and found some beautiful piercing pictures. I was immediately interested. I've never considered piercing before (I don't have my ears pierced), so I wanted to do everything imaginable to make sure I knew what I wanted, and what the implications of the piercings were. I'd decided I like clitoral hood piercings, the Christina and surface work. I went to an OL message board that I frequent, and asked their advice (they're an eclectic bunch, and had a lot of great advice about piercings and tattoos). A friend sent me the URL for bmezine, and the rest is history.

I came to bmezine, and spent about 5 hrs doing research, reading testimonials, looking at pictures, and also checking out some sites closer to home (Australia). I emailed a couple of local piercers, asking about cost, jewellery options, their recommendations. I really loved two websites, and made my decision based on two tings - testimonials on bmezine, and location (both were, of course, of the highest standard).

So, after emailing Lynette for a fortnight, I made my appointment for the weekend and got ready to wait.

The night before had been spent relaxing with my boyfriend, shaving, and saying good-bye to genital fun for the next couple of weeks. So, when my appointment rocked up I was clean, happy and excited :-)

The Piercing Shop is one of those places that you feel comfortable in. The waiting room is bright, cheerful and professional, with jewellery on display (and a wider selection downstairs if you're picky :-)). I talked to the girls behind the counter about jewellery options, as we weren't sure if Lynette wanted to use tygon, or a barbell, or what. So, I paid, chose my balls (;-)) and discussed how, since a friend was coming in a little later, discretion was preferable (I have no complaints, the staff at The Piercing Shop were really respectful of my urge to keep it quiet, and were even prepared to go to extra effort if need be to keep it a secret). I then sat down to wait, and watched the various 14yr olds dragging their mum's in so that they could have their navels pierced.

Roxy (the piercing assistant) came out from "the back" and called me in. I was led into a really clean (and therefore very reassuring) room with a dentist chair, and a gynaecologist's chair, stirrups and all. I was told to remove my underwear, and given a robe to wear. Roxy showed me how everything was single use and sealed in a sterile bag (they're a bit anal about that, which is understandable). She then told me I'd be having a "relaxing lavender massage" and was given stress balls to play with. That was great. As I'd chosen to wear a dress, my genitals weren't visible so I was all comfy and feeling completely at ease.

Then, in came Lynette. After asking if my boyfriend could come in (they try to do that bit discretely, make it look like the partner is getting pierced so that not everybody wants to have someone come out the back), anyway, Lynette said "No worries" and Roxy went to get him. Lynette told me that she'd decided on a bananabell, as she doesn't like to use tygon for Christinas. I jumped up into the gynae chair (oh joys) and spread my legs into the stirrups.

Now, even at my gynae, it doesn't get as personal as this. I'm fine with my body though, so I wasn't worried or at all uncomfortable that Lynette was right in between my legs, her face at groin height (the odd thing was, it felt perfectly normal!!). She got me to move a little (I wasn't sitting straight) and wiped me with the alcohol swabs. And then did that again. After I was as clean as you can possibly get, she started marking me with a pen. Then, changed pens, and marked me again. Roxy handed me a mirror and Lynette asked about placement. It all looked great to me, so we were set. She clamped me. That felt weird. Not painful, but not what you'd call fun either :-) But, it was fine. Then, in went the needle. Now, THAT hurt. Not enough that I wouldn't have it pierced again, but it was like little shots of fire, and was worthy of a back arch and an "owwwwwwwwwch" through gritted teeth :-) After giving my running commentary on the pain (hey, my boyfriend was watching, I had to make it interesting LOL) it was all over. I now had a beautiful little curved barbell (bananabell) and BALLS OF STEEL!! *ahem* I couldn't look at it enough in the mirror. I kept on moving the mirror to look at it from different angles, and there was no blood. I was given a panty liner to wear home, but it had only ever bled about a drop, and that was after the first night.

I was able to walk as if it had never happened, and there was NO discomfort afterwards:-)

I made an appointment for a week later to have the curved barbell shortened. I've decided to leave it long though, it's really easy to clean and I like it that way (for now). I'm also looking into getting a bigger bottom ball, to see if it provides any extra fun ;-)

It's been just over a month, and it's doing wonderfully. I wash with The Piercing Shop's own brand of piercing wash and have salt-water soaks every couple of days. I gently wash the crusties off with warm water and Q-tips (cotton buds). I've also invested in some anti-bacterial soap so that when I clean them I don't pass on any germs.

My Christina tips are - wear a dress for the piercing. Wax, rather than shave (the hair growing back under the top ball is irritating). Loose, cotton undies (or none ;-)). If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs/knees. This *really* helped me with comfort levels at night for the first fortnight (now it's fine without). Watch yourself when you sit down for the first couple of days. Mine was fine, I didn't feel any pain, but when I crossed my legs and leant forward, I was quickly reminded of what I'd done :-D Just be aware of your sitting position and you'll be fine. Also, my shaving recommendation for after the hair grows back is - get a men's' electric razor and use the long-hair trimmers to shorten the hairs under the upper ball. It makes it a lot easier!!!

My boyfriend and I have tested out the Christina, and aside from doing things a little differently, it's not a hassle :-) We're just treading gently for now (which I can REALLY recommend. Even bumping it the wrong way can hurt alot during the first couple of weeks).

Right now, I'm fine to sleep on my side and I have no discomfort. I *adore* my piercing, and can't wait to have my next. I can highly recommend the Christina!!! It's beautiful, cute, and discrete :-) It's so fun to look down in the shower and see the little ball nestled there :-)

I can also recommend Lynette. She's really nice, easy to talk to, utterly professional and very experienced :-) Add to that, you get a hug afterwards :-)

The Piercing Shop - www.thepiercingshop.com.au