Red Lotus

Red Lotus is a dazzling place where East meets West. They’re more accessible now that they’re on Petaluma’s riverfront. They have an array of Lucky Cat figures, books on yoga wisdom, Chinese astrological birthday cards, and tons of teas. Red Lotus also has a section devoted to pandas. They have a pricey coffee table book about the clothing and rituals of Imperial China. It went into intricate detail about how Emperors and Empresses dressed seasonally. They have a great variety of teas, and a perfect place to look for gifts.

What a little oasis of tranquility on a busy, little street. Popped into Red Lotus on my way back from an aggravating work trip. The soothing environment immediately knocked down my stress level a few notches. The gentleman working the counter offered me a sample of their daily tea and answered my questions about their various tea offerings. He was friendly and extremely patient. I ended up buying the Lychee Black and the Jasmine Pearls, both were terrific and quite tasty. Additionally, the gentleman ran after me down the street to give me back some postage stamps and a $ 5 that fell out of my purse. Talk about going over and above! Terrific customer service.
I will definitely be stopping by next time I’m in Petaluma. :)

Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Sonoma Wine Country is a welcoming place of peace and happiness, by the name of Red Lotus. I was fortunate to stumble upon this beautiful store filled with teas, teapots, meditation items, organic oils and lotions, books, and other international treats when walking downtown Petaluma. A lovely lady, by the name of Lan-​Yu, taught me about different teas, shared feng shui tips, and helped me to find a special Buddha for my home. When I was there I was lucky to participate in a tea ceremony. Lan-​Yu taught me about the proper preparation of tea, shared a brief history on tea, and interesting tea drinking customs.
Did you know that light finger tapping is a custom for thanking the tea master or tea server for tea? After a person’s cup is filled, that person may knock their bent index and middle fingers on the table to express gratitude to the person who served the tea. Lan-​Yu is a little teapot of knowledge and she has a wonderful energy. I ended up leaving with a pack of their special Taiwan Pouchong tea, it has a flavor of cedar orange with a rich floral smell. Absolutely, delish!
Red Lotus is the perfect place for anyone who enjoys tea, practicing mindfulness, or who is looking for that perfect gift for a friend, fellow traveler… or, hey, even yourself! Take a break from wine tasting and experience the true way to relax and unwind!

Hey, guess what? This place has a hidden secret and if you’re lucky enough to experience it, you’ll have hit the jackpot! This secret is a wonderful little gem of a woman named Lan-​Yu who is a master of all things tea! If you’re a tea connoisseur or a novice who has always wanted to learn a little more or taste some life changing teas, this is the spot to go and Lan-​Yu is your gal! My bestie and I strolled in to RL on a leisurely Sunday afternoon with the intention of just popping in and out quickly. I have shopped at RL several times and wanted to share this special place with my friend. They not only have an impressive collection of teas and tea accessories (tea pots galore!!) but tons of other little trinkets like, Buddhas, prayer flags, apparel, jewelry and more. I must say that the tea experience steals the show and makes this a truly magical place in the heart of downtown Petaluma. RL always has some type of tea available for sampling, but on this particular day, we got to talking with Lan-​Yu and she asked if we’d like to sample a very rare kind of Oolong tea. Of course we jumped at the chance! She sat us down at a small table in the middle of the store and prepared the tea, letting us experience every step of the process, like smelling the beautifully aromatic tea leaves before steeping and explaining the process of making this particular tea and the importance of each step. I must say, this was unlike any tea I’ve every had before and made my silly little tea bags seem like such an amateur way of making tea. Not to mention tea in those little bags is processed so much that it’s hardly tea by the time it gets to the bags. Sipping this Oolong tea was like sitting on a grassy hill in the Chinese country side with the breeze blowing little hints of jasmine through the air. The soft tranquil music that plays in RL truly adds to the experience of the tea tasting. We left RL after our tea tasting with Lan-​Yu feeling so relaxed and very clear headed. They say tea has healing powers and after that Sunday afternoon sipping tea with my bestie and my new friend Lan-​Yu, I felt like a new woman. I can’t wait to get back to RL for another tasting and even a traditional tea ceremony which Lan-​Yu will perform on request. I’m hoping for a tea of the month club to follow… I’m hooked on tea now and want to experience all there is to know about these magical leaves. Thank you Lan-​Yu for teaching me about tea and I look forward to our next lesson!

What a nice addition to this street of restaurants, antique shops, boutiques etc. Came here after visiting Old Shanghai Décor and hearing about this retail tea shop from them. Tasted about 3 different kinds of organic teas that had great antioxidants. I’ve never been to a shop before that had so many types of organic and other teas from Japanese, Chinese, to even the Rooibos tea from Africa. And the person helping us to sample the teas knows a lot about the types of teas that you might like. They also carry other Chinese items like silk robes, asian inspired handbags/​totes, and many other items displayed very nicely.

Visited Red Lotus this afternoon on a whim, and the owner very hospitably prepared a lovely oolong tea for us in the traditional Chinese way, providing a great deal of information about the tea, how it was grown and treated, how various teas require different preparation. An unexpectedly educational and charming experience.