Gold Coast Tattoo and piercing

Big thank you to Victor for my lovely and simple tattoo. Its exactly what I wanted to celebrate my 40th and the life I still got left. Enjoy it while you can. Thanks to Michael as well for being welcoming. Great place. Highly recommend.

First time getting a tattoo. Was super scared , but artist Smiles made sure I am comfortable and put me to ease. Shared all details. Then made a custom design. The entire process was smooth and loves how it came out. Will definitely visit again

Amazing work 10/10 definitely recommend, smiles did my tattoo and he did amazing and was very nice and chill :)

My husband and I came as walk-ins and we were quickly accommodated. Maria and Smiles were really patient and kind throughout the entire process! My tattoo came out beautifully. If I get another tattoo, I’ll come back here for sure.

Smiles did an amazing job on a touch-up/re-lining of a tattoo I got from someone else. I walked in on a Saturday afternoon, he took a look, set me up, and it was done in 30 minutes. It NOW looks the way I always wanted it to. And Smiles was fun, funny, and super knowledgeable too.Definitely going to come back here for more

Awesome experience with the new ownership from the minute Robby greets you at the door. Joey takes such pride in the history of Gold Coast; great artistry; awesome music and in today’s time… bonus for extreme cleanliness! Cheers!

Amazing service, very clean shop and super talented artists. My daughter had drawn the tattoo for us to get, and asked if Joey, the owner could perfect it. He nailed it. Very professional , friendly and fast. 100% recommend!

Joey is as professional as they come. I cannot recommend him enough. Not only is he an extremely nice guy, hes an insanely gifted tattoo artist. He is very knowledgeable, and he is everything you want in a professional tattoo artist. Im unhappy about some old ink that I got and he was more than willing to talk to me about what to do to fix things to where Im much more happy with them. I cant say enough good things about the guy, he is purely and simply awesome. Do not hesitate to work with Joey at Gold Coast. The tattoos that Ive gotten from him so far are the best tattoos that I have! 10/10 all around

Amazing! Smiles fit in 6 of us and we still made our dinner reservations

Smiles did such a phenomenal job on my Tarot Card tattoo! Booking for a sleeve soon!! Very clean, very sanitary, very mindful 10/10

Walked in on a whim and Smiles was more than happy to help me and my friend get impromptu tattoos! Experience was quick and easy and he listened to what we wanted and got us in and out! Highly recommend! :)

We went in as a walk in on a Friday night about an hour before closing and were taken care of by Joseph. He was super friendly, professional and a great artist. The shop was very clean, welcoming and we felt comfortable from start to finish. We would highly recommend Gold Coast!

Pretty good tattoo shop but a bit overpriced even on friday the 13th. service is good but needs to be managed a bit better, there was alot of appointment mix ups trhe day I went in and people seemed pretty annoyed. I ended up waiting a while.

Best tattoo place ever! Miles and Joey are very nice and welcoming, they also have very reasonable pricing. I will always go here from now, my number one spot I reccomend is here at Gold Coast!

Smiles was amazing. He was great and made my cousin and my matching tattoos perfect. He was enjoyable to do our tattoos. Thank you!

Joey did an amazing job! From welcoming us in to design and execution, everything had attention to detail. I will definitely be visiting his studio again!He drew up what I wanted and was incredibly patient for the adjustments I requested!

Came as a walk-in for a tattoo. Smiles had lots of options for me to choose from and gave me a tattoo i really love! Lines are clean and it’s healing nicely. 10/10 would recommend

Joseph James was absolutely spectacular! Professional, clean, creative, and a ton of fun to work with

Smiles was great, patient, and took us in last minute. He was thoughtful and even redid my stencil multiple times. Great place to go if you’re visiting or live in Monterey.

Nothing but good things to say. Smiles does awesome lines and he was a cool dude to hang with. Definitely recommend. We came in as a walk-in as well.

