Portland's Bikini Barista Revolution

While every bikini barista stand has its own vibe, the idea is mostly the same everywhere: Car pulls up, customer engages in flirty banter, pays double the usual latte prices, tips $5 to $20 depending on the quality of the banter, the customer's mood, and how much they like today's outfit, and goes on their way. If it's a "show stand" like Beanies Bikini Barista, you can order a "naughty" coffee — code for coffee and a show. Beanies charges $20 for the barista to flash their upper half and $40 to flash everything. Prices vary from show stand to show stand, and some offer a brief nude dance and a picture or video for higher price tiers.

"Not every stand does it, but a lot of them do because that's where the money is made," says Saturn.

The inventor of the first-ever bikini barista stand is up for debate , but there is no doubt that the phenomenon was born in the late 1990s and early aughts within the Pacific Northwest , despite the region's noted lack of swimsuit-appropriate weather. While the literal climate may not seem conducive to scantily clad servers, the cultural climate has fostered their success: Outlets like Thrillist have attributed the growth of bikini baristas to the pro-kink, strip club-saturated scenes of Portland and Seattle. Like any popular consumer trend, the realm of bikini baristas quickly developed as a subculture, with code words for special services — the aforementioned "naughty," aka "filthy" coffees, for example — and different characteristics in different cities.

You'll find more bikini baristas in Washington, where a population of 150-plus stands makes it the most dense region anywhere. But you'll see more of the actual baristas in Portland, where lenient public nudity laws make fertile ground for the clothing-sparse coffee kiosk. Local allowances like those made for the nude bike rides and clothing-optional beaches mean baristas can wear much less than bikinis, and, depending on the stand and the code word, visitors may encounter full-on nudity. The permitting process for these stands is the same as for any other food cart in Portland.

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