Critiki now has close to 7,000 photos, all added by Critiki’s members. Each and every picture that gets added to Critiki goes through a quick review, where I tag them. Those tags make it possible to browse some useful albums of Polynesian Pop imagery: you can see all of the matchbooks in Critiki, or all of the postcards, you can see an album filled with just tapa cloth, or A-frames, or outriggers. It’s a fun way to immerse yourself in tiki for a bit, and I hope it can also be useful for folks doing a bit of research for creative projects or bar buildouts.
This feature of Critiki isn’t new, but it might as well be. The albums worked okay when I first built them, but over the years, these albums have grown and grown and GROWN. The old interface was too hard to use for that many photos.
A few of Critiki’s pictures of tapa
But these new albums! They’re dreamy. So easy to scan through all the thumbnails quickly—and, like the location picture albums, the pictures only load when you need them, so it’s zippy. When you are looking at pictures full-size, it’s got all those swipey, zoomy features you know and love, and you can use your keyboard’s arrow keys to flip through quickly.
Have your own pictures you’d like to add? All of these pictures get added via a location in Critiki. For instance, if you have an old menu from the Tonga Room in San Francisco, you’d add that picture from the Critiki page for the Tonga Room, and once the picture has been reviewed, it will appear in the Menus picture album in addition to the Tonga Room picture album.
Now that these albums are a bit more functional, I’m already daydreaming about adding some new tags. Enjoy!
Tiki from The Castaways, now living at Liki Tiki inside the Colorado Springs Bike Shop. Photo from Critiki member Bikeshoptiki
Are you in Colorado? Are you thirsty? Do you miss The Castaways? Do I have the refreshment stand for you: Liki Tiki in Colorado Springs serves coffee, smoothies, lemonade and other simple refreshments, and is found within The Colorado Springs Bike Shop. It’s a simple little thatch-covered counter, but it has a large tiki that came from The Castaways in nearby Manitou Springs after it closed in 2013. Go say hello to the tiki, get some lemonade, and I dunno, buy some tires. Sounds like a nice way to spend a morning, honestly.
Critiki member Robin has added pictures from his time spent in Paris, with six photos of Dirty Dick and four photos of Le Tiki Lounge. Merci, Robin! See them all in the Critiki listings:
In the United Kingdom, there is a chain of “holiday camps,” called Butlin’s. They were built in the 1930s and ’40s, as an affordable way for your average British family to get away for a vacation. Honesty time: when I look at old pictures of the Butlin’s holiday camps, to my eyes, they look bleak. I can easily imagine taking a life-changing, wonderful vacation in the United Kingdom, but not at these places. They just do not look like a pleasant or interesting place to spend time. They look like bare-bones military barracks, and it’s hard to imagine them being a step up from just staying home. As a matter of fact, they were used as emergency wartime housing for displaced Britons during World War II. Wheeeee.
A Butlin’s camp makes an appearance in The Who’s 1975 film Tommy, though not by that name. It’s where Ann-Margaret hooks up with Oliver Reed.
Thankfully, the remaining Butlin’s camps have been updated, and the modern incarnations look much more cozy than the old 20th century Butlin’s. If anyone can give a positive first-person experience with these places back in the day, please do clue me in. What were they like? I would love to learn my impressions are wrong.
UPDATE! My friend Steve Coulson tells me:
I visited many of those Butlins camps as a child. Happy memories, best holidays of my life, so I can definitely refute your supposition that they were bleak. Wonderful atmosphere, with many activities and things to do, like a British version of Disneyland, I visited an updated Butlins a couple of years ago and they’re not a patch on the originals.
Sad boxy bland institutional accommodations aside, Butlin’s once did provide a weird escape, Polynesian Pop style: their Butlin’s Beachcomber Bars. London had just seen its first wave of the Polynesian Pop craze thanks to The Beachcomber at the May Fair Hotel. Butlin’s wanted to cash in on the craze, and they nicked the name and concept for bars at six of the Butlin’s camps: Ayr, Bognor, Minehead, Skegness, Filey and Barry Island. Compared with other tiki bars of the day, they have a more psychedelic, swinging ’60s UK feel to them, with bright colors and fantastic scenery. While the camps they were in looked boooooring, by contrast, these bars look like the set of H.R. Pufnstuf.
