Woman Shares Humiliating Experience After Being Asked to Leave Venue Over Facial Tattoo Policy

A 63-year-old woman, Kerrie Ashby, recently shared her experience of being asked to leave a popular waterside venue in South Australia, revealing that she felt “humiliated” by the encounter. Ashby, who was at the Colley Hotel with a friend on Sunday, was approached by a manager and asked to leave due to the venue’s policy against facial tattoos.

“The staff were looking at us — I am used to people looking at me and it doesn’t bother me,” Ashby told news.com.au. “But when I asked for the menu […] security was standing behind me, and the manager said I was being refused entry because the owners have a policy against facial tattoos.”

Ashby, who has a mandala tattoo along her hairline and a sea creature design on her neck, explained that she got the tattoos for her 60th birthday as a way to cope with her alopecia. She was shocked by the request to leave, as she had visited the venue before without any issues.

“It was a bit of a shock to my character to be refused entry,” she said. “I was gobsmacked. I wasn’t angry, I felt a bit humiliated. It was so unwarranted and unjustified. It’s not a reasonable cause. I dress well. I’m not troublesome. I am always respectful and I’m well-known in Glenelg. I was just really shocked.”

Ashby also questioned the consistency of the venue’s policy, asking where the line is drawn when it comes to facial tattoos, such as eyebrow, eyeliner, or lip liner tattoos.

The Colley Hotel’s website states its dress code as: “Clean, tidy and respectful. No intimidating, aggressive, or offensive tattoos or clothing are permitted. Please note that persons with facial tattoos are not permitted to enter the venue.”

A spokesperson for the venue told The Advertiser that patrons with facial tattoos are allowed if they cover them or if they have religious or cultural significance. “We totally respect personal expression, tattoos – a lot of our staff have tattoos – and we embrace body art, especially body art that reflects cultural significance, individuality,” the spokesperson said. “We just ask that neck, face tattoos be covered along with anything that may be aggressive or explicit.”

The spokesperson also invited Ashby to return, noting that they could discuss a solution. However, Ashby mentioned that her attempts to contact the venue via email had been unsuccessful.

This incident follows other high-profile cases in Australia where tattoo policies have been questioned. Earlier this year, Survivor star Jaiden Laing was denied entry to the Burleigh Pavilion in Queensland due to his tribal neck tattoos, despite attempting to cover them with a turtleneck. The venue later issued an apology in a similar incident involving another customer with visible tattoos.

Policies like these are becoming more scrutinized, as many argue they can be inconsistently applied, leaving patrons like Ashby feeling unjustly excluded.