The first time I visited an adult-use recreational cannabis dispensary was in October 2014, in Seattle, Washington. The dispensary had only been open a few months at that point, and its offerings were bare-bones by today’s standards: flower, dabs, edibles, prerolls. They were arranged inside a long glass case that might have once displayed jewelry or cameras, and I remember that the wall behind the counter was hung with a thick, wall-to-ceiling curtain.

“I have an inexplicable fear that we’re being punked by the Feds,” I whispered to my girlfriend. “Like, that curtain will drop, and a dozen agents will pour out.”

She agreed, eyes darting left and right. We hastened our purchase and walked back to our friend’s house at a brisk clip.

I have no doubt that Seattle dispensaries have evolved since then. Some of them might even be as calming, handsome and colorful as the dispensaries of the Las Vegas Valley, which are marvels of retail craft.

Drawing from the best practices of current retail presentation—think REI, or better still, the Apple Store—Vegas’ dispensaries are low-pressure, smartly arranged spaces with vibes that range from zenlike to dazzling. And, considering that recreational cannabis now includes literally thousands of products, they’re gradually becoming bigger and bigger.

Take Planet 13, a genuinely fun dispensary that answers my question, “What if EPCOT had a weed pavilion?” Or Downtown’s NuWu Cannabis Marketplace, which I’ve described to visiting friends as “practically a weed IKEA,” and is currently expanding into an even larger space.

But it’s not all about size. The best dispensaries offer something memorable, something that has little to do with selling cannabis—whether it’s speakeasy cool (MedMen, Cookies), garden-like greenery (Cultivate, Jardin) or locally-made art (Sanctuary, Health for Life). And because Vegas’ dispensaries frequently change hands, they’re remodeled often; several dispensaries we checked out this past month, like Rise, were in the process of renewing themselves.

Here are a few Vegas dispensaries that are as much fun for the eyes as they are for your neurotransmitters. Get a good look at them now, because once consumption lounges become commonplace, they’ll likely change their approach all over again.

Planet 13: So much fun, even the robots are into it

“OMG. Is it that time? Is it 4:20?” an employee asks. Another employee rebukes her: “Stop making friends with those humans. You’ll get a virus.”

Fittingly enough for a sci-fi themed dispensary, Planet 13’s two most photogenic employees are robots. They perform various tasks inside Planet 13’s glass-walled production facility, but are seemingly never too busy to clown for selfies. And they’re far from the only photographic element of this massive, mall-like complex, which also includes an interactive video floor, display cases with hovering platforms and a stickered-up microbus that smokes on command.

But Planet 13’s real draw is its dispensary floor, which is positively vast and boasts a staggering number of products. And when you make your selections and check out, it’s against the backdrop of a wall-length, hi-def video screen, At Planet 13, it’s 4:20 all day long. 2548 W. Desert Inn Road #100, 702-815-1313, planet13lasvegas.com.

NuLeaf: A little bit apothecary, a little bit coffeehouse

When you enter NuLeaf’s Twain and Paradise location, you’re directed to the right, past a seating area softly illuminated by a vintage drugstore sign. An old-school pay phone—rotary dial!—hangs on a nearby wall. The sales floor is laid with a honeycomb of black-and-white hexagonal tiles, like your great-grandparents stood upon when they picked up their salves and tonics at the town apothecary.

NuLeaf feels a bit like that, if that turn-of-the-century apothecary was later taken over by a coffeehouse, and that coffeehouse became a dispensary. It’s friendly and calming, with a neighborly feel that carries over into its service. 430 E. Twain Ave., 702-297-5323, nuleafnv.com.

Cultivate: The outside world is in

You don’t find many dispensaries with sales-floor windows. Sometimes there are windows in the waiting area, but then you’re buzzed into a windowless box (which is usually smartly decorated and merchandised, but still windowless.)

Cultivate, located at the western edge of the sprawling Chinatown district, flips that script. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that admit natural light by day—vital to Cultivate’s greenhouse-like assortment of live (non-cannabis) plants—and look out onto the middle Strip at night. Those windows make Cultivate feel wide open, yet isolated from the bustle surrounding it. Like a quiet corner of a city park, Cultivate is an ideal place to find your calm and take a bit of it home with you. 3615 Spring Mountain Road, 702-778-1173, cultivatelv.com.

Exhale: Curiouser and curiouser

“I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other,” says the title character of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “but the great question is ‘What?’”

Exhale, located on Flamingo Road just across the street from the Palms, handily answers that question with its broad selection of edibles, drinkables and smokables. And they’re arranged within sight of Alice herself and the ever-elusive White Rabbit, coolly depicted in a vibrant Brett Rosepiler mural.

There’s something refreshing in the way Exhale’s decor leans hard into psychedelia. Many dispensaries try to present the image of medical offices or day spas. Exhale beckons you down the rabbit hole, where the Caterpillar is ready to puff-puff-pass the hookah. 4310 W. Flamingo Road, 702-447-1250, exhalebrands.com.

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