Grade A Tattoos and Body Piercing

DO NOT GO TO GRADE A TATTOOS!!!!!!!! I had called them and spoken to someone about getting a piercing about a week before I went in. I specifically asked if they had any small sparkly studs. Here is how I phrased it: "I want something that is teeny weeny itsy bitsy so that when you're wearing it people will occasionally get a flash from it and wonder, does she have her nose pierced?" And they said yes. So we went there.

The staff were hanging around talking and we told one of the guys what we wanted. He took us into a room and started getting the equipment ready. I asked if I could see the jewelry because it seemed like he was just going to put it in my nose without me having a chance to look at it. It looked kind of large to me but he said that was the smallest they were made. I told him I had seen them smaller and he said that Grade A did not sell a smaller size and he would not recommend getting a smaller size because it could slip back through your nose. But it certainly was not the itsy bitsy jewel I had specifically asked about before.

He used betadine and alcohol to wash my nose, then stuck this giant cork in my nostril. I asked him to just tell me when he was going to pierce it and he said he'd give me a countdown, but then he just shoved the needle through my nose anyway. I <span style="font-style:italic;">hate</span> it when people do that, like a doctor or anyone. It's so disrespectful. I made a request so I could be better prepared and brace myself. Because he surprised me I kind of cringed away and then I think he had a harder time doing the piercing.

Before we left the guy gave me a half sheet of paper that said to use 1/8 tsp of sea salt in warm water to soak my nose ring and to use antibacterial soap to wash it. But he did not elaborate or give any explanations. I did ask questions, but he acted like I was bothering him.

After we left I noticed that when I pressed against the side of my nose, it felt like the post was poking into my septum. I called Grade A and told him about the poking and he told me that was just the feeling of the new nose ring. I told him I understood what that felt like and it was a different feeling than that and he told me to spin the post until it felt comfortable inside. When I got home that night I started twisting it around to make it comfortable and when I finally got to a spot where it did not poke me, when I looked in the mirror I could see the end sticking out of my nostril.

I decided I was going to go back the next day and have them fix it but when I got up the next day I decided to go somewhere else altogether. I picked a smaller piece of jewelry and the man who helped me was very nice and explained everything to me and answered all my questions. He discovered when he looked at the old piercing that the guy who had twisted the post had twisted it to fit the right nostril instead of the left and that was why it was poking me. (He also explained that everyone had a different way of doing piercings, but that he would not have twisted it in that direction.) He also walked me through how to do the sea salt and antibacterial soap cleanings and what not to do.

The experiences were completely different and Grade A failed.