Shop Joy: Thé-rapy

(© Saskia Vanderstichele)

Katie Bouhnik always dreamed of running a tea shop. But three children and a busy life put her plans on hold. She recently decided to go for it, and opened Thé-rapy on rue Vanderkinderestraat in Ukkel/Uccle.

Bouhnik is originally from Paris, but moved to Brussels many years ago. Through friends and family in Brittany, she met the English owners of the tea label Lindfield. When launching her tea shop in Ukkel/Uccle, Katie didn’t have to think twice about which tea brand she’d work with. And as Lindfield had no point of sales in Brussels, they were more than happy to be part of Thé-rapy as well. Stored in big red boxes, you’ll find around 60 different tea flavours. All the classics of course, including Earl Grey, Darjeeling and jasmine. And there’s a very large choice in flavoured tea as well, of which Rooibos with a hint of vanilla is Bouhnik’s favourite. “It’s almost like eating a slice of cake, but without the extra calories,” she says. If you don’t mind a bit of sugar yourself, there are plenty of treats to tuck into. Chocolates by Café-Tasse and biscuits for instance, but also sugar cubes in funny shapes, jams, and sweeties. And hot cocoa from the Parisian La Maison Angelina is on its way. At the moment Bouhnik is waiting for the administrative fuss to get sorted, so she can open her seating area at the back of the shop and start running the tearoom as well. She’ll be working with a French baker to fill a counter with cakes, and will even be flipping some pancakes herself. The logo of the shop depicts Sigmund Freud with a pink cup of tea. Not that Katie Bouhnik thinks a cup of tea will solve all your issues, but a cosy chat over a cup of tea will work wonders. And if you still need to get stuff off your chest, Bouhnik plans to invite a professional shrink every now and then to take thé-rapy to another level.

Thé-rapy ●●●
rue Vanderkinderestraat 214, Ukkel/Uccle, di/ma/Tu > za/sa/Sa 10 > 18.00