Spilling the tea on c*nn*bis lounges
What to know before you go + a fresh event list
I think it’s incredible that we live in a world where people can buy legal weed and enjoy it in decadent and beautiful spaces designed for social cannabis consumption. There’s cannabis drinks bars, table service, bong bars, private cabanas, lush outdoor patios, koi ponds, and even weed bingo (with prizes)!
This decadant poo-poo-platter of Las Vegas-style hospitality is both spectacular and overwhelming when I know that experiencing this is a privilege while people are still incarcerated for cannabis charges. Despite my conflicted feelings, seeing cannabis consumption with thoughtfully cooked meals alongside alcohol, and at bars and breweries just like alcohol is a hopeful sight. Change is happening…
📣 Did you hear? Ohio became the 24th U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana. There are only 6 states where cannabis is illegal.
Long anticipated consumption lounges in recreationally legal states are finally opening! Get ready for the next wave of cannabis hospitality. Want to visit a consumption lounge? Here’s what you need to know:
Vol. 29 // In This Issue:
What to know before visiting a cannabis consumption lounge
Where to find cannabis lounges in the U.S.
420 🥦 Events
“For cannabis consumers, social gatherings and consumption has been historically cloistered inside and hidden from sight. Our third place is primarily in private spaces: in homes, in a car, on a stoop, a fire escape, or out of sight in a public park. This is quickly changing as cannabis consumption lounges are beginning to spring up across the country.” – Drink Your Weed, High Times
Note: Sadly, Rosemary Jane, the cannabis bar and lounge in Oakland I wrote about closed summer of 2023
What to expect at a cannabis consumption lounge
21+ only. Bring a valid i.d. with your birthdate for entry. Yes, passports are acceptable.
Bring cash for cannabis products. The ability to pay with debit, credit or Apple Pay isn’t consistent. Federal banking restrictions make it challenging so bring cash to avoid atm fees.
It’s gonna be more expensive. You’re paying for a premium experience, plus cannabis retail tax.
If you’re ballin’ on a budget, here’s how to spend less on weed.
No outside cannabis products. Consume only what you purchase from the dispensary.
Are there food and drinks? Alcohol, food cannabis are generally not served in the same space – although the rules vary by location.
Some lounges allow food to be delivered from local restaurants.
Consumptions lounges that serve also food are running it over from a restaurant kitchen in a separate building.
In some states like Minnesota, low-dose hemp thc beverages are available and served at breweries, bars, and convenience stores thanks to legal loopholes.
Hospitality may not be on point. Running restaurants and dispensaries are hard as shit. Running both together under ridiculous ever-changing rules is hard and new for everyone. Please be patient and gracious.
Tip your servers/budtenders! It’s a low-paying job, the few extra bucks makes a difference.
Have a question about consumption lounges?
Where to find cannabis consumption lounges in the U.S.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA // PleasureMed, a bold, inclusive new cannabis lounge in West Hollywood opened by the owners of the adult boutique The Pleasure Chest. It features two restaurants that serve alcohol and zero-proof drinks, a consumption lounge, and a dispensary and aims to be a safe space to explore cannabis, dining, and sex positivity.
🔥 Take: I haven’t had a chance to visit yet but am very excited and hopeful about this new lounge and restaurant. The food menu developed by chefs from Hatchet Hall looks inspired and delicious. Will visit and report back soon!
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA // OG Cannabis Cafe, West Hollywood’s first cannabis restaurant and consumption lounge is back and re-opening soon after a long hiatus. Still in soft open stage, guests will be able to order food, flower, pre-rolls, and edibles from a limited cannabis menu and choose from a selection of glassware or rolling papers.
🔥 Take: Beautiful, lush patio covered in trees and greenery. It’s dreamy! Get the sun-grown flower and request one of the elaborate bongs. Bring alcohol wipes or a Moose Lab filter. I haven’t had an opportunity to try the food or see the menu yet.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA // The Woods, Woody Harrleson’s dispensary that features sun-grown flower, updated the Giggle Garden recently. Smoking is allowed outside in the garden. There are two new cabanas available with views of the Koi pond, hourly rentals start at $150+ per hour. The same owners are opening a cocktail bar next door and a little birdy told me they’re taking out the fence between the two spaces in the back. Interesting to see how this place evolves.