Called and tried to ask a question about a piercing and they quite rudely interrupted me mid sentence. Not to mention they answered the phone pretty rudely too. I’m glad to hear that others have had good experiences with them, so I hope this kind of treatment is rare!EDIT: Shortly after posting this, they found me on Instagram and reached out, apologizing and saying a plumber answered the phone, which in itself is pretty unprofessional if their contractors often answer their phone. Anyway they tried bribing me to take the review down by offering $10 in cash OR a 15% discount on a jewelry for a piercing at their sister store in Santa Cruz. I stopped replying for a few days but today they literally texted me three times asking me to delete this review. To be SO real I would be willing to accept a free piercing or at least a better bribe! But I decided their behavior has been incredibly unprofessional and quite sad. I hope that bribing isn’t a habit of theirs, but I will say that it would explain their high number of excellent reviews.

Smiley, smile whatever his name is.. THANK YOU. I appreciate how chill and easy going you were. My friend and I had a great time chatting with you. Love the tattoo and best of luck to you and the beautiful wifey.

Super sick, fun place, and good tats

It was very clean, I had Joey as my artist he is very friendly, easy to talk too, very good and confident in his work. I felt very comfortable getting a tattoo from him

Came to get a tattoo on a girls vacation and this is one of the only shops in and around the Bay Area/Carmel that took walk ins! Not only did they exceed our expectations with cleanliness, hospitality, and space….they were super nice! Such an awesome tattoo shop!!

Joey at Gold Coast was very accommodating, patient and gave me exactly what I wanted! Friendly and experienced artist! 10/10 would recommend!

Best friend and I got matching crab tats here just before closing and Smiles was nothing but welcoming! Highly recommend for something simple or anything more complex!

Smiles was amazing. I went in for a fine line tattoo and it turned out exactly how I wanted. He made me feel incredibly welcomed and I laughed the entire time!

Smiles is what you want in an artist. Hard working, personable and listens to what you want. It’s been 20 years since my last tattoo. This was a great experience. See you again, Smiles.

Had the absolute best time with Joey! He gave me the most perfect tattoo and in short time too! 10/10 recommend and will definitely be back!!

Joseph did absolutely amazing. the tattoo came out perfectly just how i wanted, he was very friendly, great vibes!! 10/10 recommend would come back again

Quick and easy. Smiles answered all our questions and gave my daughter and me small, simple first tattoos that we’re very happy with.

Smiles and Robby are holding it down at Gold Coast! The atmosphere is chill and welcoming. I’ve gotten 3 pieces done by smiles and can day that the quality of his work is second to none. Definitely my favorite shop in Monterey.

Great!Joey is awesome! Great personality and very good at what he does! Very happy with my new tats! Thank you Joey!

Victor did my first two ever tattoos and did an amazing job definitely will be coming back

Just got tatted by Joseph. Such a nice guy. And I absolutely love my memorial tattoo for my Mom. Love his work. I will be back. Thank you.

Just got my first tattoo and it went like i hoped it would. The tattoo artist made me feel very comfortabel and the pain was not as bad as i thought. All in all a great experience!

I came in on a Monday at around 4pm looking for a realistic forearm piece and Joey did a fantastic job! I’m from Georgia and wanted something memorable for my trip and he definitely captured it.

He did a really great job on the small tattoo I got but he also fixed one of my older tattoos I had gotten done somewhere else. He was super friendly and easygoing.

Smiley is the best ! All smiles and calms you down and work is excellent. Shop is super clean and will definitely come back

Yesterday I had the pleasure in meeting Joey, owner of Gold Coast Tattoo! He is such an easy going chill guy n im so happy he was able to fit me in his schedule. He did a tattoo in remembrance of my mom who jus passed and one of my fav disney character. I appreciate the time and effort he put into my ideas and the completed product was amazing! Thank you Joey for making my special tattoo for my mom so great! Yall gotta get in there and see Joey!

