I have been thinking about getting a double nape ever since my surface back piercings had grown out. I didn't want to waste perfectly good, and EXPENSIVE surface bars.
At A Glance Author piercedflower Contact panteraqueenie69@yahoo.com When A week ago Artist Luis Garcia Studio No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo&Piercings Location 610 south 4th street Philadelphia,PA 19147 So, I brought my surface bars with me to South Street one night just in case I got in the mood to get them. I usually go to another piercing shop for my piercings but that was before I turned 18..Now I decided that I would go to one of the best instead of settling for low quality work. So I was deciding which piercing shop to go to (and if anyone has ever been to South Street, you know that there is a lot to choose from). And I remembered that Luis worked at infinite but had moved to NoKaOi. So I figured that I would stop in there and see what they were all about.
So I walked in the shop and all I saw were people getting tattoos but the sign out front said "Body piercing" also, so I was sure I was just over looking where the piercing section was. So I asked the front desk person where the piercings were done at..and she pointed upstairs ( which is where I figured it was but was not quite sure..and I didn't want to get yelled at if I wasn't allowed to be up there).
So I made my way up stairs and behind me was Luis knew it was him by the picture on bme. And he asked how he could help me. I said that I was thinking about getting a double nape with surface bars I had previously bought and that I decided that I would come to him because I saw him on BME and I heard he did excellent surface work.. He was flattered and said it was not a problem and showed me the other double napes he had done. So he put the bars in the autoclave (which I was expecting).
It was not busy at all up on the piercing floor (and he was very cute in person) so I thought that I would strike up a conversation while my jewelry was getting sterilized, so I started to BS with him about piercings, apprenticeships, my experiences in other shops, and asking him if he knew when the next time Steve hatworth was coming around. So we had a couple of laughs and he was very informative about a variety of subjects..but I thought I was boring him (which I doubt I was) and so I went back out to south street grabbed a bite to eat at taco bell and bought a CD and by the time I got back to the shop the bars were done.
(Now I should mention I had my nape done once before but I had to take it out for school and it was done with a 10g CBB which I wasn't so happy about, but I missed it so much that I had to get 2!)
So I went up stairs, and into the piercing room, and talked to Luis again while he was getting everything set up and doing the markings. I thought I knew what to expect being that I had my nape done before..but was a little hesitant about getting two at the same time. But I can never let myself look scared in front of the piercer..its just something I don't do.
So he had me lay on the chair face down and I sucked it up and prepared for the pain. So it went how everyother piercing goes. He told me to do the breathing exercises and on my breath out he put the needle through. It wasn't that bad, and only lasted a couple of seconds. So he put the barbell through and now it was time for the second round. This one was a little higher up then the last one, so we went through the same routine (and I should mention that he did these freehand, which is how my last nape was done too) but he had a tough time getting this one through the other side, so I cursed a little and clenched my teeth and then it was over, he apoligized about the 2nd one but I said it was alright...it wasn't nearly as painful as my back piercings. Then I stood up, looked in the mirror, and fell in love with my neck and the beautiful SS that was going through it. I thanked Luis tipped him 10 bucks and went on my merry way.
I think I will go to Luis for all my piercings now...he just creates a comfortable atmosphere and it so clean in there, unlike my previous piercing shop.
Now its about 2 weeks later and my nape is still looking sexy. Its lymphing a little but I just treat it with salt soaks and it feels better. If anyone is in Philly and looking for a good piercing shop, I recommend NoKaOi and Luis Garcia! (Hope I didn't bore you too much)