Thanks to many vintage postcard contributions from Dustycajun, along with contributions of other items from Kohalacharms, blue.octopus and Liz Blackshaw, Critiki has some awfully fun pictures of the Butlin’s bars—be sure to look at all the listings in Critiki to see the images in great, big, beautiful color. Sadly, Critiki doesn’t have pictures of the Barry Island location. That one, though it was billed as “the largest bar in Europe” when it opened in 1966, burned down just two years later. The other Beachcomber Bars closed over the years, and all are now long gone. Maybe Butlin’s should bring them back. Then I’d have to visit.
Here’s a rare chance to see a Butlin’s Beachcomber Bar in action: this is a British Pathe film taken at the Butlin’s Beachcomber Bar in Skegness in 1964. It shows a hula contest between young ladies vacationing at the resort, and there’s even a demonstration of the Beachcomber Bar’s storm special effects at the end.
Inside The Beachcomber in Victoria, B.C., from a postcard in the collection of DustycajunThe United States had plenty of chains of Polynesian restaurants operating during the ’60s: Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, Kon-Tiki Ports, Kona Kai. The other day, I told you about the U.K. chain of Beachcomber Bars at Butlin’s holiday camps. Recently, Critiki member Dustycajun added a number of pictures for Canada’s similarly-named chain: The Beachcomber. In particular, there’s a great oversized postcard that has several views of the inside and outside of the Victoria location. Read all about the five locations in Critiki:
Pagan Idol, the new tiki bar from San Francisco’s Future Bars group mentioned on Critiki News last October, opens today at 7 p.m. The bar is at 375 Bush St, in San Francisco’s Financial District (across from Belden Place, and around the corner from sister bar Rickhouse).
The team at Pagan Idol isn’t new to Polynesian Pop: two of the bartenders came from San Francisco’s Tonga Room (where they will be missed, they were the best bartenders), and Justin D’Olier, who grew up in Hawai’i. Included in the decor are two massive tikis, one carved by Crazy Al Evans… and more, so much more, that I don’t want to spoil for you just yet. I’ll have many more pictures later tonight, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy this beautiful space. You guys: they got it right. You’re going to love Pagan Idol.
There’s a listing for Pagan Idol in Critiki—be sure to add your pictures and impressions to Critiki once you’ve seen it for yourself!
Now that I’ve had a chance to catch my breath, I can share a bit more about Pagan Idol, San Francisco’s new tiki bar. But honestly, I’m feeling hesitant. I don’t want to tell you anything about Pagan Idol. I want you to experience it for yourself, I want it to be your discovery. If you want to stay unspoiled, get there quickly: they’re open Monday-Friday from 4pm, Saturday from 6pm (closed Sunday), at 375 Bush in downtown SF.
I will share that I love Pagan Idol, it is a dream of a tiki bar. Every drink I’ve tasted was amazing (the menu is all original tropicals, but all the classic tiki drinks you know and love can be ordered off-menu, too). The soundtrack is heavenly—Exotica and hapa-haole, perfection. The service is joyous, and the people there have a genuine love for Tiki.
Drink menu from Pagan Idol, from the collection of Humuhumu
That said—if you’ve taken pictures of Pagan Idol, please do share them with Critiki! These pictures could be breathing life into a tikiphile stuck out in Siberia. (Not joking, Critiki really does get traffic from Siberia.) Think of the Siberians who may never get to see Pagan Idol, except through your photos!
From animation team Fuzzy & Leemsie: the (non-human) occupants of a tiki bar ride out a storm together. With backgrounds by Niko Guardia. A short and sweet little confection, lasting just over a minute—I didn’t want this short to end!
Our nation’s capital has had doses of great tiki over the decades… the old Trader Vic’s there was a major hangout for politicians for many years (Richard Nixon reportedly liked Navy Grogs), Politiki was carving out a place for tiki during the ’90s, when no one else was doing it, and the legendary Honolulu Restaurant held on until closing back in 2004 (has it been that long already?). But for many years now, it’s been underserved on the tiki front: a craft cocktail tiki night here, a Chinese restaurant serving a few scorpion bowls there, but no real tiki experiences to speak of.
That looks to be changing, with the arrival of Archipelago, on U Street NW. I’ve not seen very good pictures of the place yet, so it’s hard to say how it measures up on the theming side of things, but it sounds like an attempt is being made, the drinks appear to be solid, and a swing at tiki is certainly welcome in the D.C. area.
Go get some pictures, and report back to Critiki! There is now a location listing for Archipelago.
