Balding Aussie men inspired to get hair tattoo by MAFS Mike Gunner

Blokes across Australia want to be like Mike Gunner from Married At First Sight, and are heading to specialist tattooists to have their scalps inked.

Exclusive: The hair tattoo of cocky and controversial Married at First Sight ‘husband’ Mike Gunner has inspired a new trend among balding men.

Gunner’s public admission that he had his head inked just prior to the filming of MAFS has led to a nationwide boom in hair tattooing — which gives the impression of a deliberately shaved head rather than one which nature has robbed.

The man who tattooed Gunner’s scalp, Aaron Grundy, said the exposure had been so good for his Gold Coast and Melbourne based business Hairline Solutions, he was booked solid until 2020.

Inquiries had more than quadrupled after news of Mike Gunner’s hair hack spread, he said.

“Mike had three sessions with me and I completely changed the way he looked,” Mr Grundy said.

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MAFS groom Mike Gunner before, left, and after his radical hair tattoo. Picture: Supplied

“They say social media is powerful but it’s got absolutely nothing on the good on Googlebox. There’s always been a regular flow of clients coming through but the amount of inquiries after Mike has literally exploded. In the early days, when Mike first made it public knowledge, I was fielding up to 50 calls a day.”

More than 90 per cent of inquires were from balding men but some women also opted for the procedure to give the illusion of thicker hair, he said.

Mike Gunner and Heidi Latcham pictured arguing on the beach. Picture: Supplied by Channel 9

The cost of hair tattooing can range from just a few hundred dollars for a very small area, to up to $5000 for a full head tattoo.

At Sydney’s Novascalp Micropigmentation Clinic, business has also boomed on the back of Gunner’s hair tattoo admission, with inquiries skyrocketing by more than 200 per cent.

Novascalp founder and master technician Brett Smith said there was no doubt the MAFS groom was behind the massive increase in interest.

Mike Gunner underwent a radical tattoo procedure on his head. Picture: AAP

At Melbourne hair tattooing clinic Scalp Ink, Peter Anestis has been “working flat out, seven-days-a-week”, for the last few months.

But Mr Anestis likes to believe his business has taken off recently because word has spread on the street about the quality of his work, rather than publicity following the reality TV groom.

Gunner, 43, declared himself heartbroken after splitting from his Married At First Sight wife Heidi Latcham, but was recently seen getting cosy with Jessica Williamson, 30, on a Gold Coast beach.

The ‘marriage’ between Married At First Sight couple Heidi Latchman and Mike Gunner didn’t last. Picture: AAP

It’s believed the MAFS groom’s new squeeze works as a fly-in, fly-out truck driver.

During his time on Married At First Sight Gunner divided viewers and faced a backlash over insensitive comments he made during filming, including telling Heidi “I’m not your therapist” when she spoke about elements of her traumatic childhood.

Married At First Sight: Mike Gunner and Heidi Latcham. Picture: Supplied by Channel 9

But his most controversial moment came during the finale when he told MAFS ‘brides’ and the country that female “biology” was to blame for conflict between the women on the show.

“There’s differences between men and women, don’t mistake that,” Gunner said.

“I mean, the matriarchy and the patriarchy are two different things entirely, and there are different dynamics at play.

“We’re seeing these girls have fallen apart and the men haven’t.

“Any group of women that are put in this same type of situation, maybe this (group situations) just doesn’t speak to their biology … there is actually some merit in that.”

Originally published as Balding Aussie men inspired to get hair tattoo by MAFS Mike Gunner