Celebrity tattooist Lauren Winzer on mental health and normalising tattoos

Lauren Winzer is a bona fide tinseltown tattooist with some epic stories to share. Inking famous skin – the likes of Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Kelly Rowland and Toni Collette – she’s embarking on a whirlwind Kiwi tour for our Inked events. Inked is all about ink, drinks, beats and moustache treats and it’s our way of raising money for Movember, the charity changing the face of Men’s health. We caught up with Sydney-based Lauren ahead of her buzzing trip.

Kia ora Lauren! You’ve tattooed a number of celebrities – do you get nervous?

Quite often I don’t even know who they are until after! Which helps. I recently tattooed Teddy Swims when he was over for a concert and he was just the loveliest man, he was so kind to my mum and me. When people are that lovely, it’s just like working on a friend.

What is trending at the moment in the tattoo world?

A lot of fine line work is trending, especially as a way of interpreting old-school 80s designs. It’s so cool to see an older style reinvented in a modern way. People are also leaning into weirder colours and getting experimental – which is super fun for me as an artist!

We can’t wait to see your artistry in the flesh (mind the pun..) Who is getting tattoos these days?

Everyone! Celebrities are making tattoos a lot more normalised, and they’re very mainstream now. People are realising that they don’t change your personality and they’re not a ‘life ruiner’, they’re just another way of expressing yourself, like choosing what to wear or how to do your hair. The oldest first-timer I’ve had in the chair was a 92-year-old woman! I also did my mum’s first tattoo a few years ago. The different styles of tattoos are making it a lot more accessible.

Why is supporting Movember important to you?

I’ve lost a few close male friends to mental illness – I think it’s really important in general for men to have conversations about all aspects of their health. Women are often more open about their struggles, so anything we can do to get men to talk is a good thing – we need to normalise it. It’s so important to take care of yourself, but not everyone has the right tools in their toolbox to be able to do so.

This isn’t your first time jumping across the ditch to spend time in New Zealand – do you have a soft spot for us?

Absolutely! I have some really close friends in New Zealand so I love coming over to spend time with them. The first tattoo convention I ever did was actually in New Plymouth! It was massive and such an awesome experience. I’ve been coming to New Zealand for years, Queenstown especially holds a lot of fond memories. And I love catching up with my pals at QT too!

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To donate, visit www.movember.com. Head to your nearest QT for Inked on 11, 12 and 18 November.