The bar at Trader Vic’s in Portland, by Critiki member Lucky Jackson
Terrible news: the Portland Trader Vic’s location has closed permanently. A couple weeks ago, a fire in the medical offices above Vic’s caused some minor damage to a patch of ceiling. The repairs were to be covered by insurance, but the owners of the location opted to close the operation entirely. It was a large restaurant in a very competitive area of town, and the restaurant business is a hard one in the best of circumstances. That doesn’t do much to soften the blow, though: this was a good Trader Vic’s.
No word yet on what will happen with all of the decor, but typically the decor items make their way back to Trader Vic’s headquarters (Trader Vic’s is a franchise chain, and they likely had no say in the closing of this location). The Portland location was unusually well-decorated for a new Vic’s, and it would be great if those pieces made their way into another new location somewhere.
Last Monday, Lost Lake in Chicago had an electrical fire. The fire itself wasn’t that big (most of the damage was in the kitchen of the connected Thank You restaurant), but the smoke damage… oh, dear, the smoke damage. This is hard news to swallow, but… they had to throw out the rum. The rum! And they’re having to do a deep-clean. They should be open again soon, in a couple of weeks.
But a couple of weeks is a loooong time to be out of work when you depend on tips to pay your bills. The local bar community has stepped up, and are helping plan some special pop-up events to keep the crew slinging drinks (including one in Indianapolis!). To learn more, keep an eye on the Lost Lake Facebook page.
For those of us too far from Chicago to chip in, head to this GoFundMe page, where money is being collected to help the crew out during this bumpy stretch. The fund was set up by Kiowa Bryan, an agricole rhum maven, Los Angeles bartender, and Lost Lake lover. Kiowa is also hosting a special Lost Lake support event at Eveleigh in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 7.
Only a few weeks ago, we permanently lost the Portland Trader Vic’s to a fire. The fire at Lost Lake has a lot in common, but I’m hopeful the end of this story will be much different. Let’s do what we can to ensure it!
Whoooooa. Some fun, out-of-the-blue news: the June 2016 of O-as-in-Oprah Magazine shines a teeny little spotlight on Critiki, as a part of a list of “40 Ways to Love Your Summer More”:
15 Rainy Day Approved
Find Your Personal Polynesian Heaven
Drinking rum and curaçao out of a mug-size Easter Island head is the reason warm weather was created, but tiki culture is becoming harder to find. Need a mai tai immediately? Visit critiki.com for a map of island-inspired bars and restaurants, each graded on drink quality, atmosphere, and essential “tikiness.”
This was a complete surprise, I had no idea this was coming! Critiki is intentionally structured to not have any income whatsoever: no ads, no fees. That’s important to me, I like that money doesn’t cloud the picture when you’re using Critiki. It does mean that my budget for spreading the word about Critiki is $0, though. So I’m going to do a very Oprah thing right now and share my feeling of gratitude that the folks at O Magazine shared Critiki with their readers. I’m doubly happy that they did such a good job of describing what Critiki is all about. It was awfully kind of them.
Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
Smuggler’s Cove owners Martin Cate and Rebecca Cate, already incredible powerhouses of creative productivity, have been doubling-down, tripling-down, in recent years. There have been two major outputs from all this busy-ness. The first was Whitechapel, the astounding subterranean London-themed gin joint in San Francisco.
Ooh, fancy! You can rub the Kuhiko mug!
Now comes the second—Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum and the Cult of Tiki. This new book, published by Ten Speed Press, is available June 7 (but you can pre-order it right now). This book is beefy. It is over 350 pages, and every single one of them is a full-color design fantasia, thanks to a liberal peppering of photos by Dylan + Jeni, illustrations by Dave Stolte, and bits of historic ephemera. Even the cover is oh-so-extra, with a subtle bas-relief carved spine. I’m honestly surprised that the cost of this book is not double.
The book’s intro says it better than I could.
Okay, it’s pretty, it’s big, but is it good? Oh, come on now, are you new here? It’s the best. Of course it’s the best. This is not a rehash of what has come before. Martin and Rebecca have dug in deep, with all kinds of nerdy details on everything: drinkmaking techniques, the history, the flavor profiles of tiki, rum, the environment, the fashion, and—most significantly—tons of practical tips for doing tiki well. It’s how-to, it’s why-to, it’s as immersive as the environments Martin creates for us.
There are over 100 recipes, including many Martin Cate originals. I’m particularly happy to get my hands on his recipe for Hondo Hattie’s Jungle Punch, a special drink he created for an event at the Walt Disney Family Museum that is the color of Jungle Cruise swamp water, and is almost as delicious.
