The man behind Hangover Lounge opens up on tatts, tequila and taking time to enjoy the journey.
Taylor Pullen, come clean – when did you get your first hangover?
My first hangover was the morning after my 18th birthday party. Bali nightlife definitely got the better of me that night.
What were you drinking?
The whole night friends just kept buying me tequila shots.
Have you ever drunk it again?
Tequila and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship, old habits die hard.
Earplugs – not the deafening kind – why?
In my first year of primary school I started studying Indonesian. One day our teacher showed us some pictures of dayak people with long stretched earlobes and decorative designs tattooed on their bodies. I was infatuated, and that’s where my first interest in body modification came from. I started stretching my earlobes when I was about 10 years old and still do today. I can’t really imagine what it would be like to have normal ears again.
How many tattoos do you have?
My tattoos are hard to count because many of them are connected, but at the moment I have had around 60 hours of work done.
Which was your first?
A koi fish on my left thigh. Still one of my favourites
Which one do you wish you never got?
I don’t regret having it, but the tattoo on my right palm is my very high maintenance, because the skin there regenerates so quickly it needs to be touched up every four to six months
I hear you are a masochist and pierce your body with vel skewers – are you training for the Thaipusam Festival?
I wouldn’t say training for Thaipusam, but that is something I would love to witness in the near future. For me body suspension is all about pushing my body to its limits, it’s a similar endorphin rush to skydiving or bungee-jumping, only for me the high can last for months afterwards. It’s something I use as a tool for drive and motivation.
Instigating the Hangover Lounge – are we all really getting that drunk? Or is the aim more healthy?
There are definately two sides to it. For me Bali has always been a place to overindulge, whether it’s on the delicious cuisine, cocktails or even the Bali sun. After all we are in paradise – who wants to nurse a hangover when you could be out enjoying all the great things this beautiful island has to offer? The other side is health and well-being: vitamin therapy can treat many things including jet lag, fatigue, hangover, blood pressure, liver detox, depression, common cold or flu . . . and the list goes on. Studies show that a huge percentage of the population today are deficient in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants due to poor diet and hectic lifestyles. We believe that almost anyone can benefit from using IV vitamin therapy. Hangover Lounge is just the start – we are just about to launch our Healthcare service called Medicure healthcare. Also we have a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in the pipeline.
Where can we find you any given Sunday?
Depending on what kind of mood I’m in you could find me either drinking cocktails in the pool at Potato Head or chilling out on a bean-bag eating some bakso on Double 6 beach.
Your best secret warung?
My favourite right now has to be Warung Enak on Jl. Mataram, hands down best ayam betutu I have ever had.
Favourite footwear?
I’m a Converse kind of guy, can’t go anywhere without my chucks.
A word of advice to the world…
Asking a 21-year-old for advice? Wow. Well then my advice would be to never say no to an opportunity, always keep an open mind. Try to surround yourself with people that that you aspire to be like. And enjoy the journey.
www.hangoverloungebali.com
