Lava Lamp at LAX Airport Restaurant

My friend posted this on her Facebook today. Lava lamp from the LAX International Airport - Encounter restaurant. See below for links and details.

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Comment by Jonas Clark-Elliott on June 18, 2012 at 3:36am: Yeah, these are Grande size, but originally made in the 90s (i.e. "Giant Lava" model). As said, the lower end of the bases were cut off top drop the height and the custom base and top were added. Also: rather than the plastic-and-rubber bottle top used by Lava, these used to have a copper cover. The whole restaurant is cool: spacey music in the elevator ride, good (pricey, but good) food, and interesting drinks. I'm not sure if they still have these, but the bar soda/liquor guns used to have a raygun-like design, and they'd glow and make noises when in use.

Comment by Tim Gill on June 14, 2012 at 1:47pm: What a cool bar / restaurant - would love to have a fue drinks there and check out the lamps.

I am going to put my head above the parapet and say that at first look at the picture I wasn't that impressed. It clearly hasn't been maintained or globe replaced as it should, as it brown, lost water and mucky. The picture really doesn't do it justice compared to the pictures on OG's old site now that one is cool - this is what it should be like and from looking at this I now realise the real beauty and rarity of it.

Also I didn't know it was a grande size from the photo - I thought it is about 32oz size

Comment by kiramarie on June 14, 2012 at 9:35am: ya.. I'm a bobo... if I would of read all the posts...

for sure would be cool if LL would re create a consumer version of this stunning lamp..

Comment by Erin on June 14, 2012 at 7:26am: Interesting that they replaced them in the mid-2000s (when production was in China) with CLEAR flowing globes. I'm guessing the one in this pic is just turned off, so the wax can't be seen at the bottom.

Comment by kiramarie on June 14, 2012 at 7:23am: this was a Haggerty..from the 90s especially made for LAX Encounter restaurant.. and I am thinking I read this here.. in our archives under weird and rare...

Comment by kiramarie on June 14, 2012 at 7:17am: This is my dream lamp... the one I kept going on about..I thought it was called the Encounter..

Comment by Erin on June 14, 2012 at 7:04am: Ah Jonas, you always know so much. :) I googled LAX lava lamps and was able to see some other pics. They are so cool. Fascinating info about them. Thanks so much for sharing.

Comment by Jonas Clark-Elliott on June 14, 2012 at 6:27am: Not Grande. Giant. Same size. Older model. They took black Giant bases, cut about 4" off the bottom, and screwed them to the surface. Then you put in the globe. The spun steel outer cone simply sits over the globe. The caps are also spun steel, and they simply rest on top. There are...seven? Eight? Of these. Early photos showed them in red/yellow and white/blue; by the time I visited in 2005, these had become brown/amber and root-beer/blue from countless hours of daily use. When I came back in 2008, they had all (except one way off in a corner, which was still brown/amber, and was switched off) been swapped for very clear, well-flowing Grande globes in I forget which colors. No idea what's with the one pictured, seems to be missing both the lava and some liquid. Fun restaurant, good food, and if you express interest to the bartender or server, they might take one apart for you. They did for me, on both visits.