Inside Chicagoland’s first cannabis consumption lounge – RISE Mundelein
Take a trip aboard the good ship Leafly to RISE Mundelein, Illinois
With the legalization of adult cannabis in Illinois, Chicago has become a cannabis hotspot in the Midwest, especially given all the other fun things to do in Chicago while stoned.
RISE’s innovative on-site cannabis experiences put it at the forefront of Illinois’ evolving social cannabis scene.
Whether you’re a visitor looking for a fun weed experience in the Chicago area, or a local looking for something new, there’s a must-try cannabis experience in Illinois.
It’s just a little north of Chicago at the RISE Dispensary’s Mundelein location, where you can purchase adult-use and medicinal cannabis, and also smoke it on-site at one of the state’s only cannabis lounge experiences.
On-site consumption is technically legal in Illinois if a pharmacy is licensed to do so. However, locations are extremely rare in Illinois due to real estate costs, staffing requirements, and mandatory local government approvals. Indeed, 18 local businesses have written to the community board to oppose Rise’s on-site consumption license in Mundelein, but not even that has prevented this exciting site from becoming a reality.
Do the hike to Mundelein
Before RISE 2022 added the bright, sociable lounge experience to celebrate April 20, 2022, RISE strived to offer people a consumption experience with a smaller, more atmospheric “smokeasy” at their Mundelein pharmacy location. Today, the place is the only one far and wide where you can also buy your weed.
My fiance and I decided to make a reservation (a must, which you can do through their website) and got in our car on a sunny Saturday afternoon to make the most of a weekend day trip.
Mundelein is just 35 miles north of the city and takes about an hour depending on where you live in Chicago.
If you don’t own a car, don’t want to spend the gas money to get there, or don’t have a sober driver (which you need if you plan on using cannabis in the lounge), you can also take a North Central service (NCS) Metra train to Mundelein, then take the bus or ridesharing the rest of the way.
The ride was relatively easy once we got off the busy highway, especially for me in the passenger seat as I guided my fiancé through a painfully detailed six-album retrospective of my favorite Kanye West songs. A treat for her, I’m sure.
An immersive, organized pharmacy experience
RISE’s attention to detail was evident as soon as we rolled up. They had designated and convenient parking (shut up, my Chicago heart!) for both recreational shoppers and medical patients, with the latter receiving priority parking near the pharmacy.
After parking across the street in the adult lot, we strolled to the fast-moving line of people at the front entrance. Check-in was quick and after walking through a museum-like corridor of cannabis history, we entered a cavernous space filled with natural light, RISE smoking accessories, and people buying weed.
Like many pharmacies, RISE has separate checkout areas for recreational and medical purchases, which helped keep the fairly large crowd moving. Staff stationed throughout the pharmacy were very helpful, guiding us through the shopping atrium to the lounge’s host booth.
A standout part of the experience that struck me was being able to skip the lines and purchase cannabis in the lounge itself. You can also make your purchase with a debit card, which was really a clutch.
Hopefully with recent legislative efforts like the CLIMB Act, streamlined payment like this will become a reality in pharmacies across the country.
Settle down and be ready to smoke
The host seated us in the light, airy living room, decorated with rich emerald tones, neon signs, and art deco flourishes. You can tell that RISE has put a lot of care into designing the on-site consumer experience. This isn’t a bunch of rickety card tables in a basement. That’s an atmosphere.
After a few minutes our fabulous server MK arrived. She walked us through a tablet menu, gave us her favorite flower and extract products, and made recommendations based on our preferences, tolerance levels, and mood. Note: You can buy edibles there, but they respectfully ask you not to consume them.
When we decided the extracts were a bit too intense for our day trip (especially with my partner at the wheel), we settled on the flower. We chose RYTHM, a brand also owned by RISE’s parent company, Green Thumb Industries. Specifically, the Space Cream and Florida Cake flavors from RYTHM.
MK then walked us through a variety of ways to smoke our weed, from skittles to bongs to the extremely cool Stüdenglass Gravity Pipe, the tabletop gravity bong experience that we ended up ordering.
