I would like to say first of all, that every tattoo shop has its own style and its own approach to providing tattoos to its customers. There is no reason that Gold Coast should get blamed for a persons bad experience. Tattooing and Piercing are very serious things, and it is the employees judgment that is helping stop people from getting tattoos and piercings that in the future they may regret... All the tattoo artists at Gold Coast are some of the most talented in the county. Orlando has been tattooing me for quite a while now and i wouldnt dare have anyone else touch me with a needle, his creativity, detail to his work and his awesome personality make him a great person to have do your tattoo. The other artists at Gold coast share some of the similar qualities, and isnt it basically a given that if a tattoo artist is actually employed with Gold Coast that they have proven themselves to be the highest quality? Gold Coast always uses clean needles, allows you to design your own tattoo, and gives you a great sense of companionship in a tattoo shop. They want to know that your tattoo healed properly, they want you to come back or to refer your friends. I wouldnt send anyone to any other tattoo shop other than Gold Coast. I have been next to Orlando through his time at Creative visions and at Gold Coast. Gold Coast has been the winner. They offer the usual off the wall tats, but what other shop have you ever been to that doesnt? and yes, considering that over 60% of the Monterey counties revenue comes from the Military bases nearby it is only obvious that Gold Coast would have a high flow of Military members, why is that so wrong? In my opinion Gold Coast is and has been the best quality tattoo shop in the Monterey/Salinas area for a long time and will continue to prosper. read more

I must say, pretty darn kick-a$$ Customer Service at Gold Coast! ..and I'm in the Hospitality industry, so I'm pretty picky although I wasn't expecting that. I mean c'mon I'm walking into a TATTOO Shop. . .not the Intercontinental, right? Well, I walked in weeks ago and a girl at the counter was there with a really down-to-earth friendliness that calmed my nerves ( yes, I was a lil' nervous ). She grabbed some portfolios for me to view while I waited for 'Q' ...if it weren't for my indecisiveness that day, I would have chosen him because of his impressive work! He was awesome all around - but I was just simply not ready to be inked yet... .. .. . .Another week goes by and I'm ready to make the bold move into something more permanent than botox or an augmentation. Yup, ready to be inked. I'm a longboarder, diver, swimmer and have an incredible l-o-v-e for the Ocean......sooooo I decide on an Ocean-themed tattoo (something I've thought about for WAY too long). Shawn Franco drew out this perfect and beautiful octopus outline with starfish. I LOVED it! I originally wanted this piece to be symmetrical and on my upper back....but Shawn suggested it to be placed on my upper left...down to the middle. He is so COOL in the way that he's persuasive and convincing WITHOUT being "pushy" - he has incredible vision. What he drew and tattood on me that day is perfect for MY body & shape....something I can live with forever and bulid on! There is a reason this place was rated in 'The Best of Monterey' Coast Weekly for artistry and tattoos... ..Cheers ;) read more

I've had many awesome experiences at Gold Coast Tattoo and Body Piercing. My most recent one was by far the best. Every time I go in that shop, I'm greeted kindly and asked how I can be helped. The staff there is very friendly and helpful. I showed Rick Webster (my tattoo artist) the medallion I wanted replicated and tattooed on my shoulder. I wasn't sure exactly what style, shade, or types of detail I wanted included in my tattoo. Rick Webster took the time to talk with me about it, give me different ideas and tell me what he thought would look best considering his experience. He then quickly drew up a sketch. Once he showed me the sketch, it was perfect. Exactly what I wanted. He finished the tattoo in about 30 minutes. Not only was he fast, focused, vigilant, gentle, professional, and attentive while tattooing me, but he was also friendly and talkative, creating conversation to distract me from the tattooing process. My tattoo was done in no time, and it was perfect. I will never let anyone else tattoo me except Rick. Although, all the artists at Gold Coast are incredibly talented. Same with the piercer, Perry. Gold Coast has such a friendly staff, awesome atmosphere, extremely talented artists, great customer service, good prices, and keep an extremely well balanced business of professionalism with a little bit of fun!! I highly recommend going to Gold Coast for any new ink, touch-ups, piercings, or new jewelry. I, personally, won't go anywhere else for ink or piercings. :) Definitely 5-star experience every single time I go there!! read more

Worst tattoo shop in Monterey county. I had an appointment today that I had to miss because my mom was a raging alcoholic for 3 years. She has significant liver damage and today she was in incredible pain. I chose to skip my appointment with Carson because I wanted to be by moms side incase her liver failed. I didn't have cell service where I was at so I couldn't call and cancel. When I got home tried contacting g Carson and explaining this he said he didn't care and that he would never tattoo me again. He said even if my mom was on her death Ed keeping my appointment took presidence over being by moms side if her liver failed. At gold coast their only concern is their over priced work. I can get the same work done only better at Indian ink or studio 13 for a 1/4 of them. He then went on to insult me a bit then 86 me from ever getting work done there again all because I wanted to be by my mom's side. I will be pressing charges for proffessional misconduct and highly reminding if you want good work done for a fair price and have your artist actually show concern for you as a human being then go to Indian ink or studio 13. Gold coast is the worst possible place to get tattoos. Carson only stay pissed about me missing my appointment and didn't even bother to ask me if mymom was ok and be understanding and allow to reschedule instead he insulted me and 86d me. read more