SMiles is a true artist! From sketch to finish it is absolutely beautiful and more then I could ever envision. This guy exceeded my expectations and Im more then grateful for his time and imagination. This guy drew this from scratch which is special because its one of a kind. Put your trust in this guy, you wont be disappointed. Thank you for this masterpiece! Ill definitely be back for more! Very professional, great company and made me feel very comfortable! Thanks again!!!🐍🪷😍There are big changes to Gold Coast, new ownership, new artists and Im excited!!

Came in for a tattoo and it turned out awesome! It was quick and painless! Great pricing and I would definitely recommend anyone in the area to come in

Joseph did an awesome job and was very friendly! We did 4 sibling tattoos as walk ins. The place is very clean and welcoming.

Smiles was very friendly and laid back which made the who experience chill and easy. Very happy with the results!!

Smiles is great! Came in on a whim during vacation and everything was quick and so cool!! Thanks :)

I had a great experience with Gold Coast Tattoo. I love my tattoo and the artist is very skilled. Was very happy with my outcome!

Great job! Took us as walk ins and gave us everything we wanted. Would definitely recommend!

Smiles is finally connecting my incomplete sleeve, and his knowledge and technique makes me feel like I’m in great hands! I love it and I can’t wait for the next session!

My mom and I got matching tattoos with Smiles! Super good experience! Everyone was super nice and friendly and smiles was fast and great!

Smiles killed it. Walked in and gave me a perfect tattoo. So great highly recommend

This place is so welcoming very friendly came to get a matching tattoo with my bestfriend and let me tell you they did such an amazing job ! Thank you so much we will be coming back!

Joseph did amazing with my tattoo! Was very easy to talk to and very professional. Would definitely come back for more tattoos!!

Awesome experience for first tattoo! Smiles was great! Will definitely be coming back!

Super easy to talk to and did a great job on the tattoo, help picked out the font and made sure I was happy with the design

Did a walk in with Joey and he was great! He did exactly what I wanted and more. Nice and simple!

He was hella fast and it looks so pretty, it looks even better than the drawing I brought, it was a really cool experience

Had an awesome experience with Joey! My siblings and I got beautiful fine line dinos. Thanks so much 💜

Great service and awesome tattoo. Customized a design, absolutely love it! Thanks Smiles!

Smiles was so friendly and greeted us quickly as walk ins! Great, clean shop.

Clean, respectful and very chill. Smiles gave great advice on the tattoo itself and the direction. Will be coming back! :)

Smiles was professional and personable. He offered creative insight and did a great job. 👍

Great line work. Really good communication. Overall great, definitely recommend coming here and seeing Joseph.

Smiles did a phenomenal job, walked in with an idea and he took it from there. Highly recommended

New ownership needed to happen and I’m so glad it did. It’s a professional and very clean atmosphere, and the artists are kind and it was an overall pleasant experience

I just got my first tattoo. Overall Great experience and artist extremely skilled!

Easy to work with, made the process easy and smooth also loved the amazing tattooWould recommend 100%

I got my first tattoos here and was very nervous. The atmosphere was very welcoming and comforting. I recommend this place to anybody and everybody.

Inimigos.do.miles is the BEST hes so easy to talk to and made my idea into a perfect design I couldnt be more happy! Hes absolutely the best artist Ive been too!

Best people working ever. Smiles was so fast and clean and so friendly. Was a walk in and took care of me in minutes

Needed to cover up a thirty year old mistake. It also took me this long to be SURE of the tattoo I wanted. Smiles exceeded my expectations and hopes. His knowledge, expertise and friendliness convinced me he was the right one to do the work. I was nervous and unsure if communicated what I wanted to him. Judging by the result Smiles knew exactly what I wanted because he overachieved on my masterpiece!

Great experience! When I walked in I wasn’t certain what I wanted but Smiles helped explain the process and worked with my ideas. Super happy with the end result :)

Smiles was the absolute BEST! Thank you so much for squeezing us in!

We were in town on a quick trip. They got us in very quickly and we had the best time! Joseph did my husbands first tattoo and made the experience so amazing for the both of us. Definitely will be back!

