I had never heard of the Bikini Coffee Co. or the Portland metro area's other "sexpresso" shops until I saw a sign hanging outside of an upcoming location on SW 5th yesterday. After reading this and watching this* I still can't figure out the answer to the first question that popped into my mind: isn't slinging 175-degree lattes while you're basically naked an incredibly stupid thing to do? I wonder how many second degree burns the BCC's flagship location in Salem sees in a given work week.

I'd love to see the waiver that the women that work at these places must have to sign before they're allowed behind the counter. It must be 10-pages long. My sister spent a few years working at a Starbucks while in college. I remember her telling me about a waiver she had to sign regarding potential on-the-job burns. For her own safety, corporate policy also required that her and her fellow baristas wear pants, aprons and leather shoes to off-set injuries. Some customers would come in and order their coffee extra hot. While she managed to survive her Starbucks stint without landing any scars, she could probably tell you tales of what happens when a 200+ degree cup of joe accidentally lands on bare skin.

These bikini-clad baristas: way braver than me.

* According to that news report, Salem is located somewhere right around Hells Canyon.

Labels: bikinis, coffee