Our story

An experiment in slowing down.

Bu Tea Den opened May 1, 2025 as a two-month pop-up. We never closed.

The project started a couple years earlier with Paisley ID, an interactive art piece Severin built from repurposed ATM shells. The machines (Automated Fortune Telling Machines, or AFTMs) generate a personalized fortune ticket and a paisley energy portrait based on a short quiz drawn from numerology and chakra theory. For a couple years the machines traveled: Burning Man, Sunset Campout, festivals, street fairs, private events. We'd set them up, run them for a weekend, pack out.

The Den is where the project finally stayed put. A converted warehouse in DTLA. Two AFTMs in the corner. A projection wall (the Aquarium) that fills with everyone's paisleys as the night goes on. Tea brewing, always. About twenty people at a time.

We run it Fridays and weekends, by RSVP. We both have day jobs, which is why we don't open more than that.

Bu Tea Den interior — lounge seating, red lanterns, and projection wall

Guests in the Den watching the Paisley ID projection wall

A place to slow down

About twenty seats. Soft red lanterns. Tea brewing, always.

A fortune in your hand

Answer a few questions. The machine prints your fortune.

Never the same room twice

Your paisley joins the aquarium, swimming with the day's visitors.

Meet the team.

Severin Sauliere

Co-Founder, Artist & Creative Director

Severin is the creator of Paisley ID, the project the fortune machines come from. He builds them out of retired ATM shells, keeps the aquarium running, and handles the music in the room. By day he produces interactive projects at the intersection of art and technology, including the Dream Tapestry at The Dalí Museum.

Natalie Tran

Co-Founder, Chief Steeping Officer

Natalie sources the leaves and builds the blends, and she'll walk you through what you're drinking if you ask. She's built the Den's circle of tea people across LA, and keeps it growing. By day she runs a B2B marketplace for retailers and brands.