Miles is amazing!! I didn’t have many ideas about what I wanted to do, I just kinda shot some thought out and he free handed my tattoo on me with a sharpie. After going over some logistics we went for it. It has held up incredibly well and is one of my favorite tattoos I have! He’s also a lot of fun to talk to and hang out with- I never felt intimidated or unwelcome. 1000/10 I reccomend Miles!!

10 out of 10, seriously a great experience. Smiles went over and above to hear what my husband and I wanted and translated it into some great pieces!

First time in and I’ll definitely be back, top quality customer service and Smiles did an amazing job

Very professional and skilled artist. He took his time and worked with me to get exactly what I wanted in a tattoo.

Smiles was a great artist, comforting and provided input on tattoos. Also a fast process!

Made an appointment for a fine line consult with Joseph, and he did an incredible job. He was super easy to work with, and his fine line work is amazing. Got my tattoo same day and couldn’t be happier. Will 100% be going back!

I had a great experience! Smiley was amazing and very friendly.

I just came in last minute with my bestie and we got a matching Ewok tattoo. I’m beyond happy how it came out!! Can’t wait to come back!

Definitely one of the best experience i could have asked for, for my first tattoo!!!

Smiles was super cool and did a great tattoo. Good vibes.

Joey was super sweet and very professional. I would definitely fly back out to get another tattoo from him!

Smiles was awesome and did such a wonderful job on my tattoo!

Got a walk in here today! Nice shop and patient artist, thank you 🙏

Joey here at Gold Coast was awesome for tattoo virgins (me and my fiance) and our experience was awesome and our ink is clean and crisp!

Came in with my best friend as a walk in and everyone was great and welcoming. Would definitely recommend and would definitely come back

Got my first Tattoo done by Smiles. It was a fun experience and he was dope!

I did a walk in and was kindly greeted by Miles. Place is clean. I was in and out in no time. He was super kind and gentle. Loved the vibe! Definitely coming back for more from Miles. I love my tattoo!

Went here for a walk-in. Super clean and friendly. Went smoother than imagined. Highly recommend!

Smiles is awesome...takes his time and did a perfect tattoo for me...highly recommend!

Absolute best tattoo experience in my life. I’ve never felt more at ease on top of being thrilled with the artwork! Smiles is changing the game. Hands down. Thank you again!

2 walk in appointments went very smooth, artist had great line work

Smiles responded to my DM same day and we were tattooing a day later. Extremely laid back experience. Quick and painless. Thanks for the neck tattoo!!!!

Amazing experience with Smiles for our first tattoo. Highly recommend for beginners.

Stopped by for a walk in. Great service and Tattoo looks great. Smiles was awesome!

Walked in for some hand tattoos and Smiley did a fantastic job. Highly recommend.

Definitely my favorite tattoo shop I’ve ever been to! Highly recommend

Great service! Very friendly. Tattoo turned out perfect.

Good tattoo artist, he was very friendly too. My first tattoo but it was good experience.

Smiles was a super cool dude, let us do a walk in and the shop was super chill.

My mom walked-in and had an incredible experience at Gold Coast! Joey was super super helpful and patient with going back and forth with her and honing her idea, showing us all the color options, and making her vision come to life! 5-Star review :)))

I had a great experience! Friendly service from beginning to end, thank you GoldCoast

Smiles was great. He took what I thought I wanted and sat down with me to work it out together on my arm and it is absolutely perfect. Great custom tattoo. Tattooed me and my wife back to back like it was nothing. Would definitely recommend and will most likely be returning.

Great work and amazing pricing, definitely going to be returning in the future

Amazing!!! Love the work and super accomadating. Turned the frown upside down!!! Thanks Joey

Smiles did a great job with a tattoo that meant a lot to me. Fast work, good work, worth your time!

Smiles has done a great job with working on my cover-up. Very friendly and clean shop

Great tattoo. Loved the experience!

Smiles was great… Did four of us and was super creative

Smiles is amazing. Thank you.

Smiles is a real one. loved my experience!

Smiles did an awesome job and worked us in as walk-in’s!

