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 or bareista) originated in the Seattle, Washington, area in the early 2000s. Similar phenomena have appeared in countries such as Chile.

Sexpresso drive-through stands and coffee outlets are numerous in the greater Seattle area, so much so that coffee stands that have fully clothed employees often advertise themselves as "family friendly". The exact inventor of the "bikini barista" concept is debated. The "Natte Latte" chain's first location was opened in November 1999 by Mary Keller, in Bremerton, Washington. Its employees began sporting pink leather hotpants in 2001. Next, in 2003, "Cowgirls Espresso" opened its first location in Tukwila, Washington. A few months after opening, as summer heat invaded the small 70-square-foot (6.5 m²) shop, owner Lori Bowden adopted employee suggestions that they start a "Bikini Wednesday" promotion. Sales took off, and other scantily-clad theme days soon followed. The concept of "bikini baristas" spread quickly, featuring attractive young women dressed in attire such as bikinis, lingerie, stockings, and heels. The first round of international press attention to the trend occurred in early 2007. Competitors that have not followed suit have complained about the trend, and have also seen a drop in business.

The retail establishments that employ bikini baristas often adopt titillating names, including "Peek A-Brew", "Grab n' Go", "Cowgirls Espresso", "Smokin' Hot Espresso", "Knotty Bodies Espresso", "Java Jigglers", "Espresso Gone Crazy", "Espresso Gone Wild", "ChickaLatte", "Java Girls", "Sweet Spot", "Fantasy Espresso", and "Natte Latte".

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. The Everett police department was accused of entrapment. In September 2009, five baristas at a Grab 'n Go in Everett were charged with prostitution after police surveillance caught them stripping and performing sexual acts for cash. Other complaints were in regard to the stand's proximity to preschools and daycare centers.

In July 2011, the owner and three employees of Java Juggs in Edmonds, Washington, were charged with prostitution, 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 2017 by U.S. 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. In March 2018, the city filed an appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and requested the injunction be lifted. The City of Everett was granted that appeal in July 2019; the case was referred back to the U.S. District Court, where Judge Ricardo S. Martinez subsequently ruled against the city in October 2022, supporting the premise of the ordinance violating the Equal Protection Clause but rejecting the baristas' argument of it violating their freedom of expression.