Brian, known as Dr. Woo, Hollywood’s most requested tattoo artist, started his love for tattoos at an early age—his first tattoo was at just 14-years-old. But it wasn’t until a decade later that he considered working as a tattoo artist.
“I was a tattoo collector from a very young age, but the deeper I got into that world, the further away being a tattoo artist seemed,” he told POPSUGAR. “Being at the shop regularly, I got to see the pedigree some of these guys had reached. It’s such a subversive culture, and I was intimidated. I was just some first-generation kid trying to find my own way.”
Dr. Woo started off as a buyer for a high-end fashion boutique and he caught his big break from legendary tattooist Mark Mahoney, who offered him an apprenticeship at his parlor. While there he watched tattooers, swept, cleaned toilets, bandaged clients, and ordered food before he got to finally work on his first tattoo—a shamrock— two years into the job.
But this was just what he needed as he built a reputation for himself and before long word got out that there was a “new” kid offering a twist on fine-line tattoos.
Fast forward to today and Dr. Woo is one of the most coveted tattooists with his clients including Hailey Bieber, Drake, Justin Bieber, Travis Scott, Kendall Jenner, and Zoë Kravitz. He’s created thousands of tattoos and amassed an Instagram following of 1.7 million.
