[One important] thing [is] the concept of belonging. We all need to belong somehow. Through piercing, through S&M;, we belong. We lose race, color, [gender]. There is nothing there except what we want and what we want to do, and in that sense, we belong. That's important to me, and I think it's important to a lot of people. We don't have heterosexual [or] gay: we [all] belong to one group of people who enjoy being who they want to be. There are no limits. We are all in the same family. I'm a gay Puerto Rican male. I don't like to use the term "top," but [I] play "top" and get into a bondage, fatherly scene. I don't consider myself handsome; other people do. But we always look at ourselves differently. A lot of people, especially in the gay community, have heard from others [that] I'm "a hot daddy to get pierced by."

Piercing is something that has to come from the heart, not from the brain, not because someone told you [to do it], or just because everyone else has it. I developed fantasies in my 30s when I began to see that other people had fantasies. My fantasy was to help them fulfill theirs. But as a child, I [had no] fantasies. I guess that has to do with my own situation as a child--[I was] molested sexually. I always was afraid of certain things. As a matter of fact, I find it sometimes very awkward to get tied down or be submissive. When I do allow myself to do it, I enjoy it very much. But I have to allow myself to do it.

I pierce anything and everything! I kid [that] if I ever started a shop, I would call it "From Clits to Tits." I have done just about every piercing there is: eyebrows, clits, clit hoods; men and women, gay and straight. Having been married, having had children, and having gone from being a straight male to a gay male, it's just never bothered me.

I do a prescreening, which is very important to me and to the [clients]. I never lie to anyone and [say] that it's not going to hurt. I ask what kind of piercings they've had before [and] if they've had any problems. I ask what they're interested in and what jewelry they want. I show them pictures or talk to them about what they would like and give them some ideas. Jewelry is very personal. I never force people to use a certain kind of jewelry.

I always ask people if they are over 21. I want to make sure that the person knows exactly what he's doing. There's a statement I [always] read: "Do you understand that no piercing will be done if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs?" This is something that I hold very dear. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. I don't care if other people do, but when you come here for a piercing, I want you to know what you're doing. I don't want you to wake up [the next day] and say, "What the hell did I do?"

I need to know that the person has no [physical] problems. I always ask if they have epilepsy or diabetes. I have to know if they have hepatitis or HIV or AIDS or if they're on any medication. I am very careful. All my tools are sterilized. I have two autoclaves. Sterile conditions [are] very important. [With] a piercing, cleanliness is more important than anything. If you don't keep it clean, I always guarantee a problem. I always give [people] a sheet of paper that [lists] everything they should know and do.

I also have a disclaimer that I ask everyone to sign, [stating] that this is done willingly and that I will not be held responsible for anything that goes wrong afterwards. I guarantee their safety when they're here, but once they're gone, all I offer is help and assistance. I recommend a warm saltwater solution for cleaning, the old-fashioned remedy. I ask everyone to call me before doing anything drastic, like remove a body piercing. I [also] ask if the area to be pierced is under extreme punishment and activity. Some people laugh at that question, especially if they want a Prince Albert. They say, "No, not enough!" And I say, "Oh you poor baby!" In [one] woman's case, I asked, "Is [the clitoris] under a lot of activity?" and [she answered], "Not usually."

The reason [I ask] is that sometimes the area [has been] under torture, like the nipples, and [if so, the skin] tends to be a little [tougher]. I need to know how much force I'm going to be using [and] how to handle it: to be ready for problems if the needle doesn't go through right away.

If the person is ready, I prepare him. I clean him up. I mark the area to be pierced. I always talk to him. [The] feedback that I have gotten is that people feel comfortable when they're here. They come in the door, and they're nervous as hell. But by the time they walk up the stairs to the room where I'm going to do the piercing, they are comfortable. That is more important to me than anything. I'm in a position of a family doctor who is going to violate a part of their body. If a woman is going to lay down on a bed and open her legs, she has to feel that it's okay, and so do I.

I don't advertise. I [get referrals from leather] shops. To me, word of mouth is the best advertising. I get two to three calls a day for piercings, and I have to set up appointments in advance. I may do two or three piercings a day, sometimes five or six a day. Piercings are very seasonal. [In] summer, piercings are very popular. Winter, not too much, because you feel more discomfort in the cold weather.

[Washington D.C. has] a leather weekend, usually in January, where a thousand or more people come to a leather contest. In that weekend I do anywhere from 20 to 25 piercings. I have someone registering everybody, and I bring them upstairs. I have an autoclave going all the time, so sterility never changes, precautions never change. I have someone with me to always make sure that I am being cautious. That's usually my other half. He is usually here, watching me--he's like my nurse--to make sure that I don't do anything stupid. If I pick up an instrument before my hands are sterile, that instrument gets sterilized immediately.

[There are] many styles [of piercing]. I find that piercing a woman's [nipple] is a lot easier than piercing a man's. A man's nipples are smaller and a bit on the tougher side, whereas a woman's are a little more tender and a bit longer. I find it a little harder to get the needle through [on a man]. [On] a woman, [it] will just go right through, and half of them don't even feel it. Yet they're terrified that it's going to hurt. I pierced my nipple and had no pain and no blood, but I was on a natural high. This is what I wanted: my heart said do it, and it felt good.

I have had many people [who got] maybe 10 or 15 piercings on one ear alone, all the way from the top to the bottom. I've had two people come in and want the eyebrows pierced. I even had someone who wanted a little bit of the skin on the side of the cheek pierced.

Of all the piercings on a man, the one that I think is the nicest is a Prince Albert. It's also the fastest to heal, in my opinion, because the urine is sterile, and the salt tends to help healing. A frenum [piercing] is one of the simplest to do. It hurts the least, but it still hurts a little. There's a foreskin piercing, where you pull [up] the foreskin and pierce right through [it]. Sometimes a person wants a small ring on it, so [he] cannot pull the foreskin over [the head]. [Then the piercing] can be used [as] a chastity [device]. Or it can be a large ring where the foreskin will go totally around the head when it's enlarged. An ampallang, I have been told, is a wonderful sensation, especially for women. Both the ampallang and the apadravya are a little on the dangerous side. If done wrong, the person could bleed a great deal, because when you're hard, you have vessels that fill up with blood, and if you penetrate those vessels during any one of these piercings, you open that little tube, and it [will] drip until it's healed.

There's a guiche and [also] a hafada, which is [placed] either on the left or the right side of the scrotal sac, depending on your [D&S;] interest.

I [started] in the leather scene. I [got] involved in one of the local Levi-leather clubs [and became] interested in some of the people's scenes. They would tell me, "I'm into bondage." Some people were into being branded. Other people were into being shaved. I can't think of too many things I haven't tried. I think that my favorite part of all is bringing the person out of it. I get a wonderful inner satisfaction as I take everything off of the person and just hold him in my arms and give him the love, the warmth, and the reassurance that he needs. I have seen a lot of people not do [that] for others, and I think it's very detrimental. That is my favorite part of it all.

[S&M;] has made me a more loving person. It has made me honest. I used to be very shy, would speak only when spoken to, would never argue a point. Now I'm the opposite. I [am] more curious now, more involved. I am more aggressive. I'm hardly ever depressed any more. I attribute all of that to my doors being opened; my true inner self was finally let out. I finally figured out that I've always been this way; it's just that it was inside of me and never allowed to be brought to the surface. When I'm into the top or the master [role], I can get as ornery and as harsh and as hard as I have to, but I always [think]: how would I want to be treated overall? I want to feel loved. And that's what I give: this love that they need.