No problemo! If there's one thing other than sex I'm geeky about, it's piercings (and guinea pigs, but that's another subject entirely!)Ā
Once you're all healed, you'll be able to change the jewellery and enjoy regular sex whilst it's in. It might be worth wearing a condom for anal sex just in case a ball came off the jewellery though.Ā
As for finding a reputable body piercer, your best bet is to pop into some studios, and gather reviews by word of mouth.Ā
*You'll be able to tell a lot by simply walking into a shop. It should be clean, professional and should smell strongly of Dettol. If it smells of anything else, walk out!
*Don't go to any chain body piercers (I'm thinking most specifically of Blue Banana here) - they're usually crap.
*Ask the body piercer as many questions as you want. A decent piercer will be happy to answer your questions and will know the answers without having to look anything up. Test their knowledge.
*Ask the piercer how long they studied piercing for and how long they've been qualified. If it's anything less than a 1 year apprenticeship, walk out. (Blue Banana staff get a 2 week 'course' using sausages, would you believe)
*Ask around and look on Facebook. Most body modding studios have Facebook and Instagram now, so take a look at their reviews online and also images of their work.Ā
*You can always email/message them ahead of time to ask what to expect on the day. They should reply with something along the lines of: "You'll arrive, tell them what you want and where. They'll book you in (you'll usually need to go away and come back once the jewellery is sterile) and you'll sign a consent form saying yes you agree to have the procedure, that you're not under the influence of drugs/alcohol/medication, and that you're over 18 years of age. Then you'll have it done, discuss aftercare and that's that."
*Most decent piercers will offer a follow up appointment to check its healing and offer to change your jewellery for you the first time.
*Ask them if they are members of the UKAPP (UK Association for Professional Piercers)
*If you have any friends with piercings, ask them where they went, what the experinence was like etc
*Don't go for the cheapest place. You should be looking to spend around Ā£30-50 on this piercing. Anyone charging less than that is likely to suck, so don't go there. You DO get what you pay for. Good work ain't cheap, and cheap work ain't good.Ā
*Check out the Body Jewellery Shop Forum - it's a lot like this forum, but all about piercings! And very helpful.Ā
Key things to look out for in a bad studio:
- it smells of anything but disinfectant (food/perfume/anything else)
- they pierce using guns (no decent body piercer will pierce anything with a gun including ear lobes - all piercings should ALWAYS be performed with a needle)
- they use numbing cream/freeze sprays (no decent piercer will ever numb/freeze you)
- they suggest tea tree for aftercare (never use anything stronger than saline)Ā
- they don't suggest aftercare (they should always tell you how to look after a piercing)
- they don't check you've eaten that day (most decent piercers will check you've eaten to make sure your blood sugar levels are a-ok)
- they tell you they'll do it for a tenner. As tempting as it is, don't risk it. Seriously.Ā
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Where about's are you? I may be able to recommend a few studios :)Ā
Did you end up getting it pierced? How did it go?