6/5 - Studs & S’MAC
I love the concept of going to a piercing salon just for your ears. I hate having to trek to a tattoo shop just to get a cartilage piercing, where you feel out of place and unsure if the piercer knows what they are doing. There seems to be nothing in between Claire’s or a tattoo parlor. I decided to start off slow and focused on getting my ear lobes pierced. I’ve been wanting second and third holes in my lobes for years now. The process of getting pierced at Studs was very efficient. You can book your appointment easily online at whichever location you like. I choose the Nolita shop on Prince Street near the East Village, where we wanted to eat. On the day of my appointment, I came 15 minutes early like advised to check-in and fill out a waiver on my phone via a QR code. The woman piercing me asked what I was looking to get done, and showed me an array of earrings I could choose ranging from $30 to $180 per earring. I choose a simple and inexpensive pair of silver hearts. I’m glad all of Studs’ piercing jewelry is made of either 14k or 18k solid gold, or high-quality, implant-grade titanium because last I checked my ears DO NOT like cheap Claire’s jewelry or sterling silver. All of their piercing jewelry also have flat backs, instead of the annoying butterfly backings.
Quickly thereafter, I was called over to the piercing room, which was clean, sterile and bright. My piercer was really cool and inviting to talk to, which made me feel comfortable and at ease with the pain I was about to feel. Getting my earlobes was a pretty fast process. She first cleaned my ears, then placed dots where I was going to be pierced and had me confirm I was okay with the location of the holes. After that, needles where placed through my ears, and my new earrings were easily placed in. The pain was very minimal. You only really feel the pinch of the needle going through, and the pressure of the earring being placed in the newly created hole. I was probably in Studs for no more than 20 minutes.
Once my piercings were over, I paid for my appointment plus the cost of my earrings. For one piercing you pay a flat fee of $35, and $50 for two. I love that they give you the Venmo of all the piercers at the shop at checkout so you can tip them easily. I was given a pack with information about my piercing (type of earring, gauge, etc.), aftercare instructions, and cute stickers. They also asked if I wanted to buy a sterile saline spray as well, which was very helpful and time saving. They recommend you spray the front and back of your piercing 2-3 times a day with saline water to keep it clean. I also learned some interesting information about aftercare as well. My piercer told me to forget everything I was ever taught about piercings LOL. You’re actually not supposed to twist or rotate your piercing at all… what?! I was also advised not to clean my piercing with anything harsher than saline solution such as alcohol, which I’ve done back in the day. π
My experience overall was very positive, and I would definitely go back for all my future ear piercings. The initial healing time for earlobes is 6-8 weeks with your piercing fully healing on both the inside and outside at 4-6 months. Once fully healed, I’ll be allowed to change my jewelry. Studs only allows you to get two piercings at a time, and restricts you from getting another piercing until 8 weeks have passed. That means I will find myself back at Studs in August. π So far, my earlobes do not hurt and I haven’t experienced any irritation as I rarely touch them. The residual pain from getting my ears pierced dissipated after only a few hours of getting them done. It’s definitely a more pleasant experience than getting your cartilage pierced.
I think I’ve finally mapped out how I want my ears to look. Studs provides a helpful diagram of the different type of ear piercings you can get in store and online. I’m definitely looking to get a third set of earrings in my lobes, and maybe a fourth if I can fit them in my upper lobes. Since my left ear already has a helix in my cartilage, I’m looking to get 2-3 forward helix piercings. In my right ear, I have my tragus pierced, so I’ll probably get two helix piercings in my upper ear. I’ve also considered a rook piercing recently, but we shall see. I’m not interested in having anything else pierced on the inside of my ears as I can’t have any interference with my Airpods. I bought a flat back earring for my tragus to see if that will allow me to wear both my earring and AirPod at the same time. This is probably why I’ll never get my left tragus pierced. I’m not willing to sacrifice my podcasts and music during work to allow a piercing to heal. That and the pain. The pain of the tragus was properly worse than my nose. π I don’t think I can accomplish all this with only 6 months left in 2022, but I can see myself with at least four more piercings this year.
After Studs, we made our way to S’MAC in the East Village, which is a restaurant Danny introduced me to that serves only Mac and Cheese. This Mac and Cheese joint is very inclusive by offering low carb, multi-grain and gluten-free macaroni along with dairy free and vegan options. Danny and I choose the simple All-American dish, a delicious blend of American and Cheddar cheeses, with breadcrumbs. I was a little more adventurous, and added hot dogs. I told Danny it reminded me of when my Mom put sliced hot dogs in our Kraft Mac and Cheese when I was a kid. It’s pure comfort food. The only thing that differed between our dishes were the sizes. I love that ‘SMAC offers what I call the Kayla size (Nosh). Danny opts for the regular-sized dish, the Major Munch, which is too much Mac and Cheese for me. I need the kids size. π It was delicious as always. Next time I’m back, I need to try the cheeseburger dish! We took a walk over to Forbidden Planet, so Danny could stare at stuff he couldn’t get because collectibles are expensive, and space is limited at home. Thankfully, nothing Gremlins-related, in regards to NECA figures, were there. Although, it wouldn’t have mattered since I’ve basically bought everything you could online already. Before we left the city for the day so I could be home before 6pm (lmao), we trekked over to the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.
I discovered this dumpling shop from FeedYourGirlfriend on IG, naturally. You can order either online or from a kiosk in the shop. Once your order is ready, you scan the barcode emailed to you and an automated locker opens up with your food. I love this contactless ordering… the less people interaction the better lol. We ordered Mac n Cheese (yes, I know - let me eat as much Mac and Cheese in one day as I want) and Pepperoni Pizza dumplings for me, and Peanut Butter & Jelly dumplings for Danny. Danny kept saying he wasn’t a fan of dumplings, but he loves these PB & J ones so much he wants to go back. I kept telling him there are different types of dumplings out there, and these are flavors he’ll actually like but boyfriends never listen. I can’t wait to try more dumplings… Cheeseburger, Buffalo Ranch Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, Caramel Apple… send help.
I love that Sundays have become our date days. Mainly, because Danny has been forced to work several Saturdays in a row, which I hate. I know I should be thankful for all the weekends that we get to spend both Saturday and Sunday together, but I’m selfish and want more lol. We have more Sunday dates planned, but they are mostly food and movie dates so, I may not blog about them since we are creatures of habit. Sometimes, when you’re not looking, we do go on some new adventures. π
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