At this writing, I’ve done a heavy skim of the book so I can give you my impressions, but it’s going to take some time to give this the thorough reading it demands. I’m intentionally giving you only the smallest of peeks here, so you can discover this visual wonder all for yourself.
But I am going to show you this ridiculous picture of baby Martin in a grass skirt.
Critiki now has something to help you locate tricky, sneaky, hidden tiki spots: a special gallery of photos showing what the place looks like from the street. This was inspired by my first visit to the Kon Tiki Lounge in Tucson back in 2003 (the pre-GPS days), when I drove back and forth in my rental car, not realizing that its great big famous sign is actually set waaaaay back from the street.
You’ll find this gallery in the “How to find it” section, just below the location description:
Street view gallery
Funny thing, though: this is not actually a new feature. The old Critiki Mobile site (which, like, three people knew about and used) had a special Street View gallery for years and years, but the full desktop site never had it. Both sites merged into one much-improved site back in January, but the Street View gallery didn’t make the trip. Now it’s back for good, and for everybody.
When a young man’s (or woman’s) fancy turns to thoughts of their dream home tiki bar, one of the first things settled on is a name for their own little corner of paradise. And naturally, as soon as you have a name, you start daydreaming about a sign. There are lots of ways to go about making a sign, but here’s mine. It’s a handy step-by-step showing how I went about making the sign for my own home tiki bar, Balhi Ha’i.
You’ll need:
Wood
Paper
Carbon tracing paper
Tape
A ballpoint pen
Protective eye gear, really, I mean it
A Dremel (or similar rotary tool)
Dremel flex shaft attachment
Dremel bits
Sandpaper
Tack cloth
Foam brushes
Wood conditioner
Stain
Polyurethane
Small paintbrush
Primer
Paint
Step 1: Get some wood
I got my wood from a dumpster at a hardscape supply place. I asked if they had any scrap pieces I could buy, and they were very kind and pulled out a bunch of stuff from their dumpster for me, gratis. I don’t know what kind it was. It’s just wood. It’s mystery meat wood, from a dumpster. Nothin’ fancy.
Tracing the design using carbon paper
Step 2: Trace your design
Coming up with a logo and design, whoo boy, that could be a whole other discussion. Sorry to gloss over that, but I want to talk about this here sign today, so we’re going to pretend you have that sorted.
You could draw your design right on the wood, but if I know you (and I think I do), you’re probably going to come up with your design on a computer. Print your design out at the size you want it on the wood, on plain paper. (I printed mine black, but if I had it to do over again, I’d have made it gray so I could more easily see what I’d already traced over.) Put a piece of carbon tracing paper (this is the stuff I used) between your paper and the wood, carbon side facing the wood, and tape everything in place. Use a ballpoint pen to trace your design. Peek under the edge of your paper to check on how the transfer is going, to be sure it’s working like you expect.
All traced!
Step 3: Get your Dremel on
We’re about to start carving, but first, let’s talk about your Dremel. If you’re already familiar with your Dremel, skip to the next step.
First thing to know about Dremel: Dremel would like to sell you many, many add-ons. Almost all of them are silly and you can ignore them. But you do want the flex shaft attachment. It’s a lot easier to do this kind of fine work for long stretches if you have one. The flex shaft is just a long, skinny hose that goes between the Dremel motor (which is usually what you grip onto) and the spinning bit that you’ll be using on the wood. The hose shouldn’t be coiled while you’re working, ideally it needs to hang down and stay kind of straightish, because hidden inside that hose is a metal cable that is spinning just as fast as the motor and the bit. Do not cramp its style! You gotta let that sucker spin freely. I don’t have a special hanging rig, I just use an S hook and hang it from wherever’s handy. Here’s a video that shows what I’m talking about (but I’m also including it because whoa with that music):
Read all the Dremel instructions, be careful, and wear protective eye gear even though none of us will look as sexy with eye gear as the gentleman in that video.
Carve the edge around the design with a Dremel.
Step 4: Carve around the edges of your design
Now comes the fun part: carving! The picture above shows a first pass at carving around my design. This was with a pointy-headed triangle bit. After this, I went over it again with a much smaller bit to get it nice and clean. I then went over it one more time with a round bit about the size of a small bb to clear out a wider, deeper swath of wood around the design, to give some buffer space for the rowdier background work. I carved about a quarter-inch deep. You’re totally going to biff it at some point and accidentally tear out a chunk of your design. You really, really don’t want to do that, but you’re human, and it’s going to happen. Don’t beat yourself up over it.
Time for texture!
