A new kind of bar has opened downtown, and it’s not serving up alcoholic spirits.

Kava Works, 111 E. Pikes Peak Ave. — the space once briefly occupied by the Lemon Lodge Ski Bar, and Josh & John’s Ice Cream prior to that — offers a menu of kava teas, blends and soda, with a modest selection of handheld eats.

Kava is a root tea that originates from the South Pacific Islands, used by Indigenous peoples for millennia in ceremonial and cultural practices. It is known for its sedative and euphoric effects.

“It’s like alcohol without the bad decisions,” owner Jason Benjamin said. “It doesn’t impair your judgment and you’re not going to have a hangover.”

Benjamin, who also works as an aerial survey engineer, launched Kava Works in 2020 as a mobile kava bar (a retired parcel delivery truck called “Bertha”). Having traveled across the nation for his career, and visiting kava spots across the U.S., Benjamin thought Colorado Springs should have more kava options in town.

The sometimes-unpredictable Colorado weather made it difficult to run the mobile bar, though, so Benjamin closed up shop.

“I stopped kava and got out of (the business) for about a year. I really regretted it,” he said.

A chance visit to a Thai restaurant in north Colorado Springs for ice cream one day changed that.

“It was no longer in business, and it was empty. It had everything we needed for a kava bar,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin opened his first brick-and-mortar Kava Works location there, at 6820 N. Academy Blvd., about a year-and-a-half ago.

Business took off at the 1,400-square-foot bar.

“We’re maxed at what we can handle at our first location, and I’ve always wanted to have a kava bar downtown,” Benjamin said. “This has been a dream of mine for, like, 10 years. Downtown seemed like it needed more to do and I felt it was the perfect place to put another (kava bar).”

Kava Works downtown opened quietly last month in its 2,400-square-foot space. Benjamin and his staff are hosting a formal grand opening Friday at 6 p.m. The celebration will include buy-one-get-one deals, food and a DJ.

Though he’s since sold “Bertha” to Island Root Kava Bar in Florida, Benjamin still offers mobile kava options to his Colorado Springs area patrons.

“We do have the ability to be mobile and to cater; we just don’t have the food truck. That will come back one day,” he said.

Benjamin designed his bars to offer a relaxing, cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Dark wood floors, chairs and tables plus an inviting front lounge area with spacious sofas exude a laid-back ambiance. He has plans to add a pool table and a stage for live performances, as well.

“If you look at … most (kava bars) around the country, they’re often dimly lit and tiki-island-looking. … The idea with Kava Works was to create a normal bar that just doesn’t serve alcohol. We’re not trying to be an island surf tiki. We’re trying to be the Starbucks of kava,” he said.

Benjamin also uses proprietary technology he created to serve kava on tap, the first kava bar he’s aware of in the country to do so. This allows him and his staff to make kegs of kava tea instead of smaller buckets. The kegs can be made ahead of time and the product kept consistent.

His ultimate goal is to produce his kava products in a distribution center, which will improve quality control, and to grow Kava Works into a national chain.

“Everything we do is scalable,” he said.

Some of the proprietary technology he uses is being considered for patents. Once it’s patented, Benjamin plans to lease the technology to other kava companies.

In Colorado Springs, he said a non-alcoholic kava bar will provide more options for downtown patrons who don’t drink. One other kava bar, Ohana, is located at 112 E. Boulder St. about four blocks north.

“Until now in downtown, there’s never been the ability to bar hop at a non-alcoholic bar. Nightlife is growing again after COVID. … You can go out downtown and have fun — go to the restaurants, then the kava bars, then back home — and not end up in the back of a car with a DUI. That’s pretty cool,” Benjamin said.

Kava Works is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Guests must be at least 18 years old to order.