I usually get my piercings in groups. I got my nostril, 2nd and 3rd lobes all within a month and a half. Well, last Monday I went into Hot Rod Piercing and got my industrial done, which I wrote about on here as well. After that, I was itching for another one. I know, my body was already working on healing two holes, but I just couldn't resist. The problem was deciding which piercing to get. Tim, who did my industrial, suggested my next piercing be the rook on the other ear. The non-edge-of-the-ear piercings make me nervous though. My ears aren't the cleanest and I doubt I'd be able to prevent infection.

Before getting my industrial done, my friend April asked which piercing I wanted. I jokingly told her nipples and she nearly crashed the car we were in. We both had a good laugh and I assured her I would never even consider that kind of pain. But as I researched piercings after the industrial, I kept going back to the idea of the nipples. I was serious when I told her I would never even consider the nipples. However during the very short time that passed, I couldn't help but change my mind. They seemed very sexy and I hear they enhance sensation in that area. I've never really gotten too much pleasure out of nipple play, so I could use all the help I could get!

I went back and forth a bunch of times, afraid that maybe a potential lover would think it was trashy or something. But eventually I came to my senses and decided it's something I wanted to do for myself. You only live once.

I'd had a fantastic experience with my industrial at Hot Rod so I decided to go back there. I made my friend Amanda come with me. She thought I was crazy but also pretty badass for going for the nipples and agreed to come, as long as she didn't have to watch the needle enter the skin. I told her that as long as she held my hand, she could stare at the back of her eyelids for all I cared.

When I walked into Hot Rod, there were two girls there already standing at the counter. Jerry at the counter asked me what I wanted. I felt really embarassed saying it in front of the two girls, but took a deep breath and said, "Well... I, I'm getting another piercing. I... I'm getting my nipples pierced!" It was very awkward for me and very hilarious for Amanda. As you can imagine, the two girls immediately turned to me with looks of pure shock. I filled out the paperwork, showed my ID, and went through the aftercare process with Jerry.

I found out that one of the two girls was getting her nostril done and the other was there for moral support. I told her that I wasn't trying to be condescending but nostril was my least painful piercing (lobes included!) and she had nothing to worry about. She was still really nervous. Next thing she knew it was her turn. I wished her luck and she went to the back.

While she was getting pierced, three more girls arrived. They all were getting cartiledge piercings. The nostril girl came out and her stud looked great, which I told her. She said her eyes watered but she was okay. She wished me luck before she left. I laughed and replied that I would need it. As I waited, Jerry walked to the back to talk to the piercer (whose name I can't remember. Sorry!). I wasn't really too nervous, but Amanda was a wreck! Suddenly I heard Jerry say, "If she gets faint or dizzy, you call me back right away." That's when I had my "Oh shit" moment.

It was my turn. Amanda and I walked back nipple shields. The piercer and I talked a bit (we'll call him Paul) about what to expect and such. I wore a tank top and removed my bra. I got my arms out of the straps of the tank top and just folded it down, so I didn't have to take the shirt off. Amanda was still really really nervous and she couldn't stop laughing. Paul and I had some great awkward conversation Me: "How's it going?" Paul: "Pretty good, you?" "Good. Good. You know." "Yeah? (sarcasm) It's about to get a lot better."

As he was marking my nipples with a felt marker, I told him not too judge me by my boobs because I'm a bit lop-sided (which was my biggest worry with the piercing!) to which he replied not to worry because he'd not seen a symmetrical girl neither professionally nor personally. Finally it was time. He told me that he doesn't use clamps, which I thought was good because I hear they hurt really bad.

He started on the left and pierced on the exhale. Scale of 1-10, probably a 6 or 7. Not terrible, but no walk in the park. I squeezed Amanda's hand pretty bad. It was a bit bad when he put in the jewelry as well (bars, not rings). Now came the right side. Probably an 8 or 9. It felt like I could feel each layer of skin being ripped through. I squeezed Amanda's hand I swear nearly off and made an unreproducable face. It was very very painful. I didn't make any sound though.

Paul made me feel better by then going on to describe his terrible experiences with tattoos. He has so much unfinished artwork because he can't bear the pain of getting tattooed, which made me laugh and feel better about being kind of a baby about my nipples.

Afterwards, the right one was pretty tender for about 3 or 4 hours. It hurt to laugh because my boobs would jiggle and irritate my tender piercings.

I slept just fine and now (day 3) I barely feel them at all, except when they bump things. They look very very cute and I'm glad about my decision. I feel sexy all the time because I have a secret no one knows and no one would be able to guess by looking at me. No one will ever know about this piercing unless I choose to tell them, which is a nice feeling of power.

The aftercare is extremely easy. Just use Dial soap in the shower and you're done. No worrying about nooks and crannies like that industrial! It's all very straightforward.

It hurt A LOT but it was very worth it!
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Tongue piercings first appealed to me when I went in with a friend to get her conch piercing and I started chatting to a girl waiting to get her own tongue done, she was so nervous but I was still there when she came out and it looked great. At the time I was only 15 (and a half) and had just got my eyebrow done so I didn't really think much on it. The a couple of months later I met a girl on a school trip who had her tongue done and it put the idea back in my head, it stuck and the rest as they say is history.

I still had a month to go before my 16th birthday (where I live there is no real restrictions on piercings but most decent places won't pierce a person under 16 without parental consent) so I spent hours upon hours researching and reading everything I could find relating to tongue peircings. I checked out both sides of the story, good and bad and even though the risks scared me but I kept looking and talked to a few local piercers who said that if it was done properly the risks where extremely minimal. I think the story that spooked me the most was this one:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15305276/

But I figured as long as I went somewhere reputable (unlike what I did when I got my eyebrow done) and was prepared to remove it is complications occurred or it started damaging my gums I would be fine. Then it occurred to me that I play an instrument where I am required to use my tongue to separate notes. That dampened my plans but more research and professional advice reassured me that past the swelling I would be fine and my playing would be unaffected. Thankfully they were right and it hasn't affected my playing after the swelling went down and makes my tutor laugh when he remembers me trying to play two days after I got it done.