Step 5: Carve out some texture
Now that the high-pressure, fine detail stuff is done, you get to cut loose and create some fun texture. For this, I used a much bigger bit shaped more like an oval, maybe the size of a small peanut. You don’t see that bit in the Dremel in this picture, because I took this picture after my oval bit had gone shooting out of my Dremel and ricocheted off of the neighbor’s fence and I couldn’t find it and I was waiting for a new bit to arrive in the mail so I could finish. So, uh, always check the tightness of your chuck, and always wear your eye protection, folks!
Midway, while I was stuck twiddling my thumbs waiting for a new bit.
Anyway, I didn’t have any plan for the texture, I just kinda bounced it all around ripping chunks out of the wood randomly. I like how it turned out!
Carved and sanded (click to enlarge)
Step 6: Sand
Once the carving is complete, it’s time for sanding. Get a typical sandpaper variety pack with a few different grits, they come in sheets you can fold or tear. Anyone familiar with emery boards will know the drill, but if you’re totally new to sanding, start with a coarser grit (say, 100), then work with finer grits (150, then 220). Always sand in the same direction as the grain (in the case of this sign, that means back-and-forth lengthwise, not up-and-down). I mainly focused on sanding the design. The textured background with all of its curves and divots would have been too hard to sand well, plus it’s sort of supposed to look rough and organic, but I probably hit a few of the roughest spots. Fold your sandpaper into a point to get into little bends and crevices. Once you’re done, get all of the dust off with a tack cloth (which is just inexpensive, slightly sticky gauze sold exactly for this purpose).
Staining the wood
Step 7: Stain
From here on out, you want to keep your sign dust-free, so do this work in a sheltered spot, ideally not outdoors. Before staining, I applied a wood conditioner, which helps the stain go on evenly, without blotches. Then apply the stain according to the directions on the can. This is two coats of Dark Walnut stain.
Waiting for the polyurethane to dry
Step 8: Varnish
What I said earlier about keeping the sign dust-free goes double now: it’s time to bust out the polyurethane. I used a satin gloss polyurethane, and you can see that even though it’s “clear,” it has an amber cast that warms up the color perfectly. I use a foam brush when applying polyurethane. Follow the directions on the tin, and give it plenty of time to dry between coats.Use a light, but even, touch when applying the polyurethane; you want to avoid having pools of poly. Sand the design area between coats so that it comes out smooth.
Primer coat on the design, and some sort of prepared food lid, sorry about that
Step 9: Paint the design
Gently sand the design with some 220 sandpaper. You just want to rough it up a smidge so the paint will adhere nicely and evenly. Be sure you don’t accidentally sand the background. Then apply a coat of primer paint. It doesn’t have to look perfect, it’s just providing a base. Once that’s done, go to town with whatever paint you like! I went with gold paint, because I’m faaaaancy.
The finished sign! Click to enlarge.
Hey, look at that! A sign!
There are some places in these steps where I’m a little vague—like not giving you the exact bit model numbers, for example. The thing is, I was winging it, making it up as I went along, and I want you to know you can—and should—wing it, too. There’s no reason to follow these instructions to a T. I don’t know what I’m doing. This is only the second non-pumpkin, non-soap-bar thing I’ve carved. I don’t let not knowing what I’m doing stop me, and neither should you. I mean, try to not lose any eyes or fingers, but beyond that, hey, why not take a stab at making your own sign?
This article originally appeared in the program for The Hukilau 2016, where it was titled “Keep The Hukilau Going at Home.” These tips are relevant for anyone looking to dive into hosting tiki parties—or any kind of party, really.
Wearing a Trader Vic’s lemon wrap shower cap, this tiki is ready to party.
No one is ever ready for The Hukilau to be over. There’s a point when reality hits that the last party is done, that everyone has checked out of their hotel rooms and is headed to the airport, and all you can think of is the wonderful time you had, and all the people you can’t believe you didn’t get to say goodbye to. You sit, probably at least a bit worse for the wear, slowly making your way through breakfast while you relive the weekend in your head, and start to make plans for next year’s Hukilau. You can’t bear to think about going back to your work, you’re not ready for that fluorescent-lit blandness.
So here’s what you’re going to do: you’re going to bring The Hukilau home with you. You’re going to start throwing parties, and I’m going to help you. I throw parties several times a month at my own home tiki bar, and I’ve learned some things along the way:
Tip 1: Throw more parties
Throwing a party is just like exercise: when you first get started, it hurts. The preparation, the cleanup, it takes a lot of energy. But if you persevere and throw another, hey, it doesn’t hurt so bad. You start building host muscles. Throw parties frequently enough and you won’t feel it at all, it’ll be as hard as breathing air.
