Lisa and Michael Siemer can add a little spice to your life. They own Lava Lips, a hot sauce, salsa and condiment tasting bar and Tiki Trends, a tropical decorations paradise, each located at 4915 N. College Avenue.

"We had been exposed to a hot sauce tasting bar in Key West a number of years ago and we thought it would be an interesting concept for the Midwest if we opened a retail outlet, which we did on May 15. It was probably about 10 years ago when we were first exposed to the idea. As things changed, we started to get serious about it. The idea is very unique to the Midwest-people can come in for a breath of fresh air," he explained.

Their diverse selection of hot and mild sauces has been a culinary adventure. "We go to fiery food conventions throughout the country and (it is an adventure) looking into what our customers suggest and also having vendors approach us," Siemer said.

A variety of snacks at Lava Lips accompany their condiments. "In addition to hot sauce and salsa, we have fiery peanut brittle, hot caramel corn, chili flavored chocolates, caramels, hot jams, hot soy sauce, hot mustards, marinades and jellies. If you can find in it in a store, you won't find it here. Dairy can subside the heat and take away the steam a little bit. For the simplicity of giving items to customers to sample, we prefer yogurt or cream cheese," he added.

Some of their sauces, salsas, rubs and dips are pictured at: www.lavalipsindy.com, but their flavors can be experienced at the store as Siemer emphasized, "Customers can try before they buy. You try it to see if you like it and have it apply to your eating, cooking or snacking. We stress flavor before heat with our hot sauces so you can adapt it to your eating and cooking. Most of these are made in small batches, somewhat similar to the microbrewing industry, so it parallels that. Often, hot sauce is related to one's mood. If you're in the mood for some heat, I'll take you to the hotter sauces or if you prefer something milder for more of an everyday use, I'll move you in that direction."

"The fruitier-based hit sauces tend to go with fish, then with a lesser extent to pork and chicken with the hot sauces applying to red meat as well. You can add to a marinade to give it a little extra bite to include it on a glaze to spice up your ham. You want to taste the food and certain sauces can add to the flavor, so that it adds to the enjoyment of the food you're eating. We can add a little heat and little flavoring to a potato salad as well. Sitting down and experimenting with the different hot sauces with your friends is a nice wrinkle to spend the evening with them. We can a little more heat to your date night," he noted.

An island setting complements Lava Lips. "The tropical decorations and Tiki bars came first. I started doing that a few years ago at shows and festivals. As that evolved, we decided to open a store with a hot sauce tasting bar. We can make anything Tiki, be it selling just the thatch or bamboo to building any type of structure that fits a customer's landscape. We have a couple sizes of standard size bars and huts that we make and they are also available for rental. The tropical portion of the business is called Tiki Trends and the tasting bar is Lava Lips. They both morphed into the same business," he mentioned. Descriptions and pictures of thatch (a palm leaf made generally in Mexico), huts and bars can be seen and read about at www.tikitrends.com. Questions can be answered at 403-0235.

"I sell personalized tropical signs where we can write anything on them and sell lobster traps that we brought back from the Florida Keys as tables or accent pieces. I also have carved coconut fish and painted buoys that were made by local artists during our stays there. We wanted to be in Broad Ripple and this (location) just seemed to be a good spot with the area's momentum going in a southern direction," he noted. Tiki Trends furniture is made in Indianapolis.

Lava Lips and Tiki Trends recently celebrated their grand opening July 20 with free hot sauce and salsa sampling, YATS creole cuisine and beverages from Upland Brewing. (www.broadripplegazette.com for pictures of grand opening)

Individuals or groups may book the tasting bar for an evening by calling 965-6629 or by e-mailing info@lavalipsindy.com. Their mild and spicy hours of operation are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. They are closed on Monday.

Lava Lips and Tiki Trends can add some sizzle to your summer days, yet keep you cool in their tropical-like setting just south of Broad Ripple.