Ok, I admit it. I have an addiction. Every time the seasons change, I get this weird feeling inside... like I forgot to turn the stove off. Thankfully, I have a friend who understands this feeling and has convinced me that the only way to make it go away is by getting a 14 gauge needle shoved through your skin. Unlike our past piercing experiences though, Rob and I had actually thought this excursion through...meaning that we had known for 5 hours prior to actually waltzing into Planet Ink that by 9:30 that night, we'd have new bling to show to our friends. Or in my case, tell a few, show even fewer.
At A Glance Author GracelessLady Contact ruckover512@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Matt Cottrell Studio Planet Ink Location Ottawa, Ontario I'd had my hood pierced in February, but as it turns out, playing a few hours of rugby each week can wreak havoc on such ornamentation. I managed to tear the piercing slightly, which made for a few days of complete discomfort before I finally had to make the decision to take her out and let my poor 'princess' heal. I'd never lost a piercing before, and the sense of bereavement one feels when forced to take away something they've come to consider a 'part' of them is very saddening. That said, it was no surprise that upon moving back to Ottawa for the school year, I soon found myself perusing BME and the University campus for new adornments. I quickly decided that I wanted my family jewels back and after few clicks on planetinkottawa.com, not to mention much adulation from Rob, I decided that I'd be leaving my epidermal ornamentation to the skilled hand of Matt.
I'd called in previously to make sure that the entire gamut of piercing options I'd been investigating WERE doable by Matt. Turns out, there's nothing the man CAN'T do (don't hold me to that, although I've never seen anyone else pierce a corset into someone ). Once arriving at Planet Ink, I had a brief chat with both Matt as well as Courtney (I'm pretty sure that was her name...)for a more feminine perspective. Rob decided on getting an industrial piercing, but his cash-flow situation lead him to turn his experience into a two-parter...he's going back in a week or so for the rest.
As for my decision, I went for the Christina. After filling out the requisite forms (This time I signed the LOCATION? as "Christina...WOO!") and perusing the jewellery counter for a moment while Matt set up, I was soon beckoned for and sauntered back into the beautiful piercing studio. Courtney tagged along to observe (after tactfully asking permission to) and the so the saga begins.
Matt opened all the tools etc, gave the usual running commentary about how things are "used once, and only once...you will watch me destroy this when I'm finished...lie back and drop your pants..." Well, that's not *exactly* what he said, but you get my drift. He marked me, Courtney double checked and we were off.
I knew what to expect...more or less...what with having my hood done, but in all honesty, I think the feeling was more like having my navel done than having my hood done. There was definite pain, but not particularly sharp - just hot, and I can recall the pressure. I'd gone to yoga about an hour before hand, so I was all up to par on the deep breathing business, and in actuality, I'd have to say that my 90 minutes of Bikram primed me well. The most uncomfortable part was the clamping, which I find is usually par for the course in any piercing. ..followed only by the threading of the jewellery. I remained on my back for a few moments while Courtney grabbed the hand mirror so I could check myself out and Matt took a few pictures. Sitting up caused no discomfort, nor did putting my pants back on and walking out of the studio with the new aftercare pamphlet to add to the stack of growing Planet Ink literature on my desk.
I did a quick fashion show for my roommates, and then settled on the couch for a bit. A few hours later I checked on the new gal, and was happy to see that there was very minimal bleeding, which for the most part, had completely ceased.
My workouts over the next few days haven't posed any discomfort, except for stretching afterwards. As with any piercing, I promptly jump into the shower after my cardio sessions to clean it, not to mention adding the spectro-gel-q-tip-and-warm-water routine to both my morning and evening clean up. As far as I can tell, it's healing pretty well. After workouts I notice a bit more crust, but while doing the nightime cleaning, there's hardly any to speak of. Also nice to note: I barely bruised.
It's a little too soon to tell if there will be any aesthetic benefits to having this piercing done, but looks-wise, I couldn't be happier. Unlike the hood piercing which was a lot harder to 'show-off', I'm somewhat pleased to announce that I have freaked out more than one old lady in the shower room at the Y, as well as drawn some admiring comments from the more 'progressive' members. It's also an interesting sensation to put a hand on my crotch and actually feel the barbell...not something I'm prone to doing in public, but I have acquired the off-colour habit of flipping my nipple ring around, so we'll see what new embarrassing habits "Christina" leads me to develop.
This is my last year here and thus, I intend on making it memorable. This intention seems to have been made that much easier through the lovely and talented Matt. And lets not forget that I still have an Ottawa winter and spring to look forward too...which has gotta be good for at least one more piercing.