What Does It Feel Like To Get Your Septum Pierced?
Piercings hurt. It’s a fact. Having a needle pushed through your body is going to sting a little, no matter what your pain tolerance is!
One of the most popular body mods is the septum piercing. This piercing is located in the nasal septum – the middle part of your nose that separates the nostrils. It is typically a fleshy piercing; for most individuals, the piercer will pierce through the columella, a thin strip of skin in the front of your nose otherwise known as the “sweet spot.” Some individuals don’t have a columella – in that case, a septum piercing will technically be a cartilage piercing.
What does a septum piercing really feel like? We asked several pierced Body Candy customers what their septum piercing experience felt like. Everyone’s time at the piercing shop will be a little bit different. Here’s a few different experiences so you might have a bit better idea of what to expect (note: some names have been changed for privacy):
Quinn T – Bellington, WA
Before I got pierced, I loved the look of a septum ring, but I am kind of a scaredy cat when it comes to pain. I got brave and headed to the piercing shop anyways.
Once I was there, they took me to the piercing room and he asked me what jewelry I wanted to wear – I chose a small, stainless steel horseshoe. I made sure to check that he was using all sterile equipment and after he put his gloves on, he stuck his fingers into my nose to find that “sweet spot.” Once everything was all set, he put the clamp in place, told me to take a slow, deep breath, and pushed the needle through. I’m not gonna lie, I cried – it stung but it was more of a “sneeze” kind of tear up. The piercing did bleed (I think it’s because I had an energy drink beforehand, but I’m not 100% sure), but he helped me clean up anyways with more sterile equipment.
After that, he pushed in the horseshoe ring and applied the ball ends. This wasn’t so bad, but I did bleed a bit more, and he cleaned me up again. In the middle of all this, another shop employee walked through and complimented me by saying I was brave (lol).
I have a bunch of other piercings, and I’m not gonna lie, this piercing was really painful for me, worse than my nipple piercings, but a lot of my friends with septum piercings say it was no big deal. Everyone’s experience is different and all I can say is, I LOVE my septum piercing.
Eva H – Pearl City, HI
I sat in the waiting room for an hour before I worked up the courage to tell the piercer what I wanted. I had my friend on FaceTime for moral support – I was especially scared because at this point, I only had my earlobes pierced. My friend helped me pick the jewelry, I signed all the forms and got the run-down, and they led me back to the piercing station.
I sat down and started babbling with small talk to get my mind off of what was about to happen. Before I knew it, the piercer had cleaned, marked, and clamped my nose and said, “Ready when you are!”
After I said yes, she picked up the needle and told me to take a slow, deep breath. I closed my eyes and took a big inhale and all of a sudden I got hit with a huge rush of adrenaline. She said “exhale,” and when I did, the needle went through. I straight up DID NOT FEEL IT . Like at all. When she inserted the ring, it felt really weird and my eyes watered up. But that was it. I left with a huge smile on my face.
To be honest, the weird sense of having a “weight” in my nose for a week after was the weirdest part. But the piercing itself was painless and healing up was no issue at all. Highly recommend this piercing!
Tara B – Wilmington, DE
I put off getting my septum done for like 10 years because i was afraid it was going to hurt so bad, even after my multiple hours long tattoo sessions. After awhile, getting my septum done became a nagging thought I just couldn’t get rid of, and I knew I had to just do it.
I found a piercer who takes their career very seriously, to the point where they measured out my nose. Every other piercing they’ve done has been amazing and has healed incredibly, so I knew they were the right choice for my septum. I heard all about this dreaded clamp, but my piercer didn’t use one. I shouldn’t have waited so long, the piercing was over before I even knew it. It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Not even close. My eyes didn’t even water!
Even while I was healing, I didn’t even feel like I had new jewelry in my nose. Even moving it when it got crooked felt fine (I made sure to always wash my hands before touching). Once or twice, I used a warm shot glass of water to help soak my septum, but it really barely even needed that.
This was my easiest piercing. 2 out of 10 on the pain scale.
Allyson F – Phoenix, AZ
For me, it kind of felt like getting bopped in the nose. It was like that weird, sneezy feeling where you kind of see stars for a second. The needle being pushed through was a sharp, but quick pain with that burning, teary sensation of getting hit in the nose, but it went away within a minute or two. I’d give the pain a 4 out of 10, but only for a minute!
One thing I wish I would have done is gotten the piercing a bit earlier in the year – I got mine in the fall and had a runny nose, which is a challenge when it comes to healing. You also can’t go swimming and I was really looking forward to some hot tubbing. Also, be really careful when you’re changing your clothes – I snagged mine on a sweater once and it was sore for a few days afterwards.
Haleigh J – Toronto, ON
Your septum will be the least painful piercing you ever get.
My piercer told me about the sweet spot. As long as you have one (some people don’t due to genetics, a broken nose, or a deviated septum), the needle should go in and out no big deal. That’s at least how it was for me.
I’ll admit when I saw him pull out the needle, it looked really huge, but it’s actually a really small gauge. For me, she applied a clamp, stretched my nose, and had me breathe out. While I was exhaling, she pushed the needle through. My eyes watered, but it really was over so fast, I barely felt anything. After that, she put a seamless ring in which was only a little painful. Really I want to rate this one a 1 out of 10, don’t worry, it will be fine!
We want to hear about your septum piercing experience!
Do you have a septum piercing? What was your experience like at the piercing shop? Everyone’s experience is different, so tell us all about it in the comment section below!
I’ve had my septum piercing for over 10 years now. I love it. Just like other people said, the worst and most painful part is the clamps. The actual piercing and healing process was very quick and easy and not very painful in my experience.
Randie M on February 11, 2021
I got my septum pierced last fall. It was my least painful piercing, probably a 2/10 on the pain scale. I did wind up taking it out after a month or so when I got a bad sinus infection and kept having to blow my nose which was irritating it. I do plan on getting it done again and have no fear of the pain. I love how elegant it looks.
Anna on February 11, 2021
I had mine pierced twice. The first time was done by someone who did it incorrectly. The second time done correctly but I don’t have a sweet spot so it hurt bad. I have multiple areas of my body pierced and this was my worst one by far but it healed good and I’ve had it for 4 years without any problems.
Kara on June 15, 2020
Mine did not hurt. I went in really scared but when the piercer pushed the needle in through my nose I felt nothing. It did make me tear up and when the jewelry went in it did feel a bit painful, but wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I have had my nipples, bellybutton, cartridge, septum and nose piercing, septum would be the most least painful piercing out of all the other areas. Also one of the fastest healing and least complications.
Megan Melville on June 01, 2020
My septum piercing was a good and supportive experience (I’ve had 6 others, including a nostril stud). Unfortunately and unpredictably my septum piercing went directly thru a nerve, and it hurt for months into my teeth and the tip of my nose whenever it moved or got bumped.
It didn’t bleed or cause external healing issues, it just meant that I had to wait an extra couple of months before it was desensitized enough to change the jewelry. It still hurts to change it, but once it’s in and I’m not messing with it, I never even remember it’s in there! I regret nothing 😁