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Wonder what's trending on L.A. ears right now? "Rook piercings, that's what's really popular — I'm doing more of those than I've ever done," says Brian Keith Thompson, L.A.’s most in-demand celeb piercer. (Think: He works with Beyoncé, FKA Twigs, Jessica Alba, and many more.) And while body and face piercings — the nostril, navel, and nipple are huge, he reports — continue to grow in popularity, this low-key trend might have you adding to your conventional lobe hoops ASAP.
Here's what you need to know about the rook: It's essentially the sister to the daith piercing (which is also wildly popular at Thompson’s Body Electric Tattoo Studio). The rook, however, is placed a smidge higher than the other cult piercing. Also an important note, the rook is one of the more practical cartilage piercings (in case your pain tolerance is on the lower side). Why? It’s an easy healer because it’s hidden inside the ear, meaning it won’t get caught on your clothes or get snagged in your hair as much as those annoyingly slow healing, outer cartilage piercings. And if you’ve ever had a fresh piercing, you know that hurts like hell when your hairbrush hits your newest adornment. Plus, the rook is in the ear, so you can sleep on your ear immediately — seriously.
For your rook, you can wear a trendy hoop, a curved barbell, or anything else. Tip: Thompson tells us that you really should start with a bar, however, since it tends to heal faster than other jewellery, but regardless of how you chose to adorn yours, the ear envy will be real.
For some major ear-spiration check out the best of Thompson's rook work ahead.
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