Around this time I gave up on getting eyebrow piercing to heal as it was beginning to migrate (but that's another story) and ended up removing it. My mother always hated my eyebrow (she doesn't view it as very feminine) and after I took it out (she didn't realise I had) she proposed a deal that if I did take it out I could get my tongue done. Of course I agreed.

So four days after I turned 16 I got a standard tongue done at Primal Urge tongue rings, Perth and was insanely happy with the service and end result. I was careful to watch all the packets being opened and everything being sterilised while I swished the mouthwash he had given me around in my mouth. My piercer washed his hands twice, used two pairs of gloves and wore a face mask before asking me if I was ready. He marked me up and told me to shut my eyes, gave me a bib (which was thankfully unneeded as I didn't drool) and proceeded to put the needle through my tongue. The jewellery was then put in and tightened and I was told I could put my tongue (which felt like carpet after being after my mouth so long) back in my mouth. I was given icy water to sip at while he went through the aftercare instructions and then sent on my way with an instruction pamphlet, spare acrylic ball, downsizing bar and an awesome sticker.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I can't really offer insight on the pain level but the clamp was a bit uncomfortable. Nothing exciting has happened with it so far (6 weeks in) and it has healed up brilliantly after an initial 5 days of discomfort due to swelling and was ridiculously easy to look after. I lived on soup and iced juice which was a bit boring after a while but I lived.

I had a bit of trouble finding properly sized jewellery as I have an abnormally thick tongue (even without the swelling) but otherwise it's been smooth sailing. I've had no real negative comments accept from my mother (I'm not allowed to show her as it makes her feel queasy) and my friends thought it was hilarious when I tried to communicate for the first few days. I was a bit concerned with the preconception of a tongue piercing being synonymous to promiscuous behaviour but I figured other's opinions shouldn't matter regarding my own choices. All in all it was a win win situation and is a piercing I'd recommend to anyone especially as a first piercing due to the ease of aftercare which was a combination of mouthwash, gargling warm saline solution and ibuprofen to help with the swelling.
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Well I'd always thought body piercings were horrible.

Two of my friends had gone and gotten their tongues pierced at the age of 12 and I thought it was ridiculous. They came into school the next day and showed everyone and I immediately fell in love.

I knew there would be no way that I'd be able to get it done even if I begged and pleaded as my dad is very old fashioned.

I decided to leave it a while but in the time I left it I did much research on whether I'd be able to get it done and yet hide it from my dad at the same time. I talked to my mum about it and she said as long as he didn't find out and I paid for it myself I could have it done.

I then set about trying to find the best place to get it done. My friends had gone to a place which wasn't very hygenic. I wasn't about to go where they did, get it infected and spend time in agony. So I found a place near to where I lived that had high recommendations.

I found out you had to be 13 and accompanied by and adult which was fine for me as my mum was going to go with me and I was 13. I decided to go in 2 weeks time. I was so excited I spent time stocking up on loads of ice cream ( yes you can use that excuse ) and cold foods.

The time finally came and I was really scared. Thinking about it I didn't know why on earth I was doing this. Hell I was away to have a hollow needle shoved through my tongue!! I was sitting on the train on the way there when I told my mum I didn't want it done anymore. To which she replied that I'd taken so long to convince her and I better had. So I sat on the train in silence thinking about what I'd gotten myself into.

We got into the studio and everyone was really friendly. He gave me and my mum a sheet to fill about asking if I had any illnesses and/or was pregnant. Which was no obviously!

HE then led me into a small room at the back of the shop which had a white chair and surgical gloves sitting on a metal table. He made me rinse my mouth out with mouthwash to wash away any germs I might have and take a seat.

Then he got my to stick my tongue out. He marked with ink a small dot in the middle of my tongue then took out a sealed package with a hollow needle in it. He took it out and within seconds had positioned it, and put it through my tongue. He snipped off the bottom and placed the bar through the hollow needle then screwed on the ball. I didn't even feel a thing!

He talked through precautions I should take and then told me to come back in two weeks to get my bar changed into a shorter one. The one I had in was about the length of the height of my mouth! It was rather amusing trying to talk and I had a slight lisp but my dad never noticed.

I sat and ate loads of ice cream that night to keep the swelling down. I also was taking Ibuprofen which is meant to do the same thing and I thought it was okay. But next day I woke up in pain with a slightly swollen tongue. Now I tend not to listen a lot so I didn't hear my piercer tell me not to kiss anyone for 2 weeks. I didn't feel the need to mention this to my boyfriend. So as I walked into school he asked to see it so I showed him. He thought it looked awesome! At lunch we were sitting in the park with our mates and he leaned in to kiss me and without hesitating I did the same. When I got home I realised this was a big mistake as my tongue had gone slightly more swollen and had some pussy stuff emerging from underneath one of my taste buds.

I kept cleaning it and stopped kissing and about 1 week later it was fine and dandy. So I would listen closely to your piercer because you really don't want to mess around with your tongue vertical labret

When I'm at home I try very hard to avoid talking to my dad. He never even noticed which is rather good although I have to talk to him with my teeth shut. 6 months on and he still hasn't noticed. Another bad point I found out is if I shout at him ( being the typical teenager I am ) I have to run out of the room, unscrew my bar and then run back through to shout.

All in all I'm very pleased I got this piercing although if you don't change it into a plastic ball you will wreck the enamel on your teeth and your dentist won't be very pleased. I would recommend this piercing to anyone!!
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