Forward helix piercing in Auckland
A needle, never a gun, at 389 Parnell Road. Open seven days.
How much is it?
titanium
you choose the piece
The piercing and the jewellery, both in the price.
Either way it covers the piercing and the jewellery together, the aftercare, and the checkup four weeks later. Nothing is added at the chair, and there is nothing to pay when you book.
Where it sits
The small fold of cartilage at the front of the ear, above the tragus. The piece sits flat, in a spot that clears the fold.
It needs a spot that clears the small fold at the front of the ear, so we check at the table.
The rim curves in towards the head here, and how tightly it curves changes from ear to ear. Too close and the back of the piece presses on the skull the whole time it heals. Too far forward and it stops reading as a forward helix. The margin is narrow, and on some ears there is no clean spot for one.
Every spot on the ear
Does it hurt?
Short and sharp, much like a helix.
Who pierces it
Tom or Kat, one client in the room, forty-five minutes. Sixteen and over. Everyone brings photo ID.
TomWednesday to Sunday
KatSunday to Tuesday
How long does it take to heal?
Nine to twelve months
- Day onePierced, and your checkup booked before you leave
- Four weeksYour checkup, free for everyone pierced here. The bar comes down if it is ready
- Nine to twelve monthsHealed
Sleep on the other side, and no over-ear headphones for the first three months.
Pressure is what sets this one back: a pillow, a frame arm, hair catching the post. Sleep on the other side, or use a travel pillow with a hole in it so the ear sits in the gap.
Warm water in the shower once a day is the whole clean. Nothing else goes on it.
Any problem with a piercing we did, the look is free.
What goes in it
A small end that sits flat. Stones stepped along the rim suit it.
Small is the rule here. The spot sits close to the head, so anything that stands proud of it is uncomfortable to wear and looks out of proportion. Gold goes in on the day, because the piece is chosen before the spot is marked. A different style waits until it is fully healed, at least twelve months for cartilage.
In the case nowpierced, in the price
What happens at the appointment
Forty-five minutes, one client in the room.
It starts at the low table with a mirror in your hand. We look at the ear, find the spot, and you choose the piece if you would like gold. Then the mark, which you see and agree with before anything else happens.
The piercing is one pass of a single-use sterile needle, under a minute, and the piece goes in at the same moment. A needle, never a gun. Your checkup goes in the book before you leave.
If you wear glasses
The arm of most frames runs right past this spot and presses on it all day. That does not rule the piercing out, but say so when you arrive: it changes where the mark goes. Light frames, or contacts for the first weeks, take most of the pressure off it.
Can I have a stack of them?
Yes, but not all in one visit. A row of small pieces up the front of the rim needs room between the marks for the backs to sit clear of each other, and it needs the first settled before the next goes in. Piling them into one small patch of cartilage at once is what makes them all heal badly.
Book a forward helix
$150 in titanium, or from $350 in gold. Nothing to pay when you book.
389 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland. Open seven days, by appointment. Directions