I got my first tattoo here and it went well. My sister recommended me to come here because she got a couple tattoos here. I got a simple anatomical heart that will eventually be shaded in later. I brought a few friends with me and they were allowed to sit next to me while I was getting my tattoo. I had a good conversation with my artist. Customer service was good for me. Read Less

Honestly, this tattoo shop is always #1 in my recommendations when getting a tattoo and I've been coming here for almost a year and a half! Each tattoo artist always has an unique spin to their work and they create amazing pieces! Always a great, friendly, and comfortable environment to be in. The tattoo artist that mainly does my tattoos is Cody, always doing a phenomenal, above-and-beyond job! Whenever I come in with a new tattoo idea, he always makes each piece way better than I ever expected and it's amazing! Friendly tip: even though the tattoo is on your body, let the tattoo artist have a some freedom with the piece so it can be to its full potential! Don't overthink, have fun! Read Less

Every time I'm in here, it's always a fun and welcome environment. Each one of the artists have a clean and unique style and always make sure I feel comfortable for the entirety of my tattoo. I will always recommend to any one who asks where to get a tattoo in the area! Read Less

I've sat for ~30 hours total between two artists (not from this shop). They were incredibly talented and genuine. The two guys I met in this shop, however, seemed to be living out their cool guy fantasies. Husband and I wanted to get tattoos for our 7th anniversary. Guy we spoke to was incredibly rude and quoted us a ridiculous price. (Great tattoos are expensive, I know. By ridiculous, I mean ridiculous.) Ended up running into his mate later at a bar who told us they thought we were just a couple of "idiot DLI kids" (we're 30 but look young). Whatever. I get the and respect not wanting to aid in someone's future regret, but holy shit man. We were respectful, and while what we wanted was small, if our experience had been positive, we would've gone back for larger pieces and told our connections about you guys. Read Less

It had been years since I've gotten a tattoo and after following various artists and shops on social media I decided on Emmanuel here at Gold Coast. I knew that the style of art that i wanted was the old school tattoo artwork; I messaged Emmanuel and told him the ideas i had for my tattoo and told him to add his flair to it! I'm so glad I gave him the creative freedom because the final outcome was beyond my expectations! He completely understood what I was wanting and delivered that and much more! The shop itself is very comfortable and clean, everyone there is a pro and very friendly! Will definitely be coming again for my next piece! Read Less

My boyfriend and I were in Monterey for the weekend and decided to get a spur of the moment tattoos with another couple. We had Keeli for ours and I believe our friends had Justin. We were walk-ins and they were able to get us in right away and drew something up for us. Keeli was super sweet and made sure to listen to what we wanted. We both got geometric cats (mine on my arm and his on the inside ankle). It was pretty quick and he made sure to ask if I was doing okay and taking breaks. All the staff were friendly and professional so I would check them out if you're looking to get any tattoos done. Read Less

My friend and I got tattoos here this weekend spur of the moment! We checked out a couple of shops in town before finding this spot and this was by far the most professional and talented group of artists! I felt very comfortable being tattooed here and am very happy with the end result! I had my work done by Emanuel and he did a great traditional flower on my wrist. The lines are clean and his color is spot on. Highly recommend checking this place out if you're in town for the weekend or a local looking to find some talented artists! Read Less

Cody did a great job with my tattoo. My friend and I wanted matching tats to commemorate a cross country road trip, and he was able to take my sketch and transfer it exactly onto our skin. He was professional, relaxed, and made great recommendations for tattoo locations. I'm 100% happy with the experience and the result! Maybe I should have assumed this, but the shop is cash only. There are ATMs close by, and it wasn't a problem - I probably would have grabbed cash before hand, if I knew, though. Thanks for a great experience, Gold Coast team! Read Less

