The girl that hates needles got an ear piercing for the first time in 13 years!
The last time I got a piercing I was 11 years old, and it was just my ear lobes. But after spending all of lockdown seeing pictures on Insta of people with loads of ear piercings and really really cool jewellery, I decided it was time to face my squeamish girl fears and go and get another ear piercing once lockdown was lifted.
I’d heard really great things about Astrid and Miyu, so I booked an appointment and this past weekend headed down to their Shoreditch boutique to get an ear piercing – my helix to be exact. At the moment to ensure they have customers spaced out appropriately, they aren’t taking walk-ins for piercings, so you do have to pre-book.
Despite having multiple tattoos, when it comes to anything related to needles, I can be pretty squeamish, pair that with the new measures in place for shops and piercing studios due to Covid, and I was definitely a little nervous about what it was all going to be like – But in retrospect, I didn’t need to be.
The Astrid and Miyu Shoreditch boutique is located in the super cool Box Park, and the shop itself is on street level, in the middle of all of the other shops. Although Box Park can feel pretty crazy and hectic, especially at the weekend, the Astrid and Miyu store is anything but. The boutique is a super calming space due to the colour scheme and layout, and is also pretty dang cute! They have a double space at Box Park, which makes it much roomier than some of the other shops, so for those concerned about how you’d social distance in such a small space, the great thing is it doesn’t feel cramped or like anyone can accidentally come too close.
Like all shops in the UK at the moment, you do have to wear a mask when inside, so if this is something you aren’t comfortable with or wearing a mask for a pro-longed period creates anxiety or discomfort for you, that’s definitely something to keep in mind.
When I arrived at the shop, the staff were super friendly. I just let them know I’d got a piercing appointment, and they took me through a little arch way into the other part of the store to fill out the usual health and safety form. They also had some great, and very pretty, displays and pictures showcasing the different kind of piercings they offer, and the different kind of jewellery they have available to be used. They have a specific collection of jewellery that is only used for piercing within their stores, these items range from £35 - £175 depending on the style. Something to keep in mind is that these prices are per earing, so if you have a set of lobes pierced (or just multiple piercings done), then it is two times the price of the piece you choose.
Once I had finished filling out the necessary details on their little ipad, plus let them know what piercing I wanted to get and which jewellery I wanted it to be pierced with, I got taken through to a little curtained off area at the back of the store where they do all of their piercing. The area is private, so while getting your piercing you aren’t in full view of the rest of the store and all the other customers who’re browsing, something I really appreciated.
My piercer was Charlotte, who was sooo so lovely! She was super kind, talked me through the entire process and really put me at ease. In terms of “Covid-precautions” Charlotte was wearing a mask and gloves and I was wearing my mask. Whilst she was explaining different information to me she was over 2 metres away from me, but obviously while she was doing the actual piercing she had to be close.
Once she had chatted me through the process, she then used what I think was a sort of cocktail stick covered in sharpie to put a dot on my ear where the piercing would be. This was super helpful in visualising where the piercing would actually go on my ear, and I also could have moved this as many times as I liked until I was happy with the placement.
Despite having tattoos, when it comes to needles I’m pretty squeamish. I think it’s to do with the feeling of something piercing and going through the skin, so by the time I sat in the room I was already feeling quite shaky, despite having a huge burger and chips for lunch. But Charlotte chatted to me while she was getting ready to actually pierce my ear, and talked me through some breathing and before I knew it my ear was pierced and the earring was in! It took a matter of seconds, and the only pain was that it felt like a quick sharp jab or zap, nothing awful! I was also offered the opportunity to lie down if I was feeling dizzy or faint, which I wasn’t, but this was also another really considerate part of the experience.
She then talked me through all of the after care while I had a drink of water, and also gave me a printed version of the after care details. Knowing me, after having had a piercing and still feeling shaky, I wasn’t likely to actually remember most of the details, so that was really useful to have and be able to read and refer to when I got home.
Once finished, and feeling ok I went back into the main store to pay, and had a lovely chat with the other members of staff, who were also wearing masks too.
Despite feeling a little nervous, and very unsure what to expect as I’d not had a piercing since I was 11, and I imagined things had changed alot in the last 13 years, I don’t like needles and also wasn’t sure how the new Covid measures would factor in, my experience getting my helix pierced at Astrid and Miyu was great! The team were all really lovely, and my piercer was calm and friendly, and put me completely at ease during the entire process. Wearing a mask whilst in the shop felt very normal at this point, although it definitely did feel very odd to wear while she was actually piercing my ear. The shop itself, and the piercing area, felt very clean and hygienic and the shop didn’t feel overcrowded at all. As expected I did feel slightly shaky both before, during and after getting the piercing done, but I think that was more to do with my anxiety and bodies reaction than anything else.
