Dr. Woo is more than a tattooer to the stars. He apprenticed under the famed Mark Mahoney, learned the ropes, and is now one of the hottest, most sought-after tattoo artists. His work ethic and commitment to the past opened up an unlimited future. From stick and poke and India ink treatments with his friends as a kid to tattooing A-list celebs, he’s more than just a cool photo from Instagram.
Woo, as he’s known by his friends and clients, spent years at Mahoney’s Shamrock Social Club on the Sunset Strip learning everything about the business. He swept floors, cleaned stations, and made appointments, but it took a couple of years before he completed his first tattoo.
He left Shamrock to pursue other opportunities and opened a private studio called Hideaway at Studio X in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. His exclusive space became a haven for all things art, design, fashion, and music. This is where he started to develop bigger ideas for his vision and future.
Everything from furniture to glassware, skin cream to jewelry, Woo has collaborated with companies and products that align with his tastes, interests, and lifestyle. He sees it all as an extension of ideas he’s had since he was a kid growing up in LA.
Woo watched the taboo of tattoos in skate and punk culture evolve into fine art and design, recognized by companies like Porsche and Lamborghini which used his ideas to develop the next aesthetic of cool and sleek. He still sees tattoos as a subculture, within the big picture of popular culture.
“Who gets tattoos and why hasn’t changed; it’s about rebellion,” Woo said. “The difference now is the fine art approach.”
Woo was one of the first to use social media to accentuate his work and designs. Having a bigger lens on what he’s doing only helps bring the culture to more people around the world. Woo thinks this new way of sharing and accessing work makes the whole process more democratic, allowing more people to learn the craft, share their work, and become a part of the community.
Woo sees tattooing as a trade; one that should be worked, refined, and never mastered. He likes to push what is possible, and experimenting with the medium only helps it get better. While it’s important to help merge the art with how people see and experience it, he wants the work to stand out ahead of the artisan.
“Good art should influence everything,” Woo said. “It’s always evolving.”
He’s not above re-creating other people’s work, if that’s what the customer wants, but he insists on putting his own spin and style into every piece. Like covering someone else’s song, the best ones stand out and become their own thing. Woo believes every good design has to start somewhere. His respect for the past fuels his desire to design the future. Woo likes creative obstacles and believes they sharpen the knife of his own creativity.
“You have to add your own imprint and perspective,” Woo said. “It’s getting harder to be completely original these days.”
His single-needle, black-and-grey designs started as a direct influence from Mahoney and the tattooers he grew up admiring. He also learned how to create a brand and carry himself, and about Mahoney’s respect for the process. At Shamrock he learned to treat everyone the same, from the famous to the infamous, and what it takes to create a memorable experience for the client. It is more than just a job; you must respect how important the moment is for the client. Getting a tattoo is symbolic and often a turning point in someone’s life; something they’ll remember forever.
Woo understands the foundation laid by his mentors, including Mahoney, and the work they did to make tattooing accessible to everyone. He knows they weren’t looking to get famous or create an exclusive scene — they were simply looking to provide an opportunity for anyone interested in working at a street-level shop.
“Mahoney is the true essence of cool,” Woo said. “You don’t meet guys like him every day.”
Always looking to grow, change, and push the culture in a different direction, Woo is paying homage to those who came before him, yet again. He plans to open a 6,000-square-foot street-level shop along Hollywood Boulevard. He wants to bring tattoos back to the people, help new artists develop, and build the next-generation community. Not far from where he started, he now sees the importance of bringing tattoos back to everyone. He’s come full circle and is coming out the other side with a clearer vision of what he wants the future of tattooing to look like.
Woo enjoys the freedom of being an artist but understands his legacy and contributions to design are rooted in the simple act of creating art on skin. He wants to build a home base to continue turning his art into reality while building a sustainable business. His new space will reflect everything he enjoys, including art, fashion, music, and design.
Woo works best when surrounded by an environment he can feed off of. He’s uncertain about where the next chapter will lead him and he’s ok with that.
“Uncertainty and change really fires me up,” Woo said. “It fuels me personally and creatively.”
A proud Angelino, Woo looks forward to opening up to the world again; to grow his name and brand, and share his vision of LA tattooing with the people who visit and want to learn about the culture. He’s also pursuing opportunities around the world to bring his vision to those who want a different experience with design.
From intern to celebrity go-to artist, to his private studio, and back again, his ideas about carving a path and educating others on doing the same have not changed. From riding skateboards with his friends growing up in California to cruising on motorcycles, and pursuing new ways to spark creativity, Woo is taking what he learned and forging a new path forward.
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