Lhasa Karnak Herb Company

Love this store for organic spices/​herbs! I like buy small quantities of herb/​spices at a time as I don’t use that much and herbs/​spices eventually go bad. Lhasa Kharnak sells by the ounce and ½ ounce. I have been buying my spices/​herbs from them for about 2 years now. The spices/​herbs are always fresh, organic and great quality. I highly recommend Lhasa Kharnak. I also appreciate the people. They are friendly and very knowledgeable about their products.

I just had the worst experience in the store. This is a review for the attendant with the red short wavy hair. She is extremely rude and unhelpful. I actually looked at all of the reviews and there’s over eight reviews on Unilocal that talk about her rude attitude. I had to leave the store because she refused to give me the product because I had my cell phone out. They should really fire her because they are losing customers because of her.

Didn’t buy anything but my friend did. Service was polite but a little standoffish … It was like the woman at the counter didn’t care or want to help you buy anything. Odd.

I feel lucky to live so close to this store. They have everything as far as spices and oils go (there are also other things, such as teas, books, vitamins, and beauty products), and and the people working there have been friendly and helpful. I appreciate the help buying essential oils – there’s a lot to pick from, and the woman behind the counter had a lot of helpful tips. I’ll sure miss this place if I move farther away!

Great selection of herbs, tinctures, essential oils and natural and organic health care products. They would get 5 stars for great selection BUT honestly get 3 stars off for terrible customer service. Note to staff: not all of us are experts in herbs and alternatives to healing, because most people are NOT! Try to be helpful and NOT disconnected, NOT pretentious and NOT judgmental! This way is not the way to help people heal and take care of themselves. I went in today for the 2^nd time and was actually helped somewhat but still felt judged and not at all welcomed. There is not good energy here which is ironic since these products are a source of healing. I’ll try again in a few months…

As a fresh face to the supplement/​herbal/​homeopathic treatment community, I still have a great deal to learn in the field of herbalism. One would expect that those running what seems to be a highly rated (4 stars?!) supplement shop in a nice Berkeley neighborhood would have excellent advice and a high knowledge standard for their employees. However, I can find nothing in my experiences here that warrants an average four star rating. That is mind-​blowing.
On a recommendation of a friend, I sought this place out in order to deal with a painful multi-​issue medical situation that I’m currently trying to heal. I, of course, did extensive research into what many homeopathic doctors and herbalists recommend for treatment, but naturally had further questions. Sadly, the treatment I received as a new customer was sub-​par at best, both in person and on the phone. Aside from an obvious lack of knowledge concerning the properties of my supplements in question (or just cases of extreme apathy, which is entirely likely) I was treated as though I was an inconvenience to the employees.
To LK staff and owners: As much as I love to support the hardworking small business owner’s of our community, please note that I do not come to your shops simply because of some «novelty» or «extensive history». I visit the small shops because of their substance, dedication, and care of the customer.
LK Herbs is a growing example of why small business is getting a bad name — they’ve obviously forgotten that being «hip» and having a large variety of products doesn’t make you the best store in town.
This business will never see another dime from me or anyone that I know. Trust me, it’s not worth your time either. There are plenty of excellent herbal shops out there in our community who need and DESERVE your business. This isn’t one of them.

Walking in the door, I am Always greeted with a warm hello.
If you are in need of powdered, whole seeds, tinctures, essential oils, tea, jars or information, Lhasa Karnak is the place. There is not much that they do not carry. Parking can be a challenge sometimes but being able to find the things you want at a great price will more than make up for it.

Four stars for the variety of herbs and minus 10 stars for the weird customer service.
I like having a place to buy all kinds of herbs for colds, flu, salve making, etc within walking distance. There’s a ton of useless and expensive stuff lying around in the shop that you can get for less on the internet (amazon, vitacost, etc). Not a fan of their sullen customer service and the fact that they calculate your receipt with pencil and paper and make mistakes. I was once almost charged $ 16 extra. Please be sure to check the amount you owe when they calculate your bill. And don’t expect a smile with the service.

DO NOT GO HERE!!! You would think that an owner of a place like this would be very enlightened — I mean what else inspires someone to open a store so full of eastern paraphernalia? If you need any herbs go to Whole Foods/​Berkeley Bowl or anywhere but this horrible place! 1 star for many reasons… starting with their lack of customer service. It seems like the employees hate their jobs, the customer service was horrible. The owner is a complete idiot. Dont waste your time or money. Oh and not mention they are very pricey!!!

