LZ Hansen aka (Lara) Zoe Hansen grew up in Chelsea, London. Having been thrown out of boarding school at twelve, a few English public schools and a local comprehensive, she finally quit school altogether, at fifteen years old.

Punk Rock was making headlines in 1977 throughout her impressionable years. She grew up steps from The Kings Road which was highly influential.

At sixteen years old Zoe found employment at ‘Antenna’ a well known hair salon in Kensington, London, catering to the club scene and musicians.

Having always been fascinated with New York City as a child. At seventeen Zoe decided to see what the big apple had to offer. Armed with two hundred dollars and a beginners heroin habit, she was offered a job at ‘Girls Loves Boy’ hair salon in Manhattan’s Soho. Zoe quickly became the person to go to for hair extensions.
She settled into the East Village in 1984. A time when burnt out buildings were the norm and everyone went to Save the Robots & Danceteria.
Zoe was inspired by the small neighborhood of the East Village. It was the only place where young broke musicians and artists could fine affordable housing. Corner bodegas sold candy, sandwiches, beer, and cocaine. Everyone knew one another and she quickly found a family of friends.

Zoe discovered the sex industry in 1986. Due to an increasingly large heroin habit, that required more money than a styling job could offer. She trained as a phone girl for a small escort service on the east side of Manhattan. Realizing the real big bucks was to be made as a prostitute, she became one.
Zoe was living in the meat market on 9th Ave & 14th Street with a couple of friends. Downstairs trannies and whores worked the street. Zoe hated jumping over snow banks in heels going on outcalls. She eventually found the most comfortable way to work was in a brothel.
She moved into The Chelsea Hotel, into room 102 (which had originally been room 100) and discovered her love of writing. She soon found she was sleeping on a dried blood soaked mattress… could it be….the bed Nancy Spungon bled out on ten years earlier??
Over the next sixteen years Zoe went on to work as a brothel worker, street ho, massage girl, callgirl and eventually a madam.

In 1996 she describes what could only be a miracle. Finally after fifteen years Zoe quit using drugs. She had reached an awful bottom and was suffering from cocaine psychosis, sever paranoia, a bout of indocarditus, endless OD’s and collapsed veins weren’t enough to quit. It took a bright sunny day and a miracle. She woke up realizing her love affair with drugs was over for good. She flushed the drugs down into the New York City sewer, dried her eyes and began the long road to mending her ravished body and pissed on soul.

After a couple years unable to work at all due to drug addiction, Zoe was finally drug free. She decided to go back into the sex industry. Her plan was to save money, and open her own super brothel, and eventually make a hell of a lot of money! Dreams became a reality in 1999 when Sterling Ladies, was born on 21 St. & Park Ave. S. More were to soon to follow- The Blue Velvet Club, and Oasis New York.

Zoe has worked as a hairstylist, makeup artist, assistant, graffiti artist, go-go dancer, drug dealer, receptionist, owner of her own clothing store ‘Jezabella’, brothel worker, callgirl, street ho, massage worker, dominatrix, and madam.

Zoe closed her businesses just before the birth of her son. She felt it time to explore other avenues and interests.

She continues to live in the East Village NYC with her husband and child, while working on her memoir ‘My American Dream, Going Down in Gotham.’