An assault conviction of a local tattoo artist puts the industry on alert to improve safety.

On a Friday night in January 2020, a Marine went to get a tattoo at Gold Coast Tattoo in New Monterey, and she brought her friend along. The owner of the shop, Justin Foss, did the tattoo for her, on her clavicle. Foss asked the friend to leave: “I think the both of us would be more comfortable if you left.”

During the tattoo process, he massaged the woman’s shoulders, and repeatedly asked her out. At one point, while wiping off her clavicle, he reached into her shirt, touching her breasts and asked to see her nipples.

That is what the People of the State of California allege happened, in a case originally filed on April 22, 2021. Another report about a year later alleged similar circumstances – a tattoo client said Foss groped her breasts, and at one point grabbed her butt. He allegedly chugged White Claw, an alcoholic seltzer, throughout.

Foss was charged with two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery. The jury was unpersuaded and on June 29, found him not guilty of sexual battery; they instead convicted him on lesser charges of assault, meaning Foss was released after just four days in jail. He will serve the remainder of his 100-day sentence on home confinement. He’s on probation for one year, with conditions including a prohibition on alcohol consumption; he’s required to wear a Scram bracelet that monitors alcohol use. Gold Coast is again open for business.

Foss denies doing anything wrong, noting the jury found him not guilty of the original charges. “I feel like honestly I was blackmailed,” he says. “Nothing like that happens here.” He claims the victims’ allegations were false, and motivated by disputes about the price of their tattoos.

But to some other people in the local tattoo industry, the case was a confirmation of an open secret: Clients, particularly young women, may find themselves in uncomfortable situations. And some tattoo shops are trying to correct for that.

A tattoo artist who goes by Sarah “Twiggs” says things are changing. “I tattoo parents, grandparents, teachers, preachers – it’s not just dingy bikers and gang members. It was seen as taboo, for the lowlife fringe of society. It’s not like that anymore, everyone’s getting tattooed.”

Twiggs says she’s heard numerous stories of drinking while tattooing at Gold Coast, or late-night invitations for off-hours tattoos after the studio is closed. (Foss denies all allegations.)

Twiggs, who in 2020 opened Wholehearted Tattoo Studio in Monterey, plans to publish a document informing newcomers to the tattoo world about what to expect and red flags. For example, nipple covers are standard; and yes, skin needs to be stretched for a tattoo, but an artist should ask you before putting their hand on a sensitive area.

After Foss’ conviction, the local tattoo world was buzzing with stories. On the anonymous Instagram account @thisisour831, which has published other allegations of sexual misconduct, another tattoo artist was accused of violence toward women. (A client also accused him of touching her genitals in a Yelp review, when he worked at Gold Coast.) His boss, Brian “Rooster” Monahan, immediately terminated him.

Monahan opened Brick Alley Tattoo in March. “In the tattoo industry, sometimes there is a fine line,” he says. “Hopefully all of us can hold ourselves to a higher standard. We have to do our best to put a stop to it.”