🔥 Take: Excellent service when you rent a cabana, but don’t expect the same level of hospitality in the garden. There’s rolling papers, cones, bongs and grinders you can borrow from the bar. Worth a visit but I recommend BYO smoking accessories and water if you’re not splurging on a cabana. Get some sun-grown flower or a THC beverage from the Giggle Garden bar.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA // The Studio Lounge is located on the 2nd floor of The Artist Tree dispensary. The chic bar and lounge space allows food to be delivered from nearby restaurants. They featuring programming and events, such as drag brunch and puff, puff, paint sessions.
🔥 Take: Feels weird to be eating food out of plastic and paper takeout containers in such a beautiful space, but hey, it’s a loophole.
PALM SPRINGS, CA // The Vault dispensary is inside a former bank and the consumption lounge is inside the vault. There’s weed bingo, happy hour discounts, and standup comedy shows.
🔥 Take: The smoking lounge is a cozy space with a bar where you can order THC drinks. My friends in the area love going for weed bingo and stoner comedy shows!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA // Urbana, Moe Greens, and Barbary Coast are the popular lounges in the city.
🔥 Take: Don’t have opinions yet, I need to go explore more. I’ve only visited one lounge in SF and felt meh about my experience.
ANDERSON VALLEY, CA // The Bohemian Chemist at Madrones is a dispensary and outdoor consumption patio located at The Madrones in Mendocino, a charming Italian style compound with guest quarters, restaurant, gift shop, and wine tasting rooms.
🔥 Take: A magical long weekend trip that’s worth the drive! Book a room here in weed and wine country and treat yourself. Give Blanche, the white cat, a loving scratch under the chin.
MUNDELEIN, IL // RISE Mundelein a bright, airy art deco decorated lounge with neon signs and emerald green tones. It’s a 25-minute drive from Chicago-O’Hare airport and one-hour train ride from downtown Chicago.
🔥 Take: I haven’t visited myself yet, but this writer for Leafly had a great time.
DETROIT, MI // Hot Box Social a jade and emerald green work-loft space with outdoor patio that looks more like a tech startup office space than cannabis lounge, but it looks like a cozy spot to sesh and enjoy retro games. This is not a dispensary
🔥 Take: I want to go here! This is not a dispensary, it’s a consumption lounge where you can bring your own cannabis or order from their retail partner, Breeze.
Find more cannabis-friendly hot spots and destinations in
’s new book publishing in March 2024 “Green Scenes: A Guide to Legal Cannabis Destinations and Experiences Across the US” | Pre-Order on AmazonOPENING SOON-ISH?
A few projects I’m excited about:
DENVER, CO // Cirrus Social Club, opening in 2024 the branding and influencer events are a floral-filled wonderland. Can’t wait to see how it translates into the lounge experience.
MUSKEGON, MI // Fields Cannary is a $10 million cannabis hospitality project opening on the lake in Michigan featuring a dispensary, restaurant, bar, and event space. This concept looks crazy cool and I hope their vision comes to life. Eagerly anticipating an announcement with an opening date.
LAS VEGAS, NV // Planet 13 Dazed Lounge looks like a page out of a retro futuristic comic book with trippy wall murals. You enter through a secret phone booth from the largest dispensary, how very Vegas. Opening Spring 2024.
HIGH-ly Recommend 🥦 Events
A roundup of vibe-checked cannabis events:
11/18 - Seafood Lover’s Feast, Chef Haejun Chun is cooking up Dungeness Crabs for her next Big Bad Queens popup dinner. | @bigbadwolfsf (San Francisco)
11/18 - Mindful Consumption with Anna the Cannabinista, a 420 workshop focused on mindful consumption and cannabis education. | The Cannabinista (Toronto)
11/18 - Danksgiving with Chef Chris Binotto, celebrating gratitude, friends, food, and our favorite plant. | Cannabis Supper Club (Los Angeles)
11/19 - Mehndi-cated Hike, bring water, snacks and good vibes on a free hike to Bouquet Canyons Falls. | @mehndi420 (Los Angeles)
Have you been to a cannabis consumption lounge? What was your experience like? Any others you want to shoutout here? Drop it in comments.
XOXO, Christina W.
Appreciate the shoutout ! 😏 Also, stoked to hear OG Cannabis Cafe is back at it!