This shop is awesome. Went in on a whim with a friend during a weekend trip for our first tattoos, the owner was more than willing to accommodate and help us out. Wad extremely knowledgable and open about everything, and an awesome artist. "10/10 would tat again" -My Better Half Read Less

The best shop in northern California, Shotsie Gorman has been blazing a trail of fine art tattooing for over forty years. No cookie cutter stuff here, and you get a great story to go with every work of art! Read Less

Spot on! I am a very skeptical person when it comes to psychics and tarot readers. Being were psychically aware. I need to feel the energy. The energy I did feel to the point of goose bumps. Awesome experience truly worth it. Read Less

My long search for the perfect artist came to an end when I laid eyes on some of Shotsie's work at the shop were he was working at the time. A vow to work with him as longs as possible was soon made and I have visited him many times for awesome work ever since. His wealth of experience combined with unsurpassed creativity makes the short trip to wine country from Marin more that worth the effort. My latest tattoo commemorates our rise from the ashes after a devastating fire and there was no way I was going  to let anyone but Shotsie come up with a design for this fierce phoenix. There are many more to come and pain is in the future. But it is a small price to pay for the amazing art he creates! Read Less

Shotie and I are old friends. When my son wanted a tattoo at 16 years old there was only one person I trusted to do it - the GREAT artist, great person, and great friend - Shotsie Gorman. I told Shotsie that's the only tattoo my son would get. Shotsie said it was only his first. He was right. Read Less

Absolutely beautiful artistry! Shotsie has done three of my tattoos and every time they exceed what I envisioned. Shotsie and Kristine have created a wonderful and inviting atmosphere - he has a bunch of quirky stories that are fun to listen to. If you are in Sonoma, you definitely have to stop in! I am definitely going to be back soon. Read Less

I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to go see Shotsie for my tattoos. I saw him for the first time almost 2 years ago. He did a butterfly on my foot and transformed a dragonfly for me. The process itself was pretty painless and they healed within 2 weeks. Which for me is important because I have very sensitive skin and it can take longer than most to heal. I knew I would be back, and here I am. I saw Shotsie with a few ideas about 3 weeks ago and he totally put on p...aper what I had envisioned. 2 weeks ago he started the masterpiece. Today I went back for my final sitting and am just in complete awe. Shotsie is very talented and does such an amazing job. There's nobody else that I've been to that I've had minimal pain during or after. I have had 4 other tattoos by 4 different people. Shotsie has now done 3 for me and is by far the best. I will continue to go to him as long as I can. See More Read Less

I couldn't be more pleased with my decision to go see Shotsie for my tattoos. I saw him for the first time almost 2 years ago. He did a butterfly on my foot and transformed a dragonfly for me. The process itself was pretty painless and they healed within 2 weeks.  Which for me is important because I have very sensitive skin and it can take longer than most to heal. I knew I would be back, and here I am. I saw Shotsie with a few ideas about 3 weeks ago and he totally put on paper what I had envisioned. 2 weeks ago he started the masterpiece. Today I went back for my final sitting and am just in complete awe. Shotsie is very talented and does such an amazing job. There's nobody else that I've been to that I've had minimal pain during or after. I have had 4 other tattoos by 4 different people. Shotsie has now done 3 for me and is by far the best. I will continue to go to him as long as I can. Read Less

The best experience I've ever had getting a tattoo. Shotsie went above and beyond to make my fathers tribute tattoo beautiful, special and amazing. I left so emotional because of the piece of art I will always have on my back to remember my dad. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.. Read Less

Shotsie made me cry... I don't like to cry.  I couldn't help myself. I went home and got a really good look at the tribute to my father that he put on my back. How could I not get emotional... it turned out absolutely beautiful.  He really listened to my vision and produced the most amazing piece of art that will always be for my dad. Thank You.... from the bottom of my hear.... Thank you. Read Less

Shotsie made me cry... I don't like to cry.  I couldn't help myself. I went home and got a really good look at the tribute to my father that he put on my back. How could I not get emotional... it turned out absolutely beautiful.  He really listened to my vision and produced the most amazing piece of art that will always be for my dad. Thank You.... from the bottom of my hear.... Thank you. Read Less