If I could give the shop 0 stars I would. I called ahead to see if they could squeeze my wife and I in because we just wanted small matching tattoos, guy on the phone was friendly so we went in. The guy up front was super friendly so we decided to go, sent the picture of the tattoo we wanted to the guy at the front and then he started to talk to the tattoo artist who was suppose to do our tattoo and this "artist" (dirty blonde with awful ugly scarf and block glasses) starts to swear at the front desk guy who was being so kind to us and continues to swear while he gets our tattoo printed. Needless to say we walked out, never will I ever get a tattoo that's on my body forever by someone who is mean and nasty to other employees and just a nasty person towards customers. Read Less

I came in on a Friday night at 8PM. The guy at the front desk (I wish I had gotten his name) was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I wasn't planning on getting a tattoo that night, but I was so impressed at his knowledge. He wanted me to know everything about the process, from sitting down in the chair to how it would look 10 years from now. Then, he referred me to the artist, Manny. Manny was so incredibly nice. I told him it would be my first tattoo, and he walked me through what would happen. I realized that if I was going to get a tattoo, I wanted him to do it. He didn't make a big deal at all about the fact that I was a walk in on a semi-busy night. He drew up my design, sat me in a chair, and started. He allowed my two friends to sit next to me, as I was pretty nervous. He and the other man were so hilarious and very conversational. I didn't even have time to be scared, as they kept the conversation light and funny. Not only that, but he was obviously incredibly skilled as a tattoo artist. My tattoo is very simple, but he had incredible art all over his work station. His own tattoos are very well done and very tasteful, which is great advertising. The whole time, he was distracting me from the discomfort (which wasn't too bad) and updated on what step of the design he was on. I actually enjoyed talking to him. Afterwards, the tattoo looked absolutely beautiful. He walked me through the care process and made it as simple as he could. Excellent experience; I would 10/10 recommend!! Read Less

From the moment you walk in you can tell this place is sterile and prides themselves on their work. My boyfriend and I came in for impromptu tattoos last minute and they were friendly and accommodating. This is not typical in most tattoo shops which typically come across cocky and arrogant. It's refreshing to walk into a shop and have someone acknowledge you. Emanuel made time for us the next day on his day off  and did amazing work. I wanted a simple tattoo; mostly line work with a splash of color and the name of my cat, my boyfriend wanted a misfits skull with an American flag pattern due to the military significance it personally represented to him yet, there was no judgement that some people may find silly. These are tattoos which are individually meaningful to us and mean a lot which some may not understand, however, no rude comments or suggestions of altering the tattoo to make it what they envision were even remotely suggested. We are beyond happy and thrilled with not only the professionalism but more importantly, the work and detail Emanuel put into our tattoos. Photos to follow but I 110% recommend Emanuel to anyone and everyone. He is talented beyond words. Also, his choice in music doesn't suck.Super relaxed place! Love it... Read Less

This was my 1st and only tattoo.I am 58 years old and a veteran.I wanted something patriotic.Looked at other shops and went to 1.I walked out. Salinas Tattoo was exactaly what I was looking for.A small shop with an eye for quality, not numbers.Marcos broke out his Ipad and we fiund the design.He turned that into artwork !I, and everyone who sees my ink, comment on the detail he put into his art.Unbelievably happy with results. Read Less

The folks at this spot are very chill and helpful. I had my tat done by Keeli who is very friendly and knowledgeable! I went in with my husband and daughter and Keeli brought chairs for them to sit next to me without me having to ask- which I totally appreciated! We cannot wait to go back. Read Less

On Friday(9/22/17), my boyfriend and I were visiting Monterey and I wanted a spontaneous tattoo. BrownGuy was only there for the weekend but he helped us even though we were walk-ins. I chose a fall leaf that BrownGuy drew up and it was amazing. He was quick, the lines were badass, and it turned out perfectly and exactly what I wanted. He was so good in fact that my boyfriend and I went back the next day to get an anchor on his arm. The shop was very clean and organized. The next time I'm in Monterey, I know where I will be going! Read Less

We traveled from Oregon and contacted the shop over a week before we came to make appointment for two tattoos. When we arrived upon the store opening we were told by the one employee that they wouldn't have time to do any tattoos today. Read Less

Excellent as always! Cody is great. When he did my first one he said I would be back. I didn't think so - one was plenty - but he was right 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 every one has great meaning for me and I trust Cody to get it right. Read Less

