Gold Coast has a unique origin story

Originally opened by Jack Massey in 1976, we were named after a segment on Channel 8's, “Your Gold Coast Network." When Jack expanded to San Francisco, he offered Steve Hendricks the shop. Through trial and error Steve built his skills, gained confidence, and made Gold Coast a success.

Steve’s fascination with tattoos started early. At age 7, a visit to the Long Beach Pike introduced him to a tattoo shop, and he was hooked. By the time he reached adulthood, Steve had more tattoos than most enthusiasts, and he knew he wanted in on the craft.
In 1977, he landed an apprenticeship at Gold Coast Tattoo under Jack Massey. After a 90-day leave from his printing job at The Monterey Peninsula Herald, he rolled the dice and went full-time into tattooing.

By 1982, Steve was flying to Oahu to open Banzai Tattoo, navigating hostility from other shops, skeptical landlords, and set up near Pearl Harbor Naval Base. Banzai Tattoo, the fourth shop on Oahu is now the oldest shop on the island out of over 125 shops. In 1986 Steve moved to the Philippines, opening Pirates Cove Tattoo outside Subic Bay Naval Base. He remained until the eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991 and the departure of the US Navy from the Philippines.

The ’90s were a turning point for tattoo culture. Steve remembers spotting a tattooed model on a poster in Macy’s—a mind-blowing moment at a time when tattoos were mostly seen on bikers and military men. Military tattoos were popular at the time, as well as tattoos featuring bold designs “ripping out of the skin”. Then came tribal bands and lower-back tattoos. Shops mostly worked off flash sheets pinned to the walls; custom work was rare. Now, nearly all tattoos are custom, and the artistry has evolved leaps and bounds.

Steve’s career is full of unforgettable stories. He tattooed a 92 year old nursing home resident with a “before-I-die” clover tattoo, free of charge, and even brought him a sweatshirt a week later. Another client requested a barbarian holding his wife’s severed head with “F*CK ALIMONY” emblazoned above it. He tattooed a parrot to prove its origin for international travel, a tricky process that ended with a simple mark.

Celebrities also crossed his path: supermodel Niki Taylor got inked at Gold Coast, and singer Linda Perry regularly traveled from LA to get tattoos from Jeremy Swan, a Gold Coast apprentice/artist who has owned Broken Art Tattoo in LA since 2005.

By 2000, Steve had built a strong team of artists, essentially working himself out of a job. He emphasized making tattoos accessible. If a working-class client wanted a $150 piece, Steve encouraged his artists to make it happen rather than compromise the design. Happiness and the love of the craft mattered more than profit.

The tattoo world itself has transformed. Coil machines from the 1890s gave way to modern equipment, pigments are more vibrant, and artists with fine art backgrounds bring incredible skill to the skin. Steve notes that today’s work is leagues ahead of what he saw when he started. Yet he remains passionate about traditional Americana—eagles, anchors, globes, daggers—especially after years of tattooing military personnel near Fort Ord, Pearl Harbor and Subic Bay.

Steve is proud of Gold Coast’s longevity. The shop has remained a cornerstone of Monterey’s tattoo scene for over 40 years, building a reputation for quality and endurance. Passing the shop in 2018 was a relief; managing artists from afar was stressful, like herding cats. In 2003 Steve found excitement in a new way: unexploded ordnance detection and removal. He’s traveled extensively for work and dives across Thailand and Southeast Asia, adding to his collection of Thai and Khmer tattoos, which he calls his “mojo.”

Along the way, he rubbed shoulders with legends. Jack Massey, Ed Hardy, Paul Rodgers, and Jack Rudy all left their mark on his life. Jack Rudy, in particular, was a delight to get tattooed by—his single-needle fine line work, black-and-gray stippling, and quirky sense of humor made him unforgettable.

Steve’s story is a testament to passion, perseverance, and embracing risk. From early days of uncertainty running a shop, to tattooing the military, celebrities and wild requests, to seeing the evolution of the craft, his journey shows how dedication and a love for the art can create a lasting legacy—one tattoo at a time.