"The kava bar is the center of the community," the bartender explains. It embraces the ever-present "be your best self" health trend that's a national obsession, as well as embodying the cultural aspect of the Hawaiian kava scene. One of these is Mystic Water Wellness Center, which has locations in Ithaca and San Diego and, this month, is opening a revamped edition of the Hollywood, Florida, spot. Many of the earlier kava bars revolve around words like spirituality and ambiance, and some offer yoga practices. South Florida's Purple Lotus Kava Bar has been around for 11 years. The New Yorker addresses kava's place as a socializing alternative in our health-obsessed world, and Kava Lounge SF calls it the "chill pill of the new wave of global communications." And demand only seems to be rising: "On a Friday or Saturday, if you're not here by 7 p.m., you're not going to get in," the Kavasutra bartender tells me. Brooklyn got its first kava bar in Bushwick, from two guys who used to sell a bottled version of the drink at Whole Foods under the name King Kava, and now House of Kava is joining them as well. San Francisco just welcomed Kava Lounge SF, and branches of Kavasutra can be found from Palm Springs to Denver. "Kava provides a safe alternative to alcohol and drugs." He attributes this partially to the rich culture and traditions behind kava, and also to its novelty. "I wouldn't be surprised if 20 have popped up since I opened five years ago," Rench says. The sign placed outside for its summer 2015 opening reads "alcohol is so 2014," and it's still proudly there in 2016. Perhaps that's why it's on the rise: Kavasutra in New York's East Village is one of only three kava bars in a city with hundreds of Duane Reades and a coffee shop on every corner.
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