Tip 2: Look for ways to make the next party easier
As soon as each party is over, I think about ways I can make preparation or cleanup easier next time. Some of the improvements I’ve made: I bought big bussing tubs to cut down on trips to the kitchen when rounding up glasses at the end of the night. I switched to all-compostable straws and picks so I don’t have to sort out little bits of plastic when cleaning up. I upgraded my juicer. Your parties will be different, so you’ll find your own little tweaks. They’ll add up over time, and before you know it, hosting is a breeze.
Everything is ready on the bar top at Balhi Ha’i
Tip 3: Keep a party prep checklist
It can be overwhelming when you think of everything that has to be done when preparing for a party. A tiki party has even more moving parts, with the complicated drinks and decor. Let a checklist be your brain. Every time you cross an item off your list, you’ll feel more accomplished, more confident, and more ready to play host. I use a phone app called Clear, which lets me quickly reuse the same list every time.
Tip 4: Don’t try to stock your tiki bar
The initial instinct is to want to be able to make any of a dozen great tiki drinks on demand. Resist that temptation: you’ll spend a ton of money on expensive liquors you don’t have room for, you’ll struggle to keep perishables on hand, and honestly, you probably won’t be happy with the drinks you’re making. I made that mistake, too! Instead, build your repertoire one drink at a time. Serve Mai Tais, get the right ingredients for that drink, get good at it, and then move on to the Navy Grog, master that one, move on to the next, and so on.
Tip 5: Punch
If you try to make individual drinks for your guests, you’ll probably have a hard time keeping up. Go easy on yourself by also providing a punchbowl or two to get everyone started. Keep it cold with a great big block of ice, and encourage people to put a lot of ice in their glasses. Dilution is your friend with tiki drinks, and the ice cubes will help pace your friends’ consumption. While you’re at it, be sure water is available, too!
My citrus stays fresh because it’s made of plastic.
Tip 6: Set the tone
Ideally, you’ll have your very own home tiki bar, a dedicated space just for entertaining. Odds are, you’re not there yet. Don’t let it hold you back. The best thing you can do: eliminate the white. Replace white light bulbs with colored bulbs, or put incandescent bulbs on dimmers so the glow is nice and warm. Cover your white walls with great big fishing nets. No need to buy a bunch of plastic neon junk, a few lighting touches along with some eBay or thrift store finds will get you on your way. And really, the best outfit any room can wear is the enchanting sound of Exotica and Hawaiian music.
Tip 7: Relax
You’re going to run out of time. As the party start time approaches, there will be dip you meant to make, garnishes you meant to prep. Don’t do it. At least 10 minutes before the party, stop everything you’re doing, and start relaxing. Your job as host isn’t to give dip, it is to give a fun time. If you’re harried, your guests will feel harried. The dip isn’t important. Make yourself a drink, turn on the Martin Denny, and breathe.
The foundation of a great tiki bar is its walls. In an ordinary room a coat of paint is sufficient, but in a tiki bar, you want to remove any vestiges of an ordinary room. You want your visitors to imagine a quiet, moonlit beach on the other side of that wall, or maybe a dark, untamed jungle. There are many ways to do that, no matter your budget:
Materials
Bac-bac matting
Bac-bac matting
Made from strips, typically about 1″ wide, of banana plant “bark.” The strips are woven diagonally, making a diamond pattern. Bac-bac matting typically has a lot of color variation within the weave, with strips ranging from pale to dark brown.
Lauhala matting
Lauhala matting
Made from the leaves of the hala plant, also called pandanus. Lauhala mats look very much like bac-bac matting, but with a relatively uniform, pale color, and a smoother finish. It looks a bit more polished than bac-bac.
Neou palm panel
Neou palm panels
These Tahitian-style woven panels, made from two intertwined palm fronds, were more commonly used in the early-to-mid 20th century. They are still available, but they are often cost prohibitive for use in large numbers. They’re about one foot wide and six feet long. If you have the budget and are aiming for a more authentic historic tiki bar look, there’s nothing quite like them.
Abaca cloth
Abaca cloth
Abaca is another name for Musa textilis, a species of banana plant. The tough fibers from the leaves are quite thin, perhaps a millimeter wide, and when loosely woven into a cloth, it resembles a non-fuzzy burlap. Abaca cloth comes in large bolts, about 2′ wide and 30′ long, and is particularly affordable.
