I did it. I got my nostril pierced. And the whole process was filmed for Westside TV.
Here’s how it happened. I first did my research to find the highest rated piercing expert. It turned out to be a guy named Tom, in Venice. He had glowing nose (as well as ear, lip, nipple and other) piercing reviews on Yelp and other rating sites.
Yep, Tom was my choice of nostril-piercers.
I made the appointment for a Friday, in case something happened. I didn’t know what that something might be; but wanted to have the weekend to recover from it.
I envisioned a small, sparkling diamond for the adornment. I consulted with my good friend and jeweler, Avo. So funny, he had a whole collection of nostril jewel settings to choose from. He chose a small setting and then selected a beautiful little diamond to place on the setting. Jewelers have come a long way, at least this one.
Who knew they carried pierced nostril settings?
The diamond mounting took a day to complete. I picked up the setting and made my way to the tattoo parlor, where Tom does his piercings. It looked a little like a hair salon, with a hipster twist. The pretty, young girl that greeted me at the counter had turquoise eyebrows and a bevvy of tattoos and piercings all over her body. Tom had both of his ears pierced multiple times, a large nose ring and numerous tattoos on his body. Although I was out of my element, I felt strangely comfortable.
With John filming this adventure, I followed Tom to a small room that resembled a medical procedure room in a doctor’s office. In the center of the room was a blue chair, sort of like a dental chair without all the dental equipment.
I crawled up onto the chair, somewhat anxious (oh s–t, I’m getting my nostril pierced). He asked me if I wanted my left or right nostril pierced. Left, I decided.
We decided on the exact location and were ready to go. Game on.
Tom thoroughly cleaned the area, and inserted a small vice to keep the nostril from moving. He then began the piercing. First the needle. They said I’d feel a little pinch. Pinch? It hurt like a mo-fo. But only for a few seconds. Then the jewel was placed in my nostril. Voila! Done.
I looked in the mirror. My nostril was pierced. A tiny, sparkly diamond perched on the side of my nose. I love it!
And I get to re-live the experience when it runs on Westside TV…
Barbara Bishop is President of Santa Monica-based BBPR, Inc. For comments or suggestions, email barbara.bishop@bbprinc.com.
