Nipple piercings may look cool, but it's hard to hear about them without reflexively wincing. Getting one done must hurt, right? Yes, says piercer Cassi Lopez of New York Adorned, it will — "but only for a second!" The most important things are to seek out an experienced, reputable piercer and piercing shop, and then to be super diligent about aftercare. "Clean it with sterile saline daily and be mindful of bra types," Lopez advises. "Stay away from anything too lacy at first to avoid snagging. Clean sports bras are great for fresh nipple piercings." To get a better idea of what to expect of that initial moment of needle in nipple, we asked three women in New York City about their experiences with nipple piercing.
Graduate student, 26
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"I have my nose and lip pierced, as well as a few tattoos, so I'm pretty good with pain. I figured if I could handle those, I could probably handle getting my nipples pierced. One night I was walking through Washington Square Park, and I passed by a cool-looking tattoo place with a good vibe called West 4 Tattoo, so I went it to check it out. It was clean, had good reviews on Yelp, and the people there had done a lot of dermal piercings, which I know are really hard to do. I thought if they could do those, they could do nipple piercings. Then a couple weekends ago, a friend was visiting, and we just decided to walk in and do it. It was kind of a spontaneous decision. It hurt less than I thought it would because they pinch your nipple with these little tongs first, but it was still definitely a six. I tried to stand up afterward, and I was really dizzy. It was a lot of sensations. I wash the rods twice a day with Dial antibacterial soap and spray them with a sea-salt spray I bought. The bled for the first day or two, but there's pretty much no pain now, expect if I ding them on something or get them caught on a towel. And I make sure to wear a clean bra every day while they're healing. It was the most painful of all my piercings and tattoos, but I really like them and think they look cool."
Freelance writer, 38
"I was about 22 when I got them. I always thought they looked hot, especially with no bra under a white tank top. And I was always impressed with people who had giant crazy things like Janet Jackson. I went to Maya Ventura at Third Eye Tattoo in Park Slope to get rings. She was one of the first tattoo artists to get licensed when it became legal again in New York, and she had done my first tattoo, so I was comfortable with her. The first one was like, Whoa! It was an endorphin roller-coaster feeling. And it hurt, but only for a second, and then it radiated pain. But I didn't care. I was like, Yeah! Let's pierce the other one! What else can we pierce? And then it literally never healed. The post-traumatic nipple injury had a huge impact on my relationship with my husband. We got married in 2000, and I got the piercings in 2001, so for the first few years of our marriage it was like, No, nope, that area is off-limits. They were always sore. I think it's because I have big boobs, and they're always changing size and swelling. I feel like the girls with tiny boobs and piercings have it easy. At one point one of them was rejecting, so I eventually took them both out. They looked good, but it wasn't worth the hassle. Now they're healed, and you can kind of see little scars if you really look. All that said, the people I know who had their genitals pierced said it healed in five seconds, and it wasn't bad at all. Go figure."
Editor, 27
"I got mine done in 2012, around the time I started dating my now-boyfriend. I remember mentioning it to him to see if it would creep him out, because if it did, I'd be like, OK, I don't like you anymore. He was so excited and enthusiastic. I think my original inspiration was Lisbeth Salander from Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I had just seen the movie and thought it was so badass. It's also one of those things you can cover up. No one knows I have my single nipple piercing except for a few close friends and my boyfriend. I did a lot of research and found this place on the Lower East Side. It didn't really hurt. I thought my nose ring was more painful. The funny part was that the guy who did my piercing turned out to also live in my neighborhood, so afterward I would see him at the grocery store all the time. It was so awkward because obviously I had to take my shirt off and be topless while this guy looked at my boobs and touched them. It was just really weird. The only thing I'd say is that if you are not comfortable with your body or not comfortable having to care for it, you shouldn't get one. I had to soak mine in a saltwater bath every night for six months, and it was extremely sensitive for the first year. If I moved it at all it would bleed. And now I still check it and clean it every day. But I love it. My boyfriend loves it. It's our little secret. And it's also important, because it's the first thing we did together as a couple, and he's the only person who's ever seen it. It means a lot to me. I'm going to keep it forever."
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