4 – 5 stars for the items they carry.
0 stars for customer service.
I don’t like to write negative reviews for businesses but because it is my second time in a row going in there and receiving negative energy from the women who work in there, I have decided that I will not be going back in there. I was super uncomfortable both times.
I expected a more positive experience in a place like this…

This is a neat spot, a little tiny, buts that’s okay. Their prices are affordable depending on what it is. They have a wide selection of tea and herbs. Beauty products are still pricy. I had bought some incense for 3.00, it smells lovely and it came with a holder :)

I’m a novice and it can be pretty intimidating. I just happened upon the store knowing nothing about it. The owner and his son were at the front counter, both very warm and nice. The owner helped me. Very nice, patient and funny. He didn’t try to push stuff on me or overwhelm me. He listened and met me at the level I was at, and went from there. I absolutely love the teas I bought. I’ve tried many lately as I try and figure out what I like (again I’m a novice), and these smelled fresh and were tasty! I will definitely go back to this store. I think I finally found my go-​to source!
There are so many great reviews about their products, but many negative reviews regarding customer service over the years — it’s hard to brush it off as an isolated event or to just a bunch of Unilocal complainers. Most did say how great the product was!
I am glad my first experience with customer service was great. If it were poor, that would have been a huge turn off. I do hope my positive experience with customer service continues. Customer Service quality is equally as important as the product quality.

Great shop but they have a very young inexperienced woman and I bought a tincture of Male Sexual Vitality and asked her to open it and give me a shot. Since I’m a quadriplegic I don’t have the ability to do that and she said «no I can’t do that for you.» I tried to explain to her that I can’t use my fingers and she’s still denied giving it to me even though I told her I’m giving my full consent. I just thought that was poor customer service.

Sometimes, as a pastry chef, you need fun spices. Trying to find bulk culinary dried lavender became was way harder than I thought when I struck out at Berkeley Bowl and a couple of Indian spice shops I tried. My last resort was this place, and hallelujah! And at $ 2/​oz, it will last me forever! I now know where to go back to for the rest of my bulk spice needs. The curly haired woman helped me, and she was pretty friendly.

I have shopped here for several years, purchasing herbs, oils and other supplements. They have the best pricing on oils and herbs.
The staff, however, are unfriendly. There’s a middle aged man, not super young and not super old, and he’s friendly and helpful! A+ for him. But the other staff, not all, but some have something left to be desired. Some do not greet you when you enter or it feels like you are wasting their time. I mainly attribute this to one woman who has reddish wavy/​curly hair. Generally I am ok with this when I know what I want but if were to ask a question, which I have, I feel like I am annoying her.
About two weeks ago, I walked into their Shattuck store (new location next door — awesome!) to see if I could special order an item. I left my name and number, but no call back so after week, I emailed, still nothing. This is unusual because Lhasa is generally very responsive.
Anyway, today I call at 2:20pm, and I spoke with an unfriendly employee. She said they had just moved etc which I totally get but the tone with which she conveyed this information was rude. I was not upset about the delay just wondering when I could expect a response to my request. The call ended and I did not have any further information. She told me to call the other store and see if «Mark» was in. I don’t think I should have to do that — she should!

Small place, great selection. Walked past by coincidence and walked out of the store with a big bag of nettle tea for a buck! They have shelves of packaged goods you’d recognize (Yogi teas, etc) but the best value is the goodies they sell in bulk.
AND the woman at the counter was cool with me paying in a sad little pile of change.

On the 6^th of September I purchased several herbs for my liver and was greeted and served by two young ladies who knew their stuff. I promised Willow and Mali I would write a comment on Unilocal for their great professional service they provided me on that day,
THANKS WILLOW & MALI!!!

Cheapest Indian spices ever. They have exactly what I need to make my chicken tikka masala just right, and it is SO MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE than Safeway up the street. So stoked on their selection/​prices :)
Now that I know they sell more than just oils and herbs I’m gonna stock up my kitchen like never before! They even have dried lavender, yay. I had been looking for months.

I just returned from the Shattuck shop totally impressed. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe they’ve solved the service issues, or maybe the complaints below are totally misguided — who knows? What I know is that I walked in expecting to be ridiculed or vibed, but was instead met by a young woman who knew exactly what I was asking for. She was extremely nice, packed my stuff up for me in no time, and even chatted about the vermouth I’m making with the Gentian and Angelica I bought from her. Furthermore, their bulk prices are great and they are eminently accessible. What more could a customer want?
So yeah, I hope that this represents the usual Lhasa Karnak standard of service. I’ll obviously post again if I run into any issues, but I’m feeling optimistic.

I’m with Amani…5 stars for the inventory, negative stars for the customer «service». The girl behind the counter exuded hostility even as I approached her. I only had three things on my list, when I asked her about the first one she grudgingly retrieved it and then proceeded to give me a condescending lecture on it. I have to say she did open my eyes to the plight that it was an endangered tree, however her manner was horrendous… and why do you sell it then? If it is for people with an ailment, I get it, however then only sell it to those people with that ailment, don’t be awful to your customers. So after that awkward exchange, I asked if they carried another item… and she pushed the book towards me…“here is what we have”. I’m so sorry I am bothering you… with NO OTHER customers here.
It’s a shame, I made the trek out from San Francisco and was excited to see what they had to offer… however I will be doing my shopping elsewhere. BOO