I was relieved to have been sent to Punktured to write a review - my bike's had a flat for almost a year and I just never seem to get around to fixing it. But something told me that fixing punctures might not be what was on offer when I arrived at the shop to book the appointment.

I suppose I'd always fancied a nipple piercing anyway. But as it turns out, a nipple piercing is often described by the people who hold the implement that gets used to make the hole on the person who winces... as one of the most... well... uncomfortable piercings you can choose.

Two weeks to go before my appointment and I was excited. Until, that is, I discovered a couple of friends at a party had had their nipples pierced. One of them said it was a bit like stubbing his toe (this sounded reasonable... painful, but reasonable), but the other friend said it was more like someone stabbing her through the heart repeatedly with a steak knife. So no pain there, then.

I arrived at the shop eversoslightly concerned at what was about to take place. But I needn't have worried at all.

Punktured isn't like any piercing studio you'll ever have seen before. A more welcoming shop it would be hard to find, with doors that fold right back to the walls, brightly lit shelves of twinkly jewellery and a lovely bunch of staff who immediately calmed my jangling nerves. It was instantly evident that I was in good hands.

I sign my name, I choose my metal bar and I'm shown to the piercing room at the back. The next few minutes go by very quickly as we agree the entry and exit points, I'm cleaned up (not that I was dirty, of course) and marked up for the piercing. Various implements and a couple of bars just like the ones I'd chosen are taken from the steriliser unit ready for action... the gloves are on... the clamp is firmly in place on my nipple...

I'd be lying to say that there was no pain.

There was pain like I've never felt pain before, as it happens. But it was short-lived and at no point did I feel out of control of the situation. I didn't see any blood (but then I did have my eyes tightly shut throughout the procedure!), and I was soon on my way out of the door with some saline solution and my after-care instruction leaflet. And with a big smile on my face, of course!

There's something hugely satisfying about getting a piercing.

I've been following my cleaning instructions carefully and to date it has given me no trouble whatsoever. I've popped back into the shop to talk to the staff a couple of times and to buy myself some antibacterial soap... each time I go in I find myself looking up and down the shelves of trinkets and wondering...

It's often said that piercings have an addictive quality about them... once you've had one or two of them it's a slippery slope. I can already see what they're on about. Somewhere in the back of my head a plan is hatching for the next one. But perhaps not for few months yet.