A city centre tattoo studio has become well known as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sacred Studios, found on Church Street, has been inking the community with everything from butterflies, flowers and infinity signs for over a year now. Dawn Mulholland opened the business in April 2021 with her son, Keir Brennan, who is one of the 13 artists working at the venue.
Millie, Dawn’s daughter, is also employed at the shop as the social media manager. Having a close-knit working relationship with her family is something Dawn prides the business on and aims to extend the feeling of togetherness to the shop's clientele.
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The cosmetic tattooist and co-owner of the studio told the ECHO : “When Keir and I decided to open a studio we knew that it was so important to have a welcoming, all-inclusive studio. Even though both of us are not a member of the LGBTQ+ community we have many friends and family members who are and we see the struggles and prejudice that they still face and honestly find it incredible that this still happens.
"My studio welcomes everyone, we won't tolerate ignorance or rudeness and we wanted everyone to be able to enter the venue and feel that they can be totally themselves and not be judged.”
The 53-year-old, who has lived in Liverpool for nearly two decades now, explained that while they do “have a large number of clients from the LGBTQ+ community”, the shop has clients from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome in the venue - provided “they are respectful” to not only the artists but other clients and their sexuality and identity.
The former hairdresser, who is originally from Yorkshire, added: “It makes me feel incredibly proud that all my artists are of the same mindset and welcome everyone and offer the community a safe space to come and express themselves. It also makes me feel humble and incredibly grateful that members of the community choose Sacred and support the studio in the way they do.”
Tattooing can be an intimate experience, especially for trans and gender non-conforming people. To help combat this, the studio has their clients fill in a consultation form where they note their preferred pronouns and offer customers a gender-neutral bathroom and private treatment rooms for their comfort in a bid “to get it right”.
Alexia Skye Fleming is a junior tattoo artist at the venue as well as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The 21-year-old explained how despite these measures being “such a small thing”, they have “impressed a lot of people and they really appreciate it”. Alexia, who has 34 tattoos herself, explained how tattoos are an important part of her self-identity.
She said: “I’ve loved tattoos since I was a kid, whenever my mum came home with a new one I was so amazed by them and how cool they looked on her that I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to be able to get my own. As soon as I turned 18, my mum told me she had saved up so I could get my first tattoo and I couldn’t believe it, I remember being so excited.
“They help me feel more confident and more like myself so there will be many more on the way. I’ve always felt that tattoos are a great way to express yourself and showcase some of your interests or things that you enjoy. I started getting tattoos to help myself feel more comfortable and confident in myself and it truly helps me feel more like myself, so I can only imagine it’s the same for a lot of other people as well.”
Often the community have the likes of a pride flag, a biological sex symbol or a rainbow tattooed on them as a way of living life as their authentic selves. Tattoo artist and shop manager, Keir, has seen an increase in requests for butterflies - a symbol which represents transformation, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns, for his clientele.
The 28-year-old, whose body is “75% covered” in tattoos, added: “I think people, in general, are wanting to push towards having more individuality in this world and being tattooed is one of the best ways to show off and wear that pride."
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