What Happened When I Got A Crystal Healing

I Have No Idea What I'm In For

It’s the morning of my crystal healing appointment with a woman named Azalea Lee at Place 8 Healing in Downtown Los Angeles, and to say that I’m incredibly nervous is a gross understatement. I have a million things running through my head, with my biggest fear being that I will come out of my two-hour session—yes, two hours—a different person. (Remember when The Hills’ Spencer Pratt got really into crystals and wore them all at once as jewelry? He became completely obsessed with having them around all the time. That’s my only real point of reference, and it’s enough to make me come seriously close to cancelling my appointment.)

From what I understand, a crystal healing is meant to take a deep dive into your current “situation” and perhaps even tap into past lives (ya know, if you believe in that type of thing). The only thing I know for sure is that if anyone tries to contact me from the other side, I’m out! I find comfort in telling myself Azalea is a crystal healer, not a medium.

What drew me to this appointment was the intrigue of trying something new but also the fact that Azalea claims she can actually make things happen (think a work promotion or finding a significant other). It’s not that she has special powers per se but rather she gets to the root of your issues and helps you to overcome them, which then allows you to make positive things happen.

I Don’t Think I Can Do This

The night before my appointment, I got an email that listed very specific instructions to prepare for my healing: It said to wear only natural fabrics or opt to be nude (yeah, that’s going to happen). It also instructs me to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. While that’s almost impossible for me given my fast-paced job (I actually find myself annoyed by this suggestion), I reluctantly do it. The reasoning is that it says I might feel lightheaded or in need of a long nap after my appointment. Clear schedule. Check. Feel paranoid and nervous. Check, check.

My anxiety is only heightened when I pull up to a creepy, old building in Downtown LA. My gut tells me to call and cancel, but I’m a bad liar so I decide to go through with it. I knock on Azalea’s door and am pleasantly surprised by the wide windows, beautiful layout and relaxed vibe I am greeted with when I walk inside. What made me feel more at ease was that Azalea looked modern and friendly—you can imagine the crystal-healer stereotypes I had constructed in my mind. My nerves finally start to settle for the first time in days as the time for my reading arrives.

Getting Comfortable With The Whole Thing

I must have gotten more comfortable than I expected because I somehow agree to go topless for the healing. Azalea lays crystals all around me and on my torso. The first thing she tells me is to allow my spirit to leave my body and see myself lying in her studio. This immediately freaks me out, and I suddenly start crying hysterically, so much so the crystals begin to fall off me. For some reason the thought of that kind of out-of-body experience makes the feeling of death seem very real. Once I gain my composure, we proceed.

We begin talking about my relationships with my family and fiancé. My eyes are closed, and Azalea is asking about the visions I am seeing in my head. She has me analyze everything, and I realize this is starting to feel like an intense therapy session.

Here’s Where It Gets Freaky

Azalea then puts a crystal on my forehead (or—as she says—my third eye). Instantly I see a flash of a snake hissing at me. It’s short but vivid—very vivid. It made me feel nervous because it’s so unfamiliar to me as I don’t usually have these kinds of visions. I interpret this as a sign of a toxic past relationship—makes sense, right? While I’ve never had closure with the person that comes to mind, Azalea helps me confront my deeper feelings about that period of my life. After a few exercises and a lot of talking, I feel relieved. It was almost as if I was suddenly and instantly able to forgive and forget.

Once we wrap up the session, Azalea tells me the crystal she put on my head that brought about the vision of the snake was a garnet, which she explains is a protector against abuse and bad energy. Sure, she could have skewed the meaning to apply to my story but then she shows me her collection of garnets, all of which are labeled with the same description. Up until this moment, I think I believed the crystals were a gimmick, a way to make a basic therapy session feel glamorous. I realize I’ve been proven wrong. I’m a believer.

It's Finally Over

I leave Azalea’s studio feeling cleansed, rejuvenated and on some sort of emotional high. I even ask her how soon I can come back. I feel hooked. However, at the high-ticket price of $400, I would be wise to space out my sessions.

It’s been a couple of months since my appointment, and that high has dissipated. I don’t feel the burning need to go back the way I did when I first left Azalea. It was an interesting, emotional and scary (please reference the snake) experience—and liberating at the same time. I think everyone should try crystal healing at least once. The truth is, you never know what you might discover about yourself, or—even better—what you might discover you’re ready to let go of.