Have got to give a shoutout to the tattoo artist Manny this guy is a perfectionist, and very professional. Clean shop fun place upbeat atmosphere. Taught me a lot about tattooing I never knew. I highly recommend that you check out their Facebook and Instagram. Five stars from me all day. Read Less

Walked in to get a 7 yr anniversary that I'm cancer-free tattoo, and was taken care of immediately by Cody. I told him I was debating between paw prints or an assortment of flowers. His eye lit up when I said flowers, so my gut told me to have him do flowers....SO HAPPY I DID!! I gave him full artistic freedom with the drawing and colors and I am very pleased with his art work. Bottom line, great art cost more than crap "art/tattoos"!! Cody and the crew of Gold Coast were very professional, friendly and Cody did amazing work!!A group of young punks came in to get matching tattoos, being super loud and obnoxious, and the guys of Gold Coadt stayed pleasant, even when I was ready to tape their mouths shut for being so loud and disruptive while myself and another got our tattoos. Great job guys/Gold Coast!!! Thanks!! Read Less

Yaaasssss! If you're looking for a super clean shop with amazing artists THIS is the place for you. Steve runs a tight ship and due to his diligence this shop has been and will remain the best shop on the central coast. I've gotten 5 tattoos here by 3 different artists and I'm super happy with all of them. My most recent 2 were done by Manny who has a great work ethic and even brought me a cup of coffee for my early Sunday morning appt. If you're in a hurry and you want a cheap quick tattoo then go somewhere else. These are artisans that take pride in their craft and are worth every penny. Read Less

so, I am not a yelper. But what was said to me in this shop was unacceptable. I go in and the shop guy was nice, uninterested, but nice. After telling him what I wanted, he told me I couldn't have it the size I want, way over priced me for the smallest little tattoo, questioned me on why I wanted it the way I did and last but not least my favorite comment of the evening..."That'll just look like dried jizz, like cum, in 2 years" I was a little offended but mostly in shock they would talk to a potential client like that. There were so many other more professional ways they could have gone about telling me maybe the tattoo wouldn't look good.I left disappointed and never wanting to come back. I was so uncomfortable. Read Less

Horribly rude people and dirty looking facility. Weird group of people. Turned down six of us getting tattoos because they close so early 9pm. You know they have no where to go. They'll be a crappy tattoo place forever. Don't go there!!!! Read Less

I went in there a few days ago and asked for a simple small outline. First of all, the person misquoted me and second of all they were extremely rude. I understand tattooing is an art and it is something I really appreciate and admire but the attitude they had was really unnecessary. I left without even getting the work I wanted. Never coming back. Read Less

I'm here basically monthly. Carson is hands down one of the best, which is why he has already done 6 tattoos for me! Don't mind the people who don't understand that tattooing something small on a finger isn't an easy task. If you want your finger tattoo to blowout or look jacked, then go somewhere else and pay your $80. But if you want a good looking finger tattoo that is done well, $100 is worth it. But if you're complaining about a "small finger tattoo" being super expensive (bitch was complaining about $20, lol), you probably shouldn't get one. Read Less

Cody is super awesome! He did a shoulder piece on me of the 3 roses, and made me feel super comfortable since it was my first tattoo. The shop is super clean and all the people who work there are super sweet! Super happy on my decision to come here Read Less

If I could give no stars I would the young man who was helping us was very nice but the actually tattoo artist was very rude and there's plenty of other tattoo shops in Monterey to deal with a bad attitude. Walked out and will not be letting anyone from there tattoo me. Read Less

I called today to get a tattoo done and they told me to come in after 6pm. I showed up at 6:05 and there was a sign on the door saying "Be Right Back." So I sat in my car for 45 min and still no one showed up. It's very unprofessional for a tattoo shop to not stay open till closing and telling a customer to come when they know they won't be open. A waste of time!!! Read Less

DO NOT GO HERE FOR A FINGER TATTOO. 100 bucks minimum we were told for a small finger tattoo on our ring fingers. VERY SMALL. Shop "minimum for finger tattoos is $100." Which is a complete joke. I've never paid over $80 and I have a lot of tattoos. Save your money and people dicking you around. They're assholes Read Less

