Acupuncture needles are extremely thin, 10 of them can fit inside the tip of a hypodermic needle (used for injections and taking blood) so if you can handle that, chances are, acupuncture will be relatively painless. I’ve had A LOT of acupuncture, so here’s my experience:
Usually the most painful part is when the needles are inserted (kind of obvious) but once they’re in, you forget they’re there. For most of the points, I only feel the ‘tapping’ of the guide tube on my skin. Some of the points can feel like tiny insect stings, or cause strange tingling or heavy sensations - which are only brief. Once they’re all in, you feel completely relaxed and I usually have an ‘acu-nap’, a little snooze.
I could be biased, so I also asked my clients ‘Does acupuncture hurt?’ on my Instagram channel, here are their answers:
If any of the points continue to hurt after they’ve been put in, please tell your practitioner - if this happens, I’ll remove the needle so you don’t tense up completely and never return.