First off, Gold Coast is a fantastic shop with great staff. The guys currently in there are great, and one of the dudes that people commonly complain about in bad reviews isn't there anymore. Shawn, who unfortunately isn't there at the moment, did a few pieces for me, and Q, who IS still there did a massive piece of four skulls and a tree for me that covers around 2/3's of my back. (If Gold Coast can, hopefully they will post pics for you to see) Q's work was far above any expectations I ever had for the art he put on my back. I spent many hours in his chair, and shared great conversations with him, and conversations with who ever else that happened to be working at the time. The whole staff is very friendly and I've seen work from a couple of the other guys too. I can say that they are all very talented artists. They are also reasonably priced and keep in mind that your money will not be wasted here. Q can do a very wide variety of work from what I've seen. From realistic to fantasy-from natural to mechanical designs- he is an expert in his field. I would highly recommend Q from my experience, and if I was going to be in the area longer I would have him do all my future tattoos if it was possible. read more

My first experience with Gold Coast Tattoo was when I got my nose pierced about 1 1/2 years ago. It was pretty quick & painless & I love it! So when my son and I decided to both get tattoos on his 18th birthday, it was my first choice! In addition, my niece had received two tattoos there & and given positive reviews on the experience. Q did my son's tattoo, which was his grandmother's Buddist name in Japanese Kanji on his forearm. It turned out great and my son said that it didn't hurt at all. I was a little undecided on what to get for my tattoo, so after speaking with tattoo artist, Rick Webster, he came up with a beautiful design for me. It was relatively painless & healed very quickly. I loved it! So much so, that I decided to extend it to a back piece all the way down my back. I have received many compliments on the beautiful artwork & have referred many friends, family and even clients that I work with to Gold Coast Tattoo Studio. I think Rick Webster is an amazing & talented artist, along with Q, tattoo artist and Perry, their peircing specialist and would recommend this shop to anyone who is looking to have a tattoo or piercing done. :') read more

I'm completely happy with my experience at Gold Coast, and I will be going back. Let's just say I have been tattooed many times and I have experience dealing with tattoo shops and tattoo artists. I went in the shop during a down time. Rick was there and he was tattooing someone else when I got there, plus there was someone waiting before me. That's a good sign, for you people who have never been tattooed before....If I go into a shop and nobody is tattooing someone, I wonder why? And then I leave. I had a long conversation with a man working there, I think he was a piercer. He actually taught me alot about the placement of tattoos and explained to me about using "panels" on the body, because at this point, I have to strategically place my tattoos. THAT WAS REALLY COOL! I was going to put my tattoo in a place that could later become difficult if I was going to put a big piece there (which will probably happen). As far as the actual tattooing goes, the experience was good. The shop was clean and Rick is a fast and efficient tattooer. PS - don't forget to tip your artist! read more

I visited Monterey,Ca for the first time in July 2006, I had a great time there. I actually flew in from Ohio to meet a friend, that is now my fiancee. when we were in Monterey,Ca we did alot of great things together & we wanted to get a tattoo while we were in Monterey,Ca we found Gold Coast Tattoo in downtown Monterey,Ca. we got the same tattoo on the both of us & I had another tattoo touched up & had some more artwork added to it & the guy who did our tattoos was great !!! He also worked at another tattoo shop in another area . He was great & the tattoos he did have always been special to me.i moved from Ohio to Fresno,Ca in october 2007 to be with my fiancee. we have been to the coast quite a good bit & i am looking forward to stopping by the gold coast tattoo shop & getting another tattoo done real soon !!! i really enjoyed getting my tattoo there & the guy who did it had a great personality !!! The shop was very clean & the prices were very affordable.....it was just Awesome & So Cool !!! read more

First TATTOO. This place is great! I walked in and they were super busy with what seemed to be a big military crowd, who all seemed to have really good tattoos to display. They were still very friendly and helpful, I immediately felt comfortable and welcomed. I went in for a Japanese style tattoo.. They recommended their new artist Dave Sinor and after reviewing his portfolio I could see why. I started with a Phoenix on my shoulder that he drew on me (holy shit I was nervous- but damn I had no reason to be!!) it is beautiful and I can't wait to finish it- I already have ideas for the rest of my arm! He was very knowledgable about tattooing in general, and pressed the importance of the design holding up over time. He explained how a lot of tattoos look great at first but after a couple years don't look so great, he seemed to really know a lot about tattooing rather than just do them. In the end I'm super stoked on my experience and will only be going to Dave for the rest of my work!!! read more

Great experience from start to finish. Shawn Franco was the artist, and he completely transformed an old tattoo I had on my chest that looked a little crooked to say the least. Shawn got down on it and added a little flair to balance it out an it seriously looked like a new tattoo. Not only that but the guy was super chill as well. Not the typical over eccentric artist type, he treated me like a person and not a piece of canvas which is something hard to come by with many tattoo artists. Wasn't afraid to bullshit with you while you were getting tatted. Great experience over all and I highly recommend Shawn for his work and customer service. Made my tattoo completely sick and was even down to do a little tattoo on my ribs on the same day for more then a reasonable price. If you want to get a clean tattoo with a lot of artistic incite, Shawn the dude. Ace of the shop from what I can tell.! read more