Empowering ink
For the thousands of Kiwis facing the overwhelming effects
of cancer, Stacey Peake’s cosmetic tattoo studio, nestled in the heart of Mount Maunganui, offers women the chance to reclaim their confidence in the wake of New Zealand’s leading cause of death.
words Karen Clarkson | photos Salina Galvan
Stacey Peake
As Stacey prepares for her day in her studio, Beautifully Enhanced, a welcoming, light-filled sanctuary, she reflects on her journey from running a nail bar in Te Puke straight out of high school, to her newfound passion for tattooing lips, brows and areolas. “From the start, I have always loved to help give women a sense of confidence, to feel good in their bodies,” Stacey shares.
At the age of 19, Stacey left the salon in Te Puke and headed for England, polishing her skills as a nail technician at Selfridges London and later working front-of-house at Michael Van Clarke’s award-winning hair salon.
After 16 years in the financial industry – from branch manager through to a successful career as a wealth coach for one of Australia’s leading banks – she welcomed twin boys, and chose to return to the world of beauty, training as a cosmetic tattooist and running a successful studio in the Gold Coast.
When Stacey returned to the Bay of Plenty in 2020, she was increasingly surrounded by family and friends navigating the challenges of cancer. Knowing she could make a difference to people suffering hair loss due to sickness, cancer treatments or alopecia, she started tattooing brows at a reduced price, before discovering her clients could receive a subsidy to get the service at no cost.
For many of Stacey’s clients, coming to her studio is a sensitive step in
their recovery journey. Her work is transformative, but the results go far beyond the physical, offering a renewed sense of emotional benefits to her clients. “When you lose your brows or your breasts, you lose part of your identity. It can impact your confidence, your sense of self,” she says.
Hearing more and more stories and the impacts of her brow work on her clients, inspired Stacey to gain certification to tattoo areolas for those women who have had reconstruction surgery or mastectomies due to treatment. “Working on intimate areas like the areolas is a highly delicate practice that requires a deep level of skill, combined with empathy.”
Stacey’s approach combines artistry with precision, spending up to four hours carefully recreating personalised, natural areolas. Using multiple pigments and needle techniques, she customises each tattoo to match skin tones and textures, bringing depth and realism to achieve a natural result. “Areola tattooing isn’t just about applying colour. It’s about mimicking the natural contours and textures – like Montgomery glands and constriction wrinkles – that give realism to the areola.”
One of Stacey’s most memorable experiences is with a close friend diagnosed with cancer. “We tattooed her brows right before she began treatment,” Stacey recalls. “When she started to lose her hair, she was incredibly grateful to still have her eyebrows. It was a small thing, but it meant the world to her.” Kate, another client shared, “Stacey is not just an artist; she’s a friend and a confidante. She listened to my story with such empathy, and the results were life-changing. I left with a new sense
of self, and I am forever grateful.”
With a deep understanding of the emotional and physical journey her clients are on, Stacey is acutely aware of the sensitive nature of the procedures. Before any treatment, she ensures that her clients have clearance from their oncologists and that sufficient time has passed for scars to heal. “I hope to create a safe space where my clients feel seen, valued, and supported. I spend a lot of time listening to their stories, understanding what they’re hoping to achieve. It’s a collaborative and deeply personal experience,” she explains.
Through her work, she has become an advocate for open conversations around hair loss and body image, breaking down the stigma that can come with these experiences as well as supporting cancer charities within the community, regularly donating her services for fundraising events. “For many families the work that I do is not always financially possible, so as well as the subsidies available for eyebrow tattooing, my areola tattooing services are heavily discounted. I also offer a free non-laser service for removal of radiation dot tattoos – gently lifting pigment to the surface versus pushing pigment into the skin where it can get into lymph nodes.”
For Stacey, the impacts of her work are written in the smiles, the hugs, and the renewed confidence of her clients. “Women enter the studio with feelings of vulnerability, yet leave with a renewed sense of empowerment and a reminder of their own beauty. Being able to offer a solution that helps someone feel complete again; it’s incredibly meaningful.”