Thumbnail

The pubic piercing is placed in the natural juncture where the body and the shaft meet, at the top of the penis. It is a very attractive and potentially functional placement for body jewelry. A ring in your pubic piercing can stimulate your partner’s clitoris when you are face to face during intercourse.

There is no apparent historical precedent for the pubic piercing, but it has been gaining in popularity in recent times.

General Information

Thumbnail
Lenny Kravitz showing his pubic piercing, which I performed in 1996; it was still there in 2016

This is a good choice if you desire a genital piercing that is visible when you are undressed, or one that does not actually pierce the penis. The pubic piercing is not involved in penetration, but it still has the potential to be sexually functional. In fact, I'd describe this as the best male genital piercing to provide a partner with added clitoral stimulation. (And the apadravya is best for a partner's g-spot stimulation.)

Pubic piercings seem to have a bad reputation for migrating and rejecting. There are several relevant factors for success, and a critical one is the “pinchability factor” of the tissue. If the skin there is not pliable, but is quite dense and tight to the body, this will make healing—and the piercing process—more difficult, or impossible. 

It is vital to place the pubic piercing deep enough in pliable tissue at the appropriate location, with fairly sizable (wide) jewelry.

Rock star Lenny Kravitz has displayed his pubic piercing in some of his more risqué photos, and this placement is sometimes referred to as "The Lenny" piercing. It made an accidental appearance when Lenny suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a concert in 2016, which resulted in an upsurge in its popularity.

Kravitz explained the piercing and boasted in an interview with Contact Music:

"I've never taken it out. It's a hoop about the size of a quarter. It hits the lady where she likes it and, because it swings, it can be effective in any position."

For more on Lenny and the piercings I performed on him, see this article.

Healing Time
3-4 months or longer

Want to get pierced by Elayne Angel?

 

Placement

A properly placed pubic piercing is located in the natural crease or groove where the top of the penile shaft meets the body. It is frequently placed—incorrectly—on the flat portion of the pubic mound. This too-high pubic surface piercing is significantly harder to heal than one that is properly positioned.

Because so many piercers put them in the wrong area, and in skin that is too taut, this piercing has developed an undeserved reputation for high rejection rates. For the pubic piercing to be successful, the initial placement does need to be wider than that of most body piercings. I routinely encompass a minimum of about 3/4" of tissue. When the piercing is set wide enough in pliable tissue at that juncture, healing is not usually problematic.

If this natural juncture is not evident as you sit or stand, simply lift the penis to make this groove or line appear. 

If you are marked while you are seated, the piercer should also check the placement while you are standing, because the angle may change with the position of your body. I normally use standing as the baseline for placement.

Marked for a pubic piercing at the natural juncture of the shaft and the body
Marked for a pubic piercing at the natural juncture of the shaft and the body
pubic placement
pubic piercing placement
A pubic piercing with curved bar on a man with frenum piercings
A pubic piercing with a curved bar on a man with frenum piercings
Pubic piercing on a build where the juncture is very evident
Pubic piercing on a build where the juncture of shaft and body is very evident
A pubic piercing with ring (plus a Prince Albert)
A pubic piercing with ring (plus a Prince Albert)
Fresh pubic piercing and apadravya with very large ball
Fresh pubic piercing with curved bar and apadravya with very large ball
A surface piercing on the pubis (but not a "pubic piercing")
A surface piercing with barbell on the pubis (but not a "pubic piercing")
A surface piercing on the pubis (but not a pubic piercing--too high)
A surface piercing with curved bar on the pubic mound (not a pubic piercing--too high)

Jewelry

I suggest 10 gauge as initial piercing size for the pubic piercing. A curved bar is the safest, most comfortable style as it is subject to less friction and stress than a ring. That said, I've started many successful pubic piercings with rings, including Lenny's

I would normally select a curved bar with a minimum diameter of 3/4". Depending on the local anatomy, I frequently use curves in the neighborhood of 7/8” diameter initially, and sometimes up to 1". Ball size must not be so large as to push the bar away from the body.

For a ring, the 7/8" is the usual minimum diameter, which is really quite large and can be cumbersome initially. These sizes allow for placing a sizable amount of tissue between the piercing's entry and exit points. Since it is normal for the pubic piercing to lose some tissue as it heals, this is important in order for there to be a viable piercing left by the time the process of healing is completed. If you use a curved bar, once healed, you may need or want to downsize to a shorter post.

Or, if you begin with a bar, you may want to change to a ring later, especially if the sexual pleasure of a female partner is among your motivations for getting the pubic piercing. The captive circular barbell is one of the best options for that purpose, as the three balls provide the best chance of connecting with the right spot for her enjoyment. A captive ring with a textured silicone ball is another interesting variation.

Keeping your pubic hair trimmed will help make home jewelry changes easier. Because the channel is wider than most, you should use an insertion taper during swaps.

Captive Circular Barbell
The captive circular barbell (a circular barbell with a captive bead added to it)

Procedure

Prepare by shaving or trimming the area well before you go in for a pubic piercing. Following tissue manipulation (a lifting, rolling localized "massage") to prepare the area, I use forceps to hold everything securely in place as I swiftly perform the piercing procedure.

A pubic piercing may bleed, swell, and/or bruise afterward, but it is not among the most vascular or tender of the male genital piercings. Most men do not find the pubic piercing to be particularly sensitive or intense.

Learn which piercing(s) you are built for?

Healing and Troubleshooting

You might find it comfortable to wear a panty liner or thin sanitary napkin to protect the area with a layer of absorbent padding for at least the first few weeks. Some men find them so helpful that they wear them throughout initial healing. Simply place the padded side across your piercing (horizontally usually works best). Peel off the strip so that the lightly adhesive back of the liner sticks to your underwear. It works like a charm! Using clean scissors, you can also cut these to fit in whatever size or shape suits you best.

Like the lorum, the jewelry in a pubic piercing may be able to help hold a condom in place. But a prophylactic won’t cover the actual pierced tissue in this area. So, throughout healing you must wear a waterproof bandage to avoid sharing bodily fluids during sexual activity.

The images below show a pubic piercing that was not placed in the natural juncture where the pubic piercing should go. Though in his case, that groove is so deep, it may have presented problems for healing; I would likely have declined. In the second image, his piercing has clearly passed the point of no return and is rejecting. The jewelry should be removed right away to prevent additional scarring.

A pubic piercing I did not perform--not at the natural juncture
A pubic piercing I did not perform that is not at the natural juncture
The same piercing, obviously rejecting
The same pubic piercing is obviously rejecting

What My Happy Clients Say

My appointment with Elayne was simply awesome. She paid special attention to placement of the piercings--Reverse PA, pubic, and lorum

The actual piercings were over in an instant and didn't hurt nearly as much as I had been fearing.

I can't say enough nice things about this experience. I could not be happier. If you are considering a new piercing, I highly recommend you reach out to Elayne. 
 

C.
Oklahoma City, OK

I had my pubic piercing (The Lenny) done by Elayne and all is well, it is healing very nicely. This is my third one done by Elayne, (Prince Albert and Lorum are the other two) and I am forever grateful that I found her to do them.

She is the consummate professional with a gentle touch and very patient and very informative.

I love all three of my piercings. After the first one you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

M. A.
Philadelphia, PA

I would highly recommend Elayne to anyone looking to get any type of piercing done!

L.