A bikini barista is a woman who works as a barista , preparing and serving coffee beverages, while dressed in scanty attire such as a bikini , lingerie or a crop top combined with bikini bottoms or hotpants. In the United States , this marketing technique sometimes referred to as sexpresso [ 1 ] [ 2 ] or bareista [ 3 ] [ 4 ] originated in the Seattle , Washington area in the early s. Sexpresso drive-through stands and coffee outlets are numerous in the greater Seattle area, [ 9 ] so much so that coffee stands that have fully clothed employees often advertise themselves as "family friendly".
Its employees began sporting pink leather hotpants in A few months after opening, as summer heat invaded the small square-foot 6. Sales took off, and other scantily-clad theme days soon followed. The employment of bikini baristas has sometimes caused controversy and complaints from local residents. As a result of these complaints and incidents, some local jurisdictions have considered adopting local ordinances to regulate and control the activities of the stores.
Undercover police officers in Snohomish County, Washington , witnessed some baristas performing additional services for extra money, including letting customers touch them, photograph them, or watch them lick whipped cream off each other.
These statements were retracted by the police department in Everett, Washington , as the undercover police officer was a known customer and offered money to the barista.
In July , the owner and three employees of Java Juggs in Edmonds, Washington , were charged with prostitution , [ 33 ] with the police later releasing some footage obtained. Everett the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County was temporarily enjoined against enforcing a dress code ordinance against bikini baristas in December by U. District Court Judge Marsha J. Pechman , who found it unconstitutionally vague , violated their freedom of expression under the First Amendment , and unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment since it primarily targeted women.
