Oldest continually operating tattooists

The longest-running tattoo business is Razzouk Tattoo in Jerusalem, Israel, which has been trading in the city for at least 270 years. The Razzouk family trace their association with this ancient art form to the tattooing of Coptic Christians 700 years ago in Egypt before establishing a business in Jerusalem in c.1750 specifically to ink marks of faith on pilgrims to the Holy City. Their current store is owned and operated by Wassim Razzouk, a 27th-generation tattooist who learned the artform from his father, who in turn learned it from his.

Pilgrims to the Holy Land were originally tattooed outside the city's Holy Sepulchre Church. When a Razzouk ancestor, a Coptic priest named Jirius, arrived from Egypt on a pilgrimage, he decided to stay and ply his trade as a Coptic Christian tattooist. “Tattoo With Heritage Since 1300”, claims the sign outside the shop, referring to the family's Egyptian origins and 700-year history of inking. Their most popular tattoo is the Jerusalem Cross, a symbol of the Holy Land introduced in the 15th century by the Franciscans.

The oldest tattoo parlour in continual operation at the same address is claimed by Tattoo-Ole in Copenhagen. A tattooing business has operated out of the basement at Nyhavn 17 since 1884, although was only used exclusively as a tattooists from 1919.