Needle Play Class

Needle Play- "Also known as play piercing or recreational acupuncture, is the act of temporarily piercing the skin for pleasure. The needles are removed after the experience is over, allowing the wounds to heal."

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For many in the kink and leather community, Needle Play is an exciting and unique way to explore different sensations and experiences, a powerful release, and a form of exploring the limitations of the body. In the piercing community, play piercings are an artistic, ritual process designed to create evocative images and experiences with the body as a canvas. Lynn combines elements of both in their Intro to Needle Play Class, designed to safely educate both tops and bottoms on exploring Needle Play. This class is designed for pairs of one top (piercer) and one bottom (piercee) to attend together. This is for folks entirely new to Needle Play and excited to explore, folks who have done some but want more structured training, and intermediate tops who want to learn from a professional piercing perspective. 

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Class Scope

• 60-minute long presentation reviewing basic terms, hygiene, safety, risk, and piercing technique. 

  • Visual and Verbal presentation, with options for attendees to record​

  • All slides and resources provided to attendees digitally after the class

• 30-minute long Demo with demo bottom showcasing technique, from prep to post.

  • Attendees will be encouraged to get up close, ask questions, and interact during the demo​

• 90 Minutes of hands-on education, where Lynn will work with everyone individually to practice the skills reviewed in the class. This includes setup, piercing, creating blood prints, aftercare, breakdown, and a review of concepts.

  • Hands-on may look different for different pairs. Some may do only 1-3 needles and stop there. If there is interest in doing more or trying different techniques, simple circle stencils of 6, 12, and 24 needles will be available for use​. As this is an introductory class, we will not be getting into complex designs, or more complex areas of the body to pierce (ie faces and genitals)

  • Both Lynn and a demo bottom will be available for working on different techniques and interactions

  • Blood Prints can be created as a way to memorialize the experience- and they are fun!

• Hands-on will be done with 25g needles on simple-to-pierce areas of the body. This includes upper arms, chest, stomach, back, and thighs. As this is an introductory class, larger gauge needles and more advanced body parts (face, hands, genitals, feet) will not be included.

• Class is limited to 4 piercing pairs max.

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Class Cost

• This class operates on a sliding scale basis. 

• 75$ is the minimum cost for 1 pair. This cost covers supplies. (needles, gloves, PPE, setup stations, blood print materials, etc.) 

• 125$ is the highest tier cost, covering supplies, instructor time, and wages. 

• Every class offering also has 1 fully free slot, open to any marginalized group for whom even the lowest tier is inaccessable. This is designed to make this education more accessible to the entire community. 

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Class Prerequisites 

Required

• Bloodborne Pathogens Training- attendees must have a current BBP certification. We suggest protrainings(Healthcare course is shorter, Body Artists is cheaper, both are great) or the APP General BBP. 

Suggested

• First Aid Training- We suggest anyone doing play piercings maintain current first aid training.

• CPR- We suggest anyone doing play piercing or participating in kink scenes have current CPR training

• All attendees, but particularly bottoms, should eat a good meal before 2-3 hours before arrival, get a good night's rest the night before, and stay hydrated. Water, snacks, and glucose will be available at the class. 

•  Please wear comfortable clothing with easy access to the area you would like to pierce (suggested spots include thighs, back, stomach, chest, and upper arm). If folks are more comfortable shirtless, this is fine. Accessable clothing might look like tanktops, low cut shirts, skirts that can be lifted, shorts, comfortable pants that can be rolled up or down. Tops should have sleeves that can be easily rolled up to the elbow, or short sleeves. 

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FAQ

• Why is BBP required? I don't see other needle classes requiring this?

Lynn believes that any time the skin is broken, it is essential to have proper education and training on how to manage this safely. Particularly for those who play in public spaces, i.e. dungeons, events, or parties, it is on you to keep both the bottom and everyone else in attendance safe. If you are working with blood, a minimum requirement is bloodborne pathogens safety skills. Recent increases in the spread of bloodborne pathogens in the Seattle area and recent reports of cross-contamination in kink spaces point to a real need for greater education and awareness. The goal of this course is to bring professional piercing education and knowledge to the kink community, and part of that is encouraging more in-depth training rather than just covering the basics. The average cost of online BBP courses is 25$, and the cost of this course has been reduced by 25$, to encourage those interested in attending to pursue this training. 

• Why isn't First Aid/CPR required? 

While Lynn believes that all three trainings are important to safe practice, they also acknowledge that this can become a barrier of access for many in the kink community. General first aid and CPR is often accessible through means other than specialized training, and as such while we suggest having this, it is not a course requirement. 

• I don't have a bottom/top to attend with- can I still take the class?

Each course offering will have space for 1 solo attendee to work with either the demo bottom or Lynn for the hands-on portion of the class. However it is strongly suggested to attend with a partner. 

• I cannot afford this class, but am still interested in learning. Can you work with me?

Each course offering will have 1 fully free community slot for 1 pair (or solo attendee) in order to make this education more accessible to the community. If you are not chosen for this slot, please reapply at the next offering of the class.