When something monumental occurs, there are few ways to etch the moment in time before it drowns in the metaphysical ether. Acclaimed tattoo artist Dr. Woo is well aware of the frustrating ephemerality of the moment: Woo is in the business of bodily memory-keeping. 

It’s a sweltering summer afternoon in Los Angeles when we speak, and Woo is reminiscing on skate-fueled, low-slung summers of his adolescence, recalling details in an instant, evoked by a scar on his knee: “I was skating downhill and all was well until I hit one singular pebble, and I flew straight into the air,” he laughs. There is something to be said for corporeal reminders of time’s passage by way of incidental scarring—a process more deliberately illuminated in permanent body art.

Dr. Woo was raised on a cultural diet of Ed Templeton and Toy Machine, Elliott Smith, and Good Will Hunting, drawing from them the artistic textures necessary to become an apprentice of tattoo legend Mark Mahoney. He built a name for himself at the esteemed Shamrock Social Club, where his black and grey, thin-line style tattooing became so sought after that he subsequently opened his independent, appointment-only studio in Hollywood—Hideaway at Suite X, the appointments for which are available to book via the studio’s Instagram page and the respective artist’s profiles directly.

As an LA native, Woo pays respect to the artistic styles from which his popularity emerged. “In the early 80s, [fine line tattoos] were coming out of the Southern California prison system where Chicano artists were exploring black and gray fine lines while incarcerated,” Woo posits on the popularity of thin-line and its tenured intrigue amongst tattoo goers. “That eventually made its way onto the streets. Those tattoos, and the culture surrounding it...you couldn’t really get that elsewhere.” While Dr. Woo has more of a single-needle style, it’s an extension of thin-line designs that became ubiquitous throughout his teens, deeply rooted in Angeleno culture.

Outside of his highly regarded work with celebrity clientele, Dr. Woo’s process with luxury watchmaker Roger Dubuis saw him take his craft to Geneva. He regards The Excalibur Dr. Woo Monotourbillon collaboration with utter appreciation: “There ended up being a lot of parallel within watchmaking and crafting a tattoo. Precision, attention to detail, and respect for craftsmanship. The 10,000 hours mantra is genuine. Technique is a tool that needs to be sharpened.” The apprenticeship aspect of watchmaking and tattooing are kindred spirits of a bygone era, Dr. Woo proudly asserts: “You can trace who I learned from back to the people who even taught my mentors, which is very rare living amongst the YouTube, self-taught era.” 

These days, Woo’s creativity comes from a more specific, tender place. He sees life now through the lens of his children—their curiosity, their capacity for memory. “In a way, there’s a better, brighter outlook on the things I do. I did lose a bit of edge, sure, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Fourteen years in as a father—as long as the intention to the craft is still sincere, curious, and difficult.” The time spent slowing down, Woo says, will always be worthwhile.

A tattoo, like a scar, can remind us of moments we might otherwise forget. A tattoo, unlike a scar, though, reminds us that the body is not a monolith, and that we have agency over our own decisions, our memories aging and maturing alongside us. Dr. Woo is here to help those who wish to memorialize their lives atop their own skin. He reflects, “The most impactful experiences have been with people who have stories I’ve never heard before...Sometimes I don’t even remember what the tattoo is. It’s the ceremony, the memory we share—that’s what I cherish far more than the image.” 

Photographed by Ian Morrison

Styled by Christopher Campbell

Written by Klayton Ketelle

Grooming: Carolina Ballosteras 

Digi Tech: Michael Seeley

Photo Team: Justin Seeley

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