You can build a tiki bar but not in my living room!
And with that Kitty and Mike got to work on converting their spare bedroom into their home tiki bar. Three large palm trees line the front of their mid-century modern home so naming their home tiki bar was easy, they called it 3 Palms Tiki Lounge! Here is Kitty and Mike’s story…
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Mike: Pretty thriving. Maybe because we’re in the scene, there’s quite a few people so it seems pretty healthy.
Kitty: Yeah, I would say it’s thriving. It’s grown a lot over the last five years which is great. Vegas has four tiki bars now, All great for different reasons. It’s great to have options and I think they attract new people. There’s something for everyone. It’s a great way to introduce new people to tiki.
What brought you into the tiki lifestyle and how long has it been part of your life?
Mike: Like anything, you see something you like it, it gives you that feeling. So, you go try to learn about it. Growing up my neighbors had 6’ tikis in their front yard, I always thought they were cool. Maybe like 15 years ago or a little longer I figured out it was tiki and started following it and got an understanding of it.
Kitty: I used to think I hated tiki. ‘Tiki’ in Florida used to be pretty much party city tiki. It’s awful. Unbeknownst to me, when I went to places like Mai Kai with my mom for the Polynesian show, or Castaway’s for dinner, that was actually tiki. And I loved it! I didn’t figure that out until I moved to Vegas and went to Frankie’s. That was probably 12 or so years ago.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Mike: I’ve been collecting for a long time, always with an intent to display. A bar is the natural place to show off your tiki collection. I’m a carpenter, so I’m pretty handy and I can build and carve my own stuff. I learned different styles and techniques. I didn’t want the bar outside, and we have a small house so we built it in the spare bedroom.
Kitty: Mike had boxes and boxes of tiki stuff when we got married, and a little thatched bar in the living room. I said no no, not in my Living Room. You can build a tiki bar but I don’t want to live in it. So, we continued to collect, and when Mikes daughter grew up and no longer came for summers… we turned the bedroom in to a tiki bar. It took about 7 months to complete, since we were on Covid lockdown and couldn’t go anywhere but work, we had plenty of time to work on it. Mike just woke up January 1, 2021 and said I’m building the tiki bar, in the bed room. And we got to work that day.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Mike: We went around quite a bit on names. But we have three palm trees out front so 3 Palms it is.
Kitty: We have 3 big palm trees in front of house, which we call 3 Palms Ranch. We had a list but 3 Palms Tiki Lounge was the natural choice.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Mike: I don’t know that I have one. I like Lapu Lapu’s, Zombies, I like a good Mai Tai. Maybe I’m still searching, there’s a lot of tiki drinks out there to try.
Kitty: That’s hard, I’m a cocktail nerd, and I really enjoy tiki mixology. Every bar has a specialty but I think my OMG drink has to be a Mr. Bali Hai. I had one at Bali Hai and it was so delicious. I came home and started hunting down the recipe and mastering it.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Mike: We haven’t been to a lot. Trader Sam’s is up there, False Idol was great. Frankie’s is definitely up there. Actually, probably Frankie’s, it was my first immersive tiki bar. All the bars we’ve been to have something to offer. It would be boring if it was just a generic formula.
Kitty: That’s a rough one. Frankie’s has a special place in my heart. I always love Trader Sam’s… Can I pick two? False Idol for decor, it is amazing! And Bootlegger for cocktails and history. Some of the best drinks I have ever had, and I get tikiphile tingles in there. It’s amazing.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Mike: Decor of course! Decor and lighting. Peoples taste comes in of course, but you can’t walk in and be bored in five minutes. You have to keep discovering. By its nature it’s cluttered and over the top. It should be an immersive experience.
Kitty: It should be immersive. Whatever style theme you have it should transport you away from the everyday world. You should be able to forget your mundane life and find yourself in paradise.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Mike: Expansion, to allow more room for enjoyment. Since we have a small tiki bar, the intention was always to expand. I want people to have that first feeling I had. Having grown up in California with Disney, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates, I want people to have that Carrie’s away feeling.
Kitty: We’re preparing for a big expansion, in to the backyard. We knew with a small bar we would run out of space, and here we are, fresh out of room. I’m really excited to build again, see what all we come up with, and for more friends in our bar!
Anything else you would like to add?
Mike: Being a scene kid in the 80s, I’ve seen how fickle people are. Some of us will always be in to the same thing – MCM, Tiki- the majority of people will have a fling and move on. But there are plenty of us who will stay.
Kitty: I think it’s great that tiki is making a comeback right now. It will peak, like in the late 60’s and go back in to grandpa’s attic like it did before. To be discovered again thirty years later by a curious kid. But some people are going to fall in love with it, and learn about, and put their spin on it, and it will be a huge part of their life. It’s not going to die anytime soon thank God. And thanks to everyone with a home tiki bar a copy of Sippin’ Safari.
Wonderful work