Shotsie and his beautiful family have made my tattoo experiences both intimate and unforgettable. His experience as both a tattoo master and an artist of other mediums allows him to create unique tattoos that heal fast and look great for years. He tattoos quickly and precisely which limits the amount of tissue damage and allows the tattoo to heal perfectly in less than two weeks and with minimal loss of color. Seeing him around Sonoma and at the farmers market is always a pleasure. But don't be fooled by his jovial face and colorful work. He has no patience for those who disrespect the process or the art of tattooing. If you want good art done right, this is your man. If you want an infinity sign or song lyrics, you should probably go somewhere else. Read Less

All I can say is experience does matter.  I came in to the shop with some ideas of enhancing an old tattoo script on my left arm.  Shotsie suggestions and free hand skills made all the difference.  This place rocks! Read Less

Shotsie and his beautiful family have made my tattoo experiences both intimate and unforgettable. His experience as both a tattoo master and an artist of other mediums allows him to create unique tattoos that heal fast and look great for years. He tattoos quickly and precisely which limits the amount of tissue damage and allows the tattoo to heal perfectly in less than two weeks and with minimal loss of color. Even though I've only had the privilege of going to him three times (so far) for tattoos, seeing him around Sonoma and at the farmers market is always a pleasure. But don't be fooled by his jovial face and colorful work. He has no patience for those who disrespect the process or the art of tattooing. If you want good art done right, this is your man. If you want an infinity sign or song lyrics, you should probably go somewhere else. Read Less

This guys work is so horrible i dont even want to give him one star on here but it requires me to to leave a review! ....to start, he charged me $400 (he charges 150 an hour!) for a tattoo that he didnt even spend 2 hours on and you can tell in the work that he hurried the job ....i had asked him to do a portrait of my daughter on my forearm and he did and it doesnt even look like the picture i gave him of my daughter...one eye is wayy bigger than the other and is completely black compaired to the other eye which is wayy lighter...i called him to tell him that i never get any compliments on that tattoo and that i get nothing but criticism about it and that i wanted my money back so that i can have someone fix this horrible tattoo and he told me that he "wasnt going to give me a dime back" he also told me "i dont give a fuck, dont come around my shop or bother me ever again"....its not my fault he did a horrible job on my tattoo, he also told me "you didnt take care of your tattoo and that is why it looks the way it does"...i went to the store and bought wrap for it so it couldnt get messed up at work and i even bought tattoo wax from shotsie, as well as changed the dressing on my tattoo several times a day...also all of my friends whos tattoos he did are all unhappy with his work and theyre tattoos look crappy too...i wish we all didnt get our tattoos around the same time from this guy so that we would have known what a horrible tattoo artist he is...the blatent disrespect he showed to me over the phone was very unprofessional and showed just how much he doesnt care about his customers, no one should speak to a customer that way...i urge you to not go to this guy and to go somewhere else like the glass bettle in santa rosa or faith tattoo where people will respect you and not overcharge you for their work as well as do a great job!....no one should be made fun of for a tattoo that they got at a "professional" shop or treated this way by any business owner...im posting a picture of the tattoo in my pictures on here so u can see just how bad this $400 tattoo is for yourself! Look at how different the eyes r and look at the nose! He made the most important tattoo i could have ever gotten a nightmare...hes supposed to be a "tattoo master" but it turns out hes a tattoo disaster! Read Less

I've been seeing Shotsie for the past few years.  He's done some amazing tattoos for me.  After a bad experience with my first tattoo it took me years to trust someone again.  Shotsie is a talented artist and my first tattoo by him was an octopus that wraps around my right shoulder.  I get compliments on it all the time.  More recently I've had him do a cover for my first tattoo when I was in the navy.  A sad angel that looked like it was taking a squat was transformed by Shotsie into an armored archangel with a fiery appearance.  I enjoy my talks with Shotsie and am looking forward to seeing him again!  I'll post some pics of his work on my profile. Read Less