For this installment of “Never Have I Ever,” I ventured to Icon Tattoo and Body Piercing on Church Street to *gulp* get my belly button pierced.
Since Icon Tattoo, being a professional tattoo and piercing parlor, does not allow video recording inside the building, I will describe my experience within the walls to paint a picture of the process:
My fellow staff writer Laura Hostelley and I walked into the parlor at around 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
The artists, colorfully decorated with ink and metal of all shapes and sizes, were instantly and amicably attentive to our needs, and helped me decide what kind of jewelry would most fit the look I was going for (about as understated as possible).
We were led into a room with sterile white walls, a metal cabinet filled with tattoo/piercing material, a floor length mirror and a padded table for customers to lie on—for all intents and purposes, I could have been in a doctor’s office, save for the low beat of rap/R&B and the untamed beard and poker chip-sized gauges of the man with the needle.
I was told to lie on the table and relax—the only thing I could think was this was exactly what I was told before I had stitches put in my arm last year.
Panic mode activated.
I had always heard mixed reviews about the belly button piercing process, so I was gearing up for the worst.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, waiting for the teeth-grinding and fist clenching to begin.
For all of you with reservations about getting a belly button piercing—this moment never actually came. In fact, I didn’t know it had happened until I was asked what I thought about how it looked.
In short, it was the easiest experience with needles I’ve ever encountered.