Rebecca Schultze

My mom is going to kill me?if she finds out, that is.

She’s not a big fan of her children decorating their bodies beyond the basics.

Well, at least I can tell her that this isn’t a permanent alteration.

Monday night, Collegian copy editor Lindsay Bland accompanied me to Studio 27 on 2nd St. South in Brookings to get my navel pierced.

The actual procedure took less than ten minutes, with a run through of all the cleaning and after care procedures following.

The pain was minimal; it felt like a hard pinch. My dentist appointment last year was much, much worse.

And I love the results.

Sam Snyder, Studio 27 owner, said that experience, cleanliness and sterilization are all important things to ask about when getting a piercing.

“Pay attention to the appearance of the shop,” he said.

My first impression of Studio 27 was, “Wow, this doesn’t look like a tattoo shop.”

The white walls were covered by tattoo designs?some standard designs and others were Snyder’s own renderings.

Snyder, who rents the building with fellow tattoo artist Boz, started tattooing about six and one half years ago.

“I really stayed away from piercing for awhile,” he said.

But Snyder is beginning to enjoy piercing more and more as people come in with new ideas.

“Some of them turn into projects,” he said, “with two or three or even four or five piercings.?multiples that fit together.”

Snyder used a sterile 16-guage ring, which is a standard size.

There are a wide range of options to change my ring once everything is healed.

This ring is best for the initial piercing, Snyder said, because, unlike a bar, the middle can be cleaned and disinfected.

“Piercings are very susceptible to infections,” he said.

Therefore, a packet of cleaning and care instructions leaves with all Studio 27 customers to reinforce what he tells them after the procedure.

I know that I’ll be careful. don’t want my mom to have the satisfaction of saying, “See, what did I tell you.”

I just hope that she doesn’t like it so much that she wants one of her own.