Ten years brewing How barista Josh Key went from the Gold Coast's best cafes to opening his own coffee shop in Mermaid Beach.

Peak hour at a coffee shop is not for the faint of heart. People rushing to work, hustling for the first cup, desperate for the hit before the daily grind. Relaxed Espresso flips the script — here, the goal is simple: make you smile before you start your day.

Josh Key spent a decade behind the machines at the Gold Coast's most-loved rooms — Paddock, Bam Bam, Palm Springs, Stone Studio, Mylk Well, Junior's, Mercado. Opening his own shop was always in the five-year plan: a place where people could drink seriously good coffee in a space that didn't take itself seriously.

Then life hit fast-forward. A mate finishing up his lease on a shopfront between a taqueria and a tattoo studio sent Josh the agent's number. A week later, he had the keys.

With Josh Bailey of Studio Build, the pair stripped the old barbershop back to its bones: a long poured-concrete bench, floating brushed-steel tables, and black-framed film photographs — shot by Josh himself — hung on the white brick. Hip-hop hums under the grinder. It doesn't feel designed. It feels lived-in.