Tried to make an appointment, was put on with an extremely rude person, who, when I told him what I wanted, was extremely confused by the very simple idea, and questioned WHY I would want that tattoo! Extremely unprofessional to question the reason behind wanting my tattoo. Suffice to say, I didn't even make an appointment. Didn't get a name but I won't be going here. Read Less

Amazing artwork. I love my tattoo by Aaron Kyle. I was a walk in and he got me in at a reasonable time. His work was exactly like the picture I showed him. He was really nice and made sure that I was comfortable through the process. Aaron also squeezed my friend in right after me to get a small dolphin tattoo on her hip. That went above and beyond, because it was totally last minute. Read Less

First tattoo here. The place is perfect to be in a good atmosphere and be at ease. The guy was really chill and serious at the same time. However for a 10min tattoo I paid 60$+tip which was pretty expensive in my opinion. But it s for live I guess so go for it. Read Less

I came here to get two simple stars added to a preexisting tattoo. I agreed to the 65 dollar minimum, the guy gave me attitude when I mentioned the ink color to him. Whatever. Then, as he is tattooing one of the (very simple) stars, I notice it's all fucked up. Totally unbalanced. I brought it up, and I'm not kidding, he said, "It looks good from my angle. You know, of all the the things to tattoo....stars are the most difficult because of the points." What!!!!!!!!I had to get another artist from a different shop to fix them. Now it's awesome. Read Less

I just got my very first tattoo done here today, and I am so happy with the way it turned out! I had a small quote and a tribal-esque turtle done by Keeli and I was blown away by how awesome everything went! Everything was clean, I felt comfortable in there, and the tattooing itself was very precise and smooth. :) I will definitely come back here if I decide to get anything else done!! Read Less

I was very unimpressed with this studio.Went in on a Sunday with my friend and got tattooed by Q.He was not very friendly, pretty sure I only saw him smile once. He grumbled along while doing our tattoos about how he should get royalty rates for doing tattoos. Made me kind of sad, like, he was only thinking about money but doesn't he realize that he's tattooing peoples bodies and every time we look at it, we will think about the artist that did it? I love my tattoo (I love the SUBJECT matter) but I don't think he did a very good job. I got a semi colon - should be simple. But the circle is lopsided and the lines aren't clean. I tried asking about colors and got a really odd answer and a lot of indecisiveness. He also acted like I was really annoying him, while I was trying to ask what the blue looks like. Uhm, I have the right to know roughly what color you are going to TATTOO on me. I understand it will look different based on skin tone, but you could at least make an effort and not get annoyed with me. I didn't think I was asking too much to understand the color you were going to embed into my skin. Yeesh.He started going on about how he could mix black into the blue. I got confused. Then he said you SHOULDN'T mix black into the blue, that isn't the right way to go. Dude, I'm here because YOU are supposed to be the expert. Anyways, I wouldn't go back nor recommend Q. I have several other tattoos and been through this process before, so I knew what to expect in general. I feel bad for anyone getting their first tattoo and looking for guidance; if that is your case, do not go here or at least see Q.The kid that works the front desk was very friendly and sweet.Also, I WILL give props that the studio is very sanitary and clean and good with those type of practices. Read Less

Got a tattoo here yesterday. The place is clean, stations are organized, everyone working there is extremely friendly, service is immediate, and prices are excellent. The artists work fast with steady hands, and the quality of the work done is awesome. I can now officially say that "I've found my favorite tattoo shop", and I'll never go back to the other place I was going! Read Less

Three words: WE LOVE KEELI! He did such a great job on my tattoo and if I lived in Monterey I would always go to him. He's the best one there. So happy he could fit me and my three girlfriends in his schedule :) thank you! Read Less

Just got my 4th tattoo done by Q and I have to say, he is amazing!! It was my first color tattoo and I was blown away by his attention to detail and how well he worked with me to make sure it was perfect, and it definitely is! I'll be back for many more! Read Less