State ranking · North Carolina
The 10 best tattoo shops in North Carolina
The best tattoo shops in North Carolina, ordered by an adjusted Google rating that weighs review counts: shops with 25+ reviews, one listing per address, nobody paid for a place. How the ranking works.
- 01Top
Asylum Ink Tattoo & Piercing Studio
5.0· 1,600 reviewsFayetteville, NC4762 Yadkin Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28303
Aftercare ProductsPiercing Services - 02
Seventh Sin Tattoo Company
5.0· 1,300 reviewsCharlotte, NC919 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
Fine LineJapanese / IrezumiBlack & GreyRealism / PortraitAftercare ProductsCover-Up Tattoos - 03
Welcome Tattoo
5.0· 1,000 reviewsDurham, NC316 W Geer St Ste B, Durham, NC 27701
Walk-ins WelcomeCustom Tattoo DesignsOnline BookingBy Appointment Only - 04
Wilmington Tattoo & Piercing
5.0· 977 reviewsWilmington, NC1047C S Kerr Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403
Walk-ins WelcomeCustom Tattoo Designs - 05
Anvil Ink and Art
5.0· 949 reviewsFayetteville, NC1424 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28301
Japanese / IrezumiRealism / PortraitAftercare ProductsWalk-ins WelcomePiercing ServicesFlash Tattoos Available - 06
Apocalypse Girl Tattoos
5.0· 935 reviewsCary, NC115 SW Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27511
Minimalist / MicroFine LineAftercare ProductsWalk-ins WelcomePiercing ServicesTattoo Touch-Ups - 07
Timeless Tattoo NC
5.0· 690 reviewsHope Mills, NC3061 N Main St Suite 113, Hope Mills, NC 28348
American TraditionalJapanese / IrezumiBlack & GreyRealism / PortraitAftercare ProductsWalk-ins Welcome - 08
Gypsy Soul Tattoo and Piercing
5.0· 478 reviewsWilmington, NC1818 Oleander Dr, Wilmington, NC 28403
American TraditionalRealism / PortraitWalk-ins WelcomePiercing ServicesCover-Up TattoosCustom Tattoo Designs - 09
The Lost Sheep Tattoo
5.0· 360 reviewsConcord, NC3805 Concord Pkwy S Suite 128, Concord, NC 28027
Aftercare ProductsWalk-ins WelcomePiercing ServicesCover-Up TattoosCustom Tattoo DesignsBy Appointment Only - 10
Evolution Ink Studio
4.9· 4,000 reviewsFayetteville, NC5924 Cliffdale Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28314
Aftercare ProductsPiercing ServicesCustom Tattoo Designs
Method
How the best tattoo shops in North Carolina are ranked
Shops are ordered by a Bayesian-adjusted rating: (n × rating + 348 × 4.79) ÷ (n + 348), where n is the shop's Google review count, 348 is the median review count across the directory and 4.79 is the directory-wide mean rating. Only shops with at least 25 reviews qualify; ties go to the shop with more reviews.
In practice, each shop's Google rating is pulled toward the directory average in proportion to how few reviews back it, so a 5.0 from a handful of reviews does not outrank a 4.9 from several hundred. To be listed, a tattoo shop in North Carolina must have a city and state and at least 25 Google reviews; a shop with two listings at one address takes one slot. 88 shops in North Carolina meet those rules; the top 10 appear here. Ratings shown are raw Google ratings and the score only sets the order. Nobody paid for a place and nothing is hand-picked. The list cannot tell you about artist skill, hygiene or price — visit the shop, look at healed work and ask. Full methodology.
Cities in North Carolina
Keep exploring