Super fast, polite, and kind! Just chatty enough to ease my nerves.

Had an appointment for my first tattoo and im really happy with the outcome. Smiles was really quick and gave me exactly what i wanted. I love it :)

Smiles was awesome! Super quick, excellent and very talented artist.

Every year I come to Monterey for a work event, and every year I stop by the shop for something quick. Staff all friendly and welcoming, space is beautiful and clean. Will hopefully keep coming back for years.

Smiles did a great job!

Amazing experience with Smiles. 10/10 recommend for a walk-in!

Super friendly, knowledgeable staff. Very helpful- would definitely recommend!

Did a walk in and was so happy with my experience! I love my hand tattoo

Smiles is a wonderful dude and artist, had my first tattoo here and couldn’t be happier!

Smiles is super helpful with picking design and does great line work

I got two tattoos in one week here and I am obsessed with the way they came out! Luis paid such attention to detail and making sure I was happy with the font, size, and placement. These were my first tattoos and he made me feel so comfortable!

I got my favorite tattoo here and the vibe in the shop is great :)

Great place. Super clean. Awesome artists.

Smiles brought a smile to my face with my new tattoo! 😊 He is awesome!

Very quick super friendly and good quality tattoo thank you !!!

Robby and Smiles were great. I came in for a walk in. They were busy but got me in the same day. I changed my mind from my initial ask and Smiles rolled right with my new request. The tattoo turned out better than I could’ve hoped for and made my other surrounding tattoos look so much better. Thanks for the great artwork.

I got my first tattoo here and it was so chill. Smiles is an amazing artist and made me feel so comfortable. Very happy with my experience :)

Went and got my first tattoo 10/10 recommend.

Great place Smiles fit me in last minute . Would 10/10 recommend.

Had a great experience with Smiles! I had a design in mind. He took it and made it even better! Love my new shoulder piece! The shop is clean and they credit card now too!

Fantastic experience for a first time tattoo and Joseph is a phenomenal artist!

Smiles was awesome with my walk-in. Great consultation and session.

Joey is awesome! Calm, cool, does great work! Thanks, Joey!

Came in for a walk-in, super friendly and helpful! Definitely recommend to anyone!!

So nice! Beautiful work and didnt take too long!

I had an absolutely amazing experience here!!! Importantly, before you go back and look at old, worrisome reviews - the shop is under completely new ownership. Robbie was amazing getting my appointment set up, super responsive. Smiles was my tattoo artist and he is phenomenal. Made sure I was comfortable the entire time and did such a good job on the tattoo, I was thrilled with the result. Definitely recommend this spot!

Absolutely loved my experience at Gold Coast! Smiles was amazing, talented and brought my vision to life! I’m beyond thrilled with my tattoo! Highly recommend getting a tattoo by Smiles!

Great work and great people as the last time I was tattoo

The new owner Joseph happened to be in town when we did a walkin, he was amazing and so friendly and nice! It was our 8 year anniversary and we did a little something for monterey and he killed it! Highly recommend this shop!

Y’all this place was amazing. it was such a great first tattoo experience! definitely recommend.

Very nice and helpful, super quick as well! Thank you Smiles! :)

Super fast and easy! Smiles is really nice

Great people great experience great tattoos! 5/5 PS great music !

Great experience. I was able to get the exact tattoo I’ve been wanting because Smiles was so helpful and talented. Will definitely be returning.

Great tattoo experience!!! love my piece so much!!!

Walked in for a birthday flash tattoo and they knocked it out the park. Great shop vibe, take pride in a clean shop, and couldn’t have asked for anything more. Thank you!

Joey was so nice. And the tattoo came out great!

Excellent Shop! Good vibes, Great art!

Love the calm atmosphere! Great work! Great experience!

Love it, such kind people and amazing work

Smiles knocked it out of the park! Great shop, good vibes, awesome tattoos. Thanks a bunch!

My husband and I went in to get new tattoos, we met with Miles who was super chill and made the whole experience enjoyable for the both of us. Both of our tattoos came out great and we had a really fun time while there. Definitely will be going back again for more in the future!

