Impulse Purchases

College is the time for meeting new friends, making lasting memories and filling your mind with as much rich, valuable information as possible. Of course, it is also the time to make rash decisions and questionable purchases. I am not necessarily endorsing reckless behavior, but sometimes acting on an impulse is the best thing you can do.

On Sunday night, I was sitting in the apartment of my best friend — let’s call her Kate — when we decided that we should get piercings as soon as possible. I am not quite sure how exactly the idea came about, but we had somehow come to the conclusion that it had to be done.

So the next day, after our art history class, Kate and I took a cab to Federal Hill and walked into Saints and Sinners.

Saints and Sinners offers tattoos and piercings from some of Baltimore’s best. It is a preferred watering hole for those who thirst to be #alt.

In all seriousness, the space is beautiful, clean and spacious, and everyone we met was incredibly friendly (shout out to Alex for the picture). Saints and Sinners offers a knowledgeable staff and two floors of sterile rooms for your needle needs.

Although neither of us got tattoos and therefore cannot speak to that aspect of Saints and Sinners, we met a beaming Loyola student who proudly showed us the piece she had just gotten on her ribcage. Each of the shop’s five award-winning tattoo artists have been at it for years and certainly know what they are doing.

After talking with Alex at the front desk and Cheyne, the piercer, we decided on our jewelry and prepared ourselves to get punctured.

At this point I should probably let you in on something: Kate has a substantial phobia of needles. I once sent her an FKA Twigs music video and she refused to watch it because there were needles in it. Her doctor prescribed her Valium for when she has to get shots. She really, really, really hates needles.

Needless (no pun intended) to say, Kate was uncomfortable. She picked two rather ambitious piercings: the septum and the tragus. She repeated to me how nervous she was time and time again, yet somehow Cheyne made her feel at ease. He was friendly and laid-back, but still confident and reassuring. Kate walked out of Saints and Sinners essentially unphased.

This was my seventh time getting pierced, and it might have been my best experience. Despite the fact that the daith is in a bit of an awkward place and requires puncturing cartilage, Cheyne made it seem simple. I had new metal within seconds, and the pain was minimal.

Kate and I both had a great experience and agreed this was the go-to place in Baltimore for piercings.

Afterwards, we had to stop in at Sound Garden, the record store across the street, and make a few more reckless purchases before the day was done.