When Kym Wells isn’t playing bass for his 80’s retro band aptly called The Retro’s or working on pinball machines he’s relaxing in his home tiki bar with his wife Cheryl. The name of his tiki hideaway is called Kimo’s Hu-La-La Lounge and it’s truly breathtaking. I’ll let Kym take it from here…
What’s the tiki scene like in Everett?
Kym- Quite frankly, pretty pathetic. Since Trader Vic’s, The Luau and The Islander all closed, there isn’t much to speak of. The downtown spots are more “rum-centric” than tiki.
Ohana is fringe tiki. Hula Hula caters to the Karaoke crowd and the only true legit “tiki bar” in the area (North Shore Lagoon) serves bad drinks in a very slow fashion. The decor is stellar there but they just can’t seem to get it together on the service end.
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle’ and how long has it been part of your life?
Kym– I had a spare bedroom in dire need of a remodel. A buddy of mine suggested doing a tiki bar. I asked, “What is that”? At some point down the road, we went over to a friend of his who had a bedroom done up like a tiki bar. I scratched my head for a second or two and then said, “I get it”! I started in on the Hu-La-La shortly afterward and have been reworking it ever since!
I started putting it together approximately 20 years ago and don’t see an end in sight. I have tried to make every decor item a shrine to tiki history. The decor is 95% vintage tiki from a variety of classic tiki bars across the nation.
The large tikis are from trader Vic’s and one is from a local long ago shuttered, tiki themed bowling alley called Lelani Lanes. All of the lights, float balls, wall decor, Witco, knick knack’s, mugs, velvet paintings, mid century and miscellaneous are vintage and have at least a bit of history behind each item. I have tried hard to only use vintage decor for the entire project!
It was never built to display a mug collection but more along the lines of a pure escape room.
Any story behind the name?
Kym- It was sort of a play on words. The term “Oooo la la” in a bit of a racy, naughty way fused with the word “hula’’”. Hu-La-La is what I landed on!
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Kym- It still is coming together. I doubt it’ll ever be finished as I find more coolness to infuse into the mix. I wanted an escape for my friends and myself. What better way to do so than a tiki bar right?
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Kym- Zombie. Don’s original recipe. (Or as close as you can come) I enjoy it because of its complexity. Just the right amount of bitter, sweet and rum. An original Mai Tai runs a close second!
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Kym- I like Smuggler’s Cove for the decor, the accuracy of the drinks and talent of the bartenders. I like the Tonga Room for its shear grandiosity! (Now that they are actually serving craft tiki cocktails done using original recipes, their stock is rapidly climbing in my book!) Trader Vic’s Emeryville because I got married there to the tiki girl of my dreams! I had a few friends fly in from Seattle to join us. On June 10, 2016 we all were partaking in TV’s happy hour. About an hour before sunset, I said to everyone, “let’s all go out to the Mai Tai bar in back”. It was closed but we had access to it. We had sort of planned it, (one of our friends were ordained in CA and we had gotten our marriage license the day before) it was our tiki luck that there had been an event the day before and there were flowers everywhere!
We all went outside and had an impromptu ceremony with 1944 Mai Tais in hand! 15 minutes later we were married! I then proclaimed, “let’s go back inside for the reception”! It was a perfect guerilla ceremony and the restaurant was none the wiser!
The Kona Club in Piedmont is pretty stellar if you take it for what it is. The decor is great! The drinks are solid and the employees are outstanding! They certainly don’t get the love they deserve fro the tiki community. Probably because they play contemporary music?
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Kym- A tiki bar needs to transport you to another place. Another time. A place where time stands still. A place where your cares are nonexistent.
Do you feel that music has an important role in creating a great Tiki experience? What would be some of your favorite artists and albums?
Kym- Yes. Absolutely! We have a tendency to lean toward island/world music, some vintage stuff like Alfred Apaka/Les Baxter/Martin Denny but also like to add in Reggae and surf. Pretty much whatever strikes us, as we like to keep a broad spectrum of sound flowing.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Kym- Now that I have had a home tiki bar for the better part of the last 2 decades, I can’t see myself without one. We are planning a move in a couple of years and I’m looking forward to ripping it all apart and starting it over in our next landing spot!
Anything else you would like to add?
Hu-La-La trivia:
-The most famous celebrity to drink in my humble little tiki bar… Tommy Tutone. (That’s right… of 867-5309 fame)
-The most live warm tiki revelers to squeeze into the space (It is really small. 10’ x 11’. and at least half is eaten up by the bar, fountain, table and chairs) was 23 people packed like sardines in front of the bar with only 2 people behind the bar itself.
Thank you Travis Bay for all your pictures used in this post.
