Wave Street Art Collective

I’d love to write a decent review about this place but their hours are not as they state online. I came by here three times and they weren’t open. Just to be safe I double checked to see if they had a lunch time or something. Nothing. No hours on their door either. Seriously, get it together and act more professional Wave Street.

So let me start by saying that the piece I wanted was arabic calligraphy in the shape of the statue of liberty so it is completey foriegn to the average artist. I went to 2 other shops in town and was NOT impressed by the artists and service they offered. The piece I wanted done was very intricate and required some serious skill to do right so after talking with other artists and having them sketch it out I did not feel comfortable with thier ability to do my piece perfectly. THEN I FOUND MORRIS AT WAVE STREET. Let me just say for the record that the other 2 artists I watched there are very skilled as well but I decided to go with morris because of a referal. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. He was very kind and patient and had my difficult piece sketched out in about 15 min then he tatted for about 3.5 hrs. The atmosphere was comfortable and there were movies playing to kill the time. The bottom line is my piece came out PERFECTLY and I couldn’t be happier. To top it off the price was more than reasonable (about 30−50% cheaper than some other quotes I had gotten in monterey and SF bay). Do not go anywhere else, the artists at Wave Street are just that, ARTISTS. Literally when they are not tatting they are drawing or painting some incredible stuff. I am already thinking of my next piece to have these guys do before I leave the area ! I will post a picture of the piece and try to post another after it has healed a bit more

I finally got to writing this review, I guess I must of not wanted to relive the experience again. I came here for my birthday to get my second tattoo. I chose this place because I wanted a paisley design and I saw that Tyson, one of the artist was quite talented in creating paisleys. First I came in for a consult and mainly spoke with the receptionists whose arms were both tatted with paisleys done by Tyson. The receptionist also showed me several awards given to him for her tattoos (and maybe some others) on a tour, I also noticed he was very detailed with shading and with color. I thought to myself, well I guess this is the guy! I also requested a design and he told me to pick two pictures of something similar to what I want for a reference. I told the receptionist that I really wanted a design created ahead of time and she said she will speak to him about drawing something but he mostly sketches the design on your arm with a sharpie to ensure that it fits your body’s symmetry. Once again I told her I would really like to see the drawing prior and she said she will let him know.
On my actual appointment date I showed up and the artist had not created a drawing and said he would do it on a stencil to see what I think. He actually didn’t design anything he just copied one of the pictures that I sent him. I don’t know if he was just being lazy or just uninventive but since I really did like the reference picture and it was my birthday I was really eager to get it done so I just went with it. I really wanted something bigger but he kinda talked me into just getting a smaller piece. I soon noticed that he appeared to be somewhat in a hurry and I started having second thoughts about the whole thing but it was my birthday and I just didn’t want to come back. He then started receiving calls and it appeared that he was going to be late for a dinner or something. I guess it was a really important dinner because there were several calls, maybe domestic issues? I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care this just unprofessional and started to make me feel uncomfortable.
Finally my piece was done and I must say I did like the way it looked and he was great with color. When it was time for me to pay I guess there was an issue with some his drawings that were left on the front desk got water spilled on by one of the other employees, I guess it must be frustrating, but he was very short and rude at the end when I was trying to pay. When I think of the whole experience it was just bad and a little awkward, they say leave your work at work and leave personal issues at home for a reason. I do like my tattoo but I would never go back to this place because of the bad customer service and the fact that my piece is not completely original also bothers me…

Got my first tattoo here. I had a general idea of what I wanted involved in the tattoo, and Raul suggested that I get in touch with Jose.
Jose sat down with me to hammer out a design; he gave me good input and let me alter the design as I wished. During the tattoo, he was precise and made sure to get the design straight on my arm. Wonderful clean, clear lines! Afterward, when I asked, Jose gave me a lot of great advice on how to care for the tattoo for the next little while.
Clean, sterile environment with a huge television to watch shows on if desired. Everyone has a helpful, professional demeanor, and everyone has excellent art and tattoo portfolios!

Was recommended to wave street by a few friends. Morris was my artist, he does amazing work couldn’t be happier with my piece. Everyone at the shop was friendly and talkative. The shop is also extremely clean and well maintained. Would defiantly recommend you check it out if you’re looking to getting work done in Monterey.

Got my first tattoo here at Wave Street Art Collective. It was a great experience! Everyone there is extremely professional. Highly recommend this place!

I called the shop on a Friday to see if they had any time for a walk in. I scheduled to have my tattoo done by Estevan. He was super accommodating on short notice, does great line work and put effort into making sure I left with a quality tattoo (which doesn’t always happen with walk in appointments).
All in all I am very happy with my tattoo and my artist.

