Wassim Razzouk
Wassim started tattooing in 2007 after a long persuasion from his father Anton to carry on the business that would have stopped if he hadn't carried the torch, as no one from the 27th generation of the family was willing to take it into the future. When finally he decided to take over and carry on, Wassim decided to do so by advancing the old techniques and bringing them into the high standards of the present. Learning the techniques from his father and practicing exactly as Jacob did with his son, Anton, it all came together with the practice that was forced on Wassim during one easter season in 2007 when he had to tattoo 25 pilgrims in one session only, as his first clients. Soon after, he started tattooing in his father's shop in Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem as a part-time job but then moved to a more private location which was Jacob's old studio on the Christian Quarter street until he finally opened a new shop in 2016, which he still runs the family business in along with his two sons Anton and Nizar.
Wassim and his spouse Gabi managed to take this 700-year-old business and push it into the future with all the modern means available in this time and age, something that has resulted in making the Razzouk Tattoo name become a world-famous brand, so much so that it makes getting a Razzouk tattoo not only traditional but also trendy and fashionable.
The focus on the old stamps and their designs was a successful step that even the clients who come to the shop not necessarily wanting to get a tattoo, would simply buy replicated key chains of the original stamps as a souvenir or even as a gift. Another step taken by Wassim that aims to brand the business even further was to make merch available for sale online for fans worldwide.
Wassim's dedication to the business is obvious in his work in tattooing, but also in promoting the "Razzouk" name by cooperating with almost every media interview request, something that has resulted in spreading the story of this business worldwide through the biggest names in the media world such as CNN, BBC, Forbes, and numerous others as well as simple vloggers and college projects and articles.
Another major change in the concept of the Razzouk Tattoo business model was the decision to spread the name worldwide through qualifying ambassadors, this is done by inviting them to work alongside Wassim in the shop in order for them to experience first hand the dynamics and the energy of the studio in the Old City of Jerusalem. After at least a week or more, those tattoo artists would officially be certified by the family as ambassadors to tattoo their clients back home using official reproductions of the original stamps in a manner that would allow them to somewhat transfer the experience of the original tattoo shop to their own. Making this possible allows for even those who can never travel to the Holy Land to still be a part of the history of the Razzouk Tattoo tradition.
Having re-established the business in such a high standard, Wassim has paved the way for the next generation for them to use their own perspective and to put the touch of their generation onto the future of this historic business to hopefully continue nonstop. Wassim is currently training his two sons in the shop and slowly passing on the torch to the 28th generation.
