| i first thought about getting pierced when i was about 12. just a simple ear piercing, i didn't know about getting pierced elsewhere. i quickly dismissed the idea, knowing it really wouldn't look right on me. and besides, my parents wouldn't go for the idea.
in high school a very small number of people got nostril piercings. at this time i also dismissed it, figuring they were just trying to be cool. i also thought about the pain. owwie. nope, not for me.
a few years later and i'm in college. i talked to a girl who had multiple genital piercings. i found the idea to be extremely erotic. she mostly talked about the sensations she got. this really sparked my interest.
i met other people who were also pierced. someone had a labret under their lip, i saw eyebrow piercings, and they were aesthetically pleasing to me. people i knew got their tongues pierced. i found information on male genital piercings, and body modification, such as cutting. it was a combination of art, aesthetics, the human form, and personal meaning i found to be irresistable. i seriously considered getting pierced at this point.
a year passed since then, based mostly on my indecision as to where i should get pierced, and a fear of the pain involved. i brought the idea up to my girlfriend at the time, and she was stimulated by the idea of me getting my nipples pierced. i thought about it. it was a personal piercing that no one would normally see. so, with my then-girlfriend's approval and encouragement i decided to go through with it.
after some research, i gave a call to Prick Body Piercing in Linden, New Jersey. the guy i spoke to on the phone was very casual, and said i could just walk in. i went the next day. it was a very small shop, and had a casual, intimate atmosphere. it helped put me more at ease. there were two
men, and one had cat's-eye contact lenses that freaked me out at first, but his relaxed but professional demeanor quickly dispelled any predispositions i had. he showed me an array of jewelry. i chose a hematite ring, and he informed me that it was too thin, and i needed a thicker gauge for my type of piercing. so i got the same style, in 12 gauge. he informed me that i should get something to eat, since i didn't eat much that day. so i went to a pizza shop next door while the jewelry was being sterilized.
after i came back, he put on latex gloves and had his instruments wrapped in latex. he marked my nipple with a black pen, and let me inspect it by holding a mirror up to it. i gave my okay, and was told to lay down on a padded table. he prepped the area, then clamped my nipple, asking if it felt okay. it wasn't uncomfortable one bit. he told me to take a deep breath, then release, and pop, the needle went through.
actually, i didn't hear a pop, and i barely felt the needle going through. it was over so quickly. the next thing i knew, the ring was inserted and the captive bead was installed. i looked down and saw the blood, and was amazed that there was so little pain associated with it. my piercer, Tom, looked at the jewelry and decided it need a little adjustment, and did so, with his instruments.
i sat up, expecting myself to faint at any moment, but i felt so good! partly based on the relief that it was over, the amazement that it was so pain-free, and the satisfaction that i had the ring in there.
i put my clothes back on, while Tom's apprentice told me the aftercare information. they gave me an information sheet with recommendations on things that might help it heal faster, and how to care for the nipple piercing.
i drove home, feeling the slight tug of the weight of the ring. i felt a personal satisfaction that can hardly be matched by anything else. | 