Amazing place. All of the artists are friendly, professional, and well experienced. Personally, I go to Jose but all of the artists there do amazing work. I have had two pieces done here and I absolutely love them both. I would recommend Wave Street to anyone and everyone looking to get a tattoo– especially first timers. I had my first tattoo done here and Jose (as well as the other artists) did a great job of making me feel comfortable and getting rid of those initial nerves. Then, of course, I was hooked and had to come again to get my second.

I walked in today with out an appointment. I was greated by the guys right away and Jose told me he could get me in. He did exactly what i wanted and got me done quick. Super friendly and amazing work. I love it. My husband also has a half ass done tattoo and Jose told him what he can do to make it what he wants so he can be happy with it. We drove from the bay area and we will be back to see Jose for more work! Thanks guys!

First tattoo in 17 years. X was Soo cool. Best birth day present to myself. Thank again for the most professional and excellent service. I will be coming back for more

This was my very first tattoo experience and I was more than a little nervous about it going in, but it went very well and I was very comfortable the whole time.
Going in my artist (Stephen) was already there and ready for me, which was great, especially since I had missed his email asking me about fonts and things, he still had everything ready to go the second I walked in.
During the actual process he was very careful about checking on me to make sure I was doing okay and he got the tattoo done in an hour, maybe less, which is impressive given the quality of his work.
And that brings me to the tattoo itself, which is incredible. He did a fantastic job and it turned out even better than I thought.
Overall, awesome experience, fantastic artist, I would definitely recommend it.

First off, let me start by saying that I had Morris do my tattoo. I went in Friday evening with my sketch and Morris and another guy looked at it and told me it was totally doable. They brought Estevan over and he told me it was going to take 5 hours and be about $ 500. Yeah, no that wasn’t going to happen. So I asked Morris and he told me that he had something available Monday at 11 and he would charge me about $ 250. I left my sketch with him so he could make the necessary changes. I got there at 10:45 and they hadn’t even opened, right at 11 he showed up, and he said to give him 5 or 10 minutes. It took about two hours to get the sketch done right with all the spacing and curves, which is the reason behind the four stars instead of five. Sitting there for two hours was annoying and the friend I had brought even said that it was ridiculous and that it should have been at least drawn up and ready. Well, after the two hours we started the tattoo. He was really light handed and he kept asking if I was doing okay, which was awesome. There was a TV in the back room, which definitely helped when the going got rough. We definitely got into some deep conversations, which included him saying that my friend and I, two Army females, were not in the real Army since we weren’t in Infantry, which really made my friend upset, even after we left. But I digress. After about two hours, the tattoo turned out amazing and it was exactly what I wanted. It was a reasonable price, which is hard to find in Monterey. I would definitely return and recommend anyone to go here instead of Gold Coast for sure. But if I return I’d ask for him to have the sketch ready and I definitely wouldn’t bring up anything about the military, because there’s obviously some strong feelings there… Thumbs up and thank you Wave Street!

As another poster pointed out. Bad attitudes, impatient, lack of respect for the customer. Think twice before you come here, I forfeited my deposit, just so I wouldn’t have to do business or get tattooed here.

I had my one and only tattoo done by Morris. It is perfect. We collaborated, he was patient and his work was everything I wanted. I would heartily recommend him

Bad attitude & no respect from staff when I was there. Plenty of place to get a tat in Monterey. This isn’t one of them.

awesome place. Clean, friendly. great customer service. Esteban was fantastic. Everyone worked together, no attitudes no judging, just a friendly place with great artists.

Jose did a excellent job on my Japanese lucky cat/​dia los muertos style. He was professional and made me feel comfortable with my first thigh tattoo. I will definitely be returning and would suggest this shop to anyone interested in good work by good people.

Added to a previous tattoo. Jose was super professional and did a fantastic job!

First I’d like to point out that Allison S. gave a review to a brand new business for work she talks about having had done in the past, long before this business even existed. I think it would be helpful for her to follow the rules and base her review on the actual business itself, which she admittedly has not patronized.
Vent complete. Oh wait. I have one more topic to touch on. A woman in a tattoo shop is likely going to hear a thing or two that’ll make her blush. My advice? Enjoy it. If you’re really that uncomfortable it’s your responsibility (and your right!)t to end the conversation by pointing out your own discomfort. Big girl pants, etc. Vent complete for reals this time.
I don’t know Tyson personally but I have had the honor of checking out three of his pieces, all of which are absolutely mind-​blowing. Not exaggerating here. He is a true artist with amazing vision and talent which is apparent in his original work.
When you look at one of his pieces you know you’re in the midst of something exemplary. His work is some of the best I’ve ever seen and I’m a big time tattoo enthusiasts and pretty well inked myself.
I’m gonna ask my BFF for pics of her tats. Check them out. Ammmmazeballs.
Recommended. You won’t regret it, even if you don’t get the same entertainment some «customers» got.

Make sure you go to José!! He is TOP NOTCH! Did an awesome job on my tattoo! He is very talented, professional and pays close attention to details! :D I will be returning soon for my next tattoo!