I walked in and immediately got tatted by Smiles. Reasonable priced and great designs.

Did a great job with the images provided. Was very nice. Finished in a good amount of time.

Great! I loved how it came out super friendly and quick!!

I’ve been getting tattoos from SMILES at Gold Coast and I’m way impressed how he can take an idea from your head and bring it to life and with a quickness! Highly recommend!

Best tattoo experience I’ve ever had!!

Super quick and great artist! Definitely recommend!

Smiles did amazing art. Couldnt have been happier with the artist nor the art!

Next day service for a custom chest piece! Smiley is the best!!!

I had an amazing experience with Oksana! She was easy to work with and designed exactly what I wanted. I am so happy with my tattoo!

Really great experience with Smiles! Gave me a dope skull with sunglasses tattoo and super fast too

I was a walk in & it was amazing from the minute I was greeted by Mendez. I am embarrassed to admit I didnt catch my sweetheart of an artists name! But both he & Mendez are guest artists from Portugal! My fishy is so crisp that he appears to be swimming off my leg! My friend said That tat is dope! I couldnt have imagined a better session! These guys rock!

Really fast and easy super good shading

Great tattoo great place very impressed with the artist shout to smiles

Smiles and robbie were so nice and helpful with my walk in tattoos. 10/10 recommend for good service and quick tatts. :)

Went for a walk in and was able to get it done quickly. Smiles did my tattoos and was very professional and friendly. Definitely coming back to get more done by him.

Incredibly easy! The art is amazing! Highly recommend Smiles for your work. Quality work.

We had an amazing experience! Joey did super clean lines and he and Robbie kept us entertained the entire time!

Great guys here at Gold Coast Tatttoo. Great work too!!!!!

Awesome! Great artist and very helpful with design!

Fast as usual, not bad priced. Will continue going

Got my first tattoo here, fast and painless. Smiles did an amazing job.

Matching tattoo with my daughter. Smiles was fantastic!

Smiles is an incredible artist! Very knowledgeable & super helpful when it comes to figuring out what you want to get. Can’t wait to get more work from him !

Smiles was bomb!!! He definitely made my first tattoo very comfortable! Especially for it being in a sensitive area, would recommend to others!

Smiles was amazing! He’s light handed and quick. Shop was clean and the atmosphere warm and welcoming.

First tattoo!! Great experience! Joseph was an amazing guy. Definitely check it out if you’re interested in some ink 🤟

They take walk ins, we pulled up some ideas and were out pretty quickly! Smiles was awesome, loved our experience

Amazing experience! Very considerate of every aspects of the tattoo and had an awesome playlist while getting the work done!Definitely will come back for my next piece!

I’ve gotten 6 tattoos from Smiles, and every experience has been pleasant. Very willing to work with you & each design feels 1of1. That paired with Big Robbie holding down the flanks. Best shop in between SF and LA.

The guys here are very nice and welcoming. Very willing to work with you on what you want. They specialize in American Traditional but can make any idea you have work. Definitely coming back to get tattooed by Miles again!

Smiles was amazing and super accommodating and professional.

Smiles creates one of a kind pieces. Isattentive to detail and passionate about what he does!

My boyfriend and I both got tattoos, and the artists did an amazing job! The artist worked with both of us on ideas and making sure our tattoos were perfect! I am in love with mine!

Mendes was so nice and easy to work with! I’m so happy with my new tattoo, I came in as a last minute walk in and he was able to draw up my design in minutes.

Amazing experience!! Spur of the moment walk in finger tattoo

Amazing experience! 10/10 would recommend

Great shop staff! Definitely recommend!

Great customer service and highly recommended! Amazing artist, thank you Smiles!

Amazing tattoo and quick service by Joey. Will return.

Walk ins welcome, great work

Oxana was great! really made sure we all got exactly what we wanted. Most focused and attentive tattoo artist i’ve ever seen

Super mellow n quick !! 10/10 recommend Smiles !!