Three styles of tropical mats using varied materials
Combination matting
Abaca, sisal, sennit, palm, bamboo, and other organic fibrous materials can be combined to create mats with a variety of unique patterns and textures.
Bamboo slat blind
Bamboo slats
A common wainscoting trick in tiki bars: use inexpensive bamboo slat blinds, turned sideways. These blinds are widely available at hardware stores, and come in a variety of styles and finishes.
Reed fence
Reed fencing
A particularly affordable way to cover a large area, simple reed fencing is also available at most hardware stores. Long, thin reeds are bound together by lightweight wire. It’s a bit rustic, and is more commonly used outdoors, but it can work wonders if you’re on a budget.
Fishing net
Fishing nets
The ultimate quick & dirty tiki bar wall solution: fishing nets. Awfully cheap, and quick (though skimpy) coverage. They can be found in many colors; real fishing nets are likely to be a pale gray-brown, but I usually reach for black nets.
Tongan tapa clothFijian tapa cloth
Tapa cloth
Tapa cloth is made from the pounded bark of the mulberry and stamped or painted with ornate designs using natural dyes. It is often considered the ideal tiki bar wall treatment, but it can be difficult to source and expensive once you do. The most common larger pieces you’ll encounter are Tongan. Fijian tapa tends to be found in smaller pieces and commands higher prices.
Where to buy
The place we all love to support is Oceanic Arts in Whittier, just outside of Los Angeles. Oceanic Arts is a wonderland of tiki supplies. If you’re lucky enough to visit their warehouse, come prepared with room in your car, you’ll want to take everything home. Oceanic Arts has been outfitting tiki bars for over 60 years, and we’re so lucky they’re still at it today. You can look through their catalog online, and they ship all over the world.
If having items shipped from Oceanic Arts isn’t feasible for you, do a simple search for these materials and you’ll turn up many alternate options. Landscape supply stores and hardware stores will carry reed fencing, and the latter will also have bamboo blinds.
How to use them
Cutting to size
Most of these materials can be cut with scissors. You may have edges with bindings that could unravel, you can seal those spots with a hot glue gun.
Artificially aging
Some of these materials can look a little too “raw” if they’re used without some aging. Experiment with some scrap material. I’ve had success using spray stain, which works a lot like spray paint. A stain & polyurethane combo is another option. I’ve not had great luck using coffee or tea stains as one might with fabric, but it might be worth trying. Whatever approach you use, be sure you let the materials dry out completely before using them in your room—you don’t want mold and mildew.
Fire retardant
All of these wall treatments are made of dried plant materials, and have the potential to be highly combustible. Before putting any in place, make sure they’ve been treated with a fire retardant. Some can be purchased with fire retardant already applied (Oceanic Arts offers this). It’s also possible to do it yourself. It can be tempting to skip the treatment step to save money or time, but please take the time to do this. I use this spray in my tiki bar, but there are other solutions on the market (including companies who will come spray your materials for you). Follow the instructions closely, and use liberally. You may have a faint white residue in some spots, where the salt in the solution has crystallized. Don’t sweat it, it’s not likely to be at all noticeable once your materials are up on the walls and the lights are low.
Hanging
Before hanging, consider painting the wall a dark brown color, so that there won’t be any white peeking through. The heavier mats can be wall mounted using a contact cement, like those used for gluing carpeting. Lighter matting, like abaca cloth, can simply be stapled into place.
Trim
The raw edges of your wall treatments will likely be covered by trim pieces. Split bamboo and carved wooden trim are the most common choices—another post for another day!
But what if you’re renting?
I’ve heard a few solutions over the years. Often landlords will okay making alterations to the walls, as long as you commit to patching any holes and painting back to white before you move out. Some folks use lightweight wall treatments that can be tacked up or stapled up, or even hung from a few strategically placed hooks, rather than using glue. Another option is hanging up fabric to cover the walls. A more dramatic solution: consider mounting elaborate wall treatments to large panels that are attached to the walls, and can be taken down when it’s time to move.
What I did at my place…
Honestly, my place is about half finished. I haven’t yet put up trim, for instance. But it’s a start! I turned on some bright lights to take these photos, it’s ordinarily much moodier…
Fijian tapa, abaca cloth, and bamboo slat wainscoting at Balhi Ha’i.Fijian tapa cloth, abaca cloth, and bamboo slat wainscoting at Balhi Ha’i.
Can you imagine what it would look like if the walls had been left white? The impact wouldn’t be the same.
