Tattoo artist Dr Woo, favourite of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, is inking a new path with his self-named skincare line and brand collabs

Brian Woo, a.k.a. tattoo artist Dr Woo, tells the Post about launching his own skincare brand, leaving his comfort zone and the truth about his waiting list

The artist is the go-to tattooist for major celebrities like Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey, Adele, Miley Cyrus, and David Beckham and his sons to name a few

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Brian Woo, a tattoo artist who goes by Dr Woo, during a recent visit to Hong Kong. Woo is the go-to tattooist for major celebrities like Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey, Adele, Miley Cyrus, and David Beckham. Photo: courtesy of Dr Woo

Published: 11:15am, 15 Apr 2023

“It’s good to be back in Hong Kong. It’s always felt like a second home and a haven – I have a routine here, I have the spots I hang out where I see my friends and I love the food,” says Brian Woo, a Los Angeles-based tattoo artist also known as Dr Woo.

We meet at the Upper House hotel in Hong Kong Island’s Admiralty district, where he was back after four years for a tattoo residency and to take part in the city’s recent Art Basel week – working with perfume brand Le Labo, doing a workshop with charitable initiative Shelter and attending a dinner hosted by Joopiter, a digital-first auction house launched by singer Pharrell Williams.

Woo is no stranger to the city. Over the past decade, the tattoo artist has routinely set up shop in Hong Kong to ink clients in Asia – many of whom fly in especially for his work – with his signature black and grey single-needle designs.

Since Woo last spoke to the Post, he has gone from being an in-demand tattoo artist with a roster of celebrity clientele – think Justin Bieber and his wife, Adele, Miley Cyrus, and David Beckham and his sons – to an entrepreneur with high-profile partnerships and his own brands.

Woo during a recent visit to Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy of Dr Woo

“You want your creativity to stand on its own platform and not be associated with celebrity. You don’t want your star to shine, dim or brighten alongside someone else’s,” he says of the progression.

After helping to bring tattoo art into the mainstream – aided by his 1.7-million-strong Instagram following – Woo is moving the narrative about him from being about the length of his waiting list and who is on it.