Abstract Ink piercer Pauly Dunkleberger removed a needle from the arm of Aryan Hopkins Saturday.

After an hour of needle pulling, he only had a few hundred left to do.

Hopkins broke the Guinness World Record for most body piercings in one session at the Roseville tattoo, piercing and body modification studio. Owner, and Aryan’s wife, Ashleigh Hopkins said the final count totaled 1,093 needles, which beat the previous record of 900 piercings with 18-gauge needles.

“It’s amazing,” said Natasha Olson, whose boyfriend’s dad works at the studio.

They wanted 2,000, but stopped piercing when Aryan Hopkins’ body began to show signs of shock. They fell short of the overall record of 1,200 piercings, set in 2009, which used 16-gauge needles, which are larger than 18-gauge.

Dunkleberger inserted the needles into neat rows on both of Aryan Hopkins’ legs, arms and his back.

“It doesn’t exactly hurt,” Hopkins said. “It feels extremely weird.”

The event also served as a fundraiser for Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California. Local businesses and individuals donated money for each piercing. It took Dunkleberger about two hours to place all the needles before stopping and beginning the removal process.

“I think it’s crazy,” Dunkleberger said. “I wouldn’t let me do this to me.”

~ Sena Christian