The walls were first painted with dark brown matte finish paint. Abaca cloth from Oceanic Arts was stained with dark walnut spray stain, sprayed with fire retardant, and stapled to the wall with a staple gun. Dark brown bamboo slat blinds from Home Depot were sprayed with fire retardant and stapled to the wall with a staple gun. Black fishing nets from Oceanic Arts are hung from the ceiling with small hooks. Tapa cloth—lucky scores from years of scouring vintage shops—is hung on the wall using thumbtacks. A little extra touch: I painted a light switch cover brown and glued leftover abaca cloth onto it with Mod Podge, so it blends into the wall.
Wikiwiki, get going!
There is no single thing you can do in your home tiki bar that will transform it as dramatically as the wall treatments. I hope this guide has you inspired and excited to start building the hut of your dreams!
Bakersfield, you’ve got a new tiki bar! Tiki-Ko has opened at 1919 K Street, on the corner of Service Street. Critiki member Pelvis sent these pictures my way about a month ago when he attended a pre-opening party; I imagine they’ve added even more details to this already gorgeous space over the last month.
The new tiki bar is owned by longtime tikiphiles Roy Scarazzo and Sonya Gamargo. The interior was designed and built by Danny “Tiki Diablo” Gallardo, and features vintage Witco pieces, beachcomber lamps, turquoise blue upholstery, and artwork from Tiki tOny. Future plans call for the bar to expand to include a lower level. There is a souvenir coconut mug with Tiki-Ko’s logo and tagline, “A shady place for sunny people.” See more pictures at the Critiki listing for Tiki-Ko—mahalo to Critiki members Pelvis and Tiki Pants for sharing early photos. Get to Bakersfield to check it out for yourself, and add your own ratings and pictures to Critiki!
There’s a party in my psyche, and you’re invitedFrom the August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, photo by Kamala Kingsley
The August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, the in-flight magazine of Hawaiian Airlines, features gorgeous photography of home tiki bars in a piece titled “Basement Bora Boras”. The pictures are by Kamala Kingsley—you may be familiar with her work as the official photographer of the annual Tiki Kon event in Portland. Kamala has a great eye for capturing tiki party scenes. The accompanying text, and the idea for the photo spread, comes from Randy Wong of the band Waitiki. The bars included in the spread are my own Balhi Ha’i in San Francisco, The Monkey Hut in Exile in Portland, OR, the Desert Oasis Room in Corona, CA, Hale Antonelli in Huntington Beach, CA, and Rugger’s Reef in Sacramento, CA.
From the August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, photo by Kamala KingsleyFrom the August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, photo by Kamala KingsleyFrom the August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, photo by Kamala KingsleyFrom the August/September 2016 issue of Hana Hou!, photo by Kamala Kingsley
Hana Hou! clearly wanted to go big with Kamala’s amazing photos, but limited space in the magazine meant some hard decisions had to be made, and a ton of incredible pictures didn’t make the cut. Kamala will be able to share some of the outtakes soon, follow her photography page on Facebook to see them.
If you’ll be flying to the islands in August or September, be sure to bring your copy of Hana Hou! home to share with your friends.
40 years ago, Elvis had his final two studio sessions. They were no ordinary production—he had constructed a makeshift studio in the Jungle Room, his home tiki bar at Graceland. The recordings where a somewhat casual affair, and tracks from the session have been heard scattered across various posthumous releases. Now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of these sessions, the Elvis estate has released a two-record set (available on vinyl!) of unedited, remastered outtakes, called Way Down In The Jungle Room.
That sweet little lampy fellow on the right is the same tiki that holds my citrus at Balhi Ha’i. Please take a moment to admire that avocado telephone.
Rabid Elvis fans will likely have all sorts of wonderful insights and opinions about the music on this album, and here is where I admit to you that I do not personally fall in the category of “rabid Elvis fan.” I like Elvis just fine, certainly don’t dislike him, but I simply could not put myself alongside the legions of much more serious devotees of his work.
Whatever I could say about this Witco wouldn’t be heard over the screaming of the Witco.
No, I pre-ordered this album as soon as I learned about it for one simple reason: the cover for the album has photographs of the Witco utopia that is the Jungle Room. This cover could be on Fran Drescher Sings Her Favorite Funeral Dirges and I still would have bought it in a heartbeat. I’ve added six pictures from the album cover to the Critiki listing for Graceland.
Pagan Idol
If you’ll be flying to the islands in August or September, be sure to bring your copy of Hana Hou! home to share with your friends.
