I have always been a lover of piercings ever since my very first (and very common) navel piercing when I was 18. The buildup of picking a piercing out, going to the studio and finally going through with it is a rush I loved to repeat time and time again. After doing all that I could that my job would allow, it was disappointing to think that my piercing journeys might be coming to an end. It was at this point I decided to look into some more uncommon piercings that none of my friends had or had even thought of getting. I wanted a new friend and I wanted her name to be Christina.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Joe Castellaneta Studio Divinity Piercing Location Elmira Heights, NY Just the thought of getting a genital piercing made me more than nervous. I'm a shy person and thinking about all I would have to do just to go through with this gave me more butterflies in my stomach than I thought was possible. Even my love of getting something new and shiny and the thought of how pretty it would look couldn't change my mind on just sucking it up and doing it. Well I tell you, it must have been fate because one day while I was checking out the "latest deals" section on the Divinity webpage, there was something mentioned about how they were going to be doing a limited range of piercings for free in order to build up their portfolios and to contact them for a list of options and for questions. Deciding to see what this was about and what was being offered, I sent an email along and discovered that they were indeed looking for a few Christina piercings, among others. Even though this was going to be a free procedure (free by helping the guys out by giving them more experience and pictures for their portfolios) I was still beyond nervous about baring all to guys I have seen more than once and getting a needle awful close to those sensitive lower parts and sent emails on top of emails filled with questions and worries. So after all my concerns had been answered and my feelings had been put at ease (the guys were sooo patient with me, which was awesome) I grabbed my friend, told her she was doing this with me and headed out to the studio.
First thing first, NEVER go to a studio where you don't feel comfortable!! I love going to Divinity because you can tell it's a place where the artists care about their customers, instead of seeing them as just another way to bank money. All my questions were answered and they did a great job making sure I was calm and comfortable. So anyway, after we both decided what we were going to get, who was going to be in the room with us and who was going to go first, I scraped together my nerve and put myself in the chair first. Even though I had been there what seemed like a hundred times, they still took the time to explain the sterilization procedures and what was going to be happening every step of the procedure. And then the Moment arrived...time for the old "drop and hop" and getting that naked bootie on the table. Never being in a situation like this before, I was a bit uncomfortable but the guys did a great job just keeping me occupied with small talk and everything. Thank goodness for conversational skills!
After taking his time placing the piercing and making sure my body had the right proportions to properly hold and keep this type of piercing (it did, thank goodness!!) he had me get up and check it out for myself and did a double check just to make sure. Everything looked perfect to me, so now it was time to get down to business. Even though this was considered a surface piercing, it was in an area where there happens to be a bit of extra skin, so it was decided that clamps could be used to ensure the piercing went in nice and straight. Boy, those were cold and uncomfortable!! They were tight and pinched like no other, but I couldn't quite believe it when I was told that was the most pain I would feel through the entire piercing. After reminding me to do the breathing exercise I was told about (my heart was going a mile a minute!!), they told me the needle was going in on the count of 3...1-breathe in...2-breathe out...3-breathe in, and out, and...hmm? Are you sure that was a 14G needle going through my skin?? It felt just like someone grabbing a bit of your skin and pinching...a "smurf bite" if you will. I was awful proud of myself for surviving until the barbell went in. That, I did feel it all the way. It made me stop and catch my breath but again, not as bad as I had anticipated. I did it!! My Christina was in place and looked beautiful!
After hopping off the table and checking it out in the mirror to make sure the placement was still okay, I lived up to my end of the bargain and waited while a few pictures were taken, which was no big deal. Aftercare was explained to me carefully (one little side note I learned...with this type of piercing ladies, I recommend going out and buying the mini Noxzema bikini razors for shaving because large razors are awkward around the barbell and if you don't keep the hairs around the piercing site under control, they can agitate it or turn into ingrown hairs...not fun at all!!) and I was outta there, none the worse for wear. Jeans were uncomfortable the first day, and tighter cotton underwear definitely kept things from moving and getting knocked around the first few days, but other than that, there was no pain and no discomfort...it settled itself in quite nicely! Its been over a year since that fateful trip to my piercing parlor and I give big thanks to Joe and his awesome team over at Divinity...they are the best around and if anyone is ever in the lil' ol' town of Elmira Heights, I highly recommend that you stop in and see them. Happy piercing everyone!!:)