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Once our cannabis was ready at the pickup station next to the gorgeous rig and bong lined bar against the back wall, we paid and headed back to the table where the Stüdenglass Gravity Pipe and a range of luxury smoking accessories awaited us.
Enough to contemplate the sheer modernity, aesthetics and seamlessness of the lounge. It was time to get damn high!
Smoking weed, but in a fancy way
The Stüdenglas literally fooled me.
The hour glass is not for beginners. (Courtesy of C. Merten)
It looks beautiful on the shelf, but seeing it in action is another matter entirely – it’s the most sophisticated take on a gravity bong I’ve ever seen. It has a rotating glass chamber that fills with thick smoke when inverted, shooting an intense but smooth draw out of the mouthpiece.
Was I prepared for how hard it would hit when our server loaded it up with a fat bowl of Florida cake? Absolutely not.
Even as someone who loves a crappy DIY gravity bong, I wasn’t quite prepared. Was I absolutely enchanted by it? 100% It was absolutely stunning (pun intended) and a very cool and intriguing smoke mechanic, suitable for social media bragging rights.
Although I coughed my lungs out in front of our server (MK if you’re reading this, I promise I’m a freelance writer for Leafly. I’m not a scammer slash cannabis newbie despite this embarrassing portrayal.) I really have loved !
I understand why this thing is retailing for $600. Later in our session, we grabbed a cone of Space Cream cannabis, and I had a nice (and much less coughing) time with it, too.
The space was filled with smokers of all skill levels and methods, so don’t feel pressured to try something that feels a little too intense or unfamiliar. We found the lounge to be an upbeat and approachable space, so you won’t feel awkward as you leisurely preroll, even if you’re sitting next to a table with a half-dozen bros who, like us, are absolutely dabbing dab after dab.
Sit back and enjoy the high
Something that really impressed us was the way the Smokeasy experience was so much more than just a bar-but-do-it-weed.
With Mario Kart stations, carafes of water and a wide selection of board games, the lounge is about more than just getting high. It’s about enjoying your high in a way that’s quite different from the experience at your traditional booze-drenched bar.
At this point in our two-hour reservation, I was really baked. After some good, lengthy chats with my (very patient) fiancé, a few glasses of water and some riveting coral reef action over the nature documentary streaming on the mounted TVs, we grabbed a stack of Uno cards. We played some extremely entertaining rounds, laughed and kept going until our time was up. I also saw several people around us in the lounge writing, drawing and even reading – all phenomenal ways to spend an afternoon.
As we reached the end of our lounge adventure, we packed up our leftover cannabis and headed to the sun-drenched gravel lot after having one of the most enjoyable and curated cannabis experiences I can remember.
We passed the entrance to the Smokeasy room on our way out, and while the lounge definitely felt more like our scene, I recommend checking out the Smokeasy if you want a more intimate and dramatic atmosphere. If it’s something like the lounge, you’ll have a great session there too.
Cannabis culture is about more than just getting stoned. It’s also about the welcoming atmosphere that cannabis can create in our homes, at our house parties, and now in public consumption spaces.
I spent the rest of the weekend contemplating all of the opportunities that expanding on-site consumption offers for cannabis shop owners and enthusiasts alike. It was an inspiring journey in many ways.
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Conclusion: look!
With so many great dispensaries in Chicago, it can feel like the pinnacle of Illinois cannabis exists only within the city limits. The fact of the matter is, there are great dispensaries, events, and experiences throughout Illinois, including in suburbs and small towns that await outside of the major tourist hubs.
RISE’s innovative on-site cannabis experiences put it at the forefront of Illinois’ evolving social cannabis scene. It should be on the map for every cannabis enthusiast not just in the Chicago area but throughout the Midwest.
Make reservations, travel responsibly, and bring some cash to tip your server. It’s not a must, it’s just beautiful! Caring folks like MK will make sure you have a great time, especially when you’re shining that hourglass because damn it.
C Merten
C. Merten is a Chicago-based writer, creative, and cannabis enthusiast. Her passions include breakfast, 70’s music, pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Check out the articles by C. Merten
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