Twelfth House Tea Sanctuary is a unique business that offers a new option for late-night hangouts. Open from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM, this tea house is more than meets the eye. It is a community space that feels like a home away from home.
Located on Willow Street, the tea house is a place to sit down, get cozy, be still, and unravel over a cup of tea. The space allows for a wide-range of possibilities. Not only does it host workshops, but guests can meet new friends, do some work or art, read, write, simply just relax, and more.
As it is based on the twelfth house in astrology, the realm is ruled by Pisces, meaning all things are possible, including dreams, aspirations, fantasies, and secrets.
Twelfth House Tea Sanctuary was created by Jasmine Thong, a salon owner, and Ana Luna, a speech therapist. It started as an idea that stemmed from the fact that Ana facilitated wellness events within and outside of the city, and in order to host similar events, they turned Jasmine’s hair salon into a tea house.
As they both came from an immigrant background, they grew up in households full of people and had difficulties with having privacy. They sought to not only support those with similar experiences, but to help others find their identity in a noisy world where so many “norms” are imposed on them.
They recognized the value of hosting events curated towards harmonizing in a wholesome environment, so when their community grew and the hair salon turned tea house wasn’t enough to fit their guests, they found a local space where they could foster community growth and have been open since March.
Twelfth House Tea Sanctuary’s teas are curated by herbalist Kelly Matten of Awepothacary. Currently, their most popular blends are the 12th House Blend, a soft and smooth blue lotus and lavender-based potion that assists in bringing sweet dreams, and The Magician, a sweet and smooth oolong and cacao blend made to empower creativity. New teas are being added as the business expands.
“Teas are beneficial because of the herbs that go into it,” said Thong and Luna. “The herbs have been around longer than we have, so we have a lot to learn from them. When we embrace a warm cup, we meet the herbs, find serenity, a sanctuary from the chaos of the external world.”
The tea house also collaborates with local creators to host a variety of workshops in their multidimensional space, which include yoga, day retreats, sound baths, breathwork, vision boards, and DJ and vinyl nights. Recurring events include Life Drawing, where anyone can learn new techniques from different artists and draw models in various poses, and Open Mic Night, a safe place for artists to share poems, music, or anything else they’d like to express.
As they want to be a place for people of all backgrounds to display their talents, the tea house is open to anyone who wishes to use their space and encourages collaborators to reach out to them and fill out the intake form on their website.
Twelfth House Tea Sanctuary hopes to continue hosting an array of workshops, and even plans on offering a sliding scale pricing system for some of their workshops in order to make it more accessible to people. They also hope to open up their space during the daytime so people can work, study, hang out, and enjoy the sun rays.
“Long Beach is such an extraordinary city. It’s so rich with different cultures, art, music, people, and all their expressions. We want a space that can really reflect that,” said Thong and Luna. “Our main goal is that when you leave 12, you’ll feel replenished with life again. It starts with us as individuals to make the world a better place.”
For more information about Twelfth House Tea Sanctuary, visit their website at twelfthhouseteasanctuary.com or their Instagram page @12thhouselb.
