The Chakra Shack Celebrates 20 Years In Laguna

0
1083
From left to right, Chakra Shack’s marketing director Cyrena Guyot, owner Jill Templin and chief operating officer Sasha Safarzadeh celebrate 20 years of business Dec. 21. Submitted photo

Twenty years ago, Jill Templin, fresh out of college and suffering the loss of her father, began searching for inner peace. Her spiritual journey led her to open The Chakra Shack at just 24 years old, and, since then, after three location changes, the shop on 976 S. Pacific Coast Highway has become a solid fixture in Laguna Beach. 

“I feel like the Goldilocks of Laguna Beach,” Templin said. “This one’s not right. That one’s too small. This place may be too big, but I feel well connected to the community, the people and the walking lifestyle of being so close to the beach.”

Templin describes The Chakra Shack as a metaphysical shop – where psychology meets spirituality. It offers a wide variety of spiritual accouterments focused on fitting different needs and lifestyles, like aura photography, healing crystals, Tarot cards, meditation music and more. 

“Crystals and jewelry are our most popular items,” Templin said. “But we also have different aromatherapy, candles, singing bowls, wands, sage and gift items. Our aura photography is huge now. I’ve had that since we opened, it was almost a third of my budget, but during and after the pandemic, that was the biggest thing that grew. We also offer different types of intuitive readings, palmistry or channeling or Tarot astrology, Reiki, and different types of energy healings.”

After the pandemic temporarily closed many churches, and people were forced to isolate, the desire to seek alternative forms of spirituality and inner wellness increased in popularity. But it always wasn’t easy for Templin. When she opened up in 2002, The Chakra Shack was met with some backlash. 

“I got a lot of people yelling at me for opening up a shop like this,” Templin said. “At the time, it was not well-accepted stuff. But we’re always evolving and changing, the shop and ourselves. More and more people are looking for different ways to nurture themselves and their healing paths.”

The Chakra Shack celebrated its 20th anniversary on Dec. 21, during winter solstice. The shop invited the public to join in with live music, a sound bath ceremony, free mini-readings, and intention setting. Submitted photo.

The Chakra Shack celebrated its 20th anniversary on Dec. 21, during winter solstice. The shop invited the public to join in with live music, a sound bath ceremony, free mini-readings, and intention setting.

“It was just such a special night,” Templin said. “Our solstice events are growing and evolving. This time, we started having readers do some services and had a sound bath at the end, where you set your intentions of what you want to bring into the new season. The best thing is to see the community come together. When I started doing events like this, we started with around 10 people. This last week, we had around 85, and that’s awesome to see.”

In the future, Templin says she hopes to host more public events akin to their winter solstice and anniversary celebration, focusing on offering more specific services like breathwork classes, sound baths and tarot readings. Even pets can have their aura read, which is the next event they’re hosting on Jan. 23. 

“There are a lot of ways we try to make sense of the world,” Templin said. “Some people find a crystal, and that’s a good symbol, and it can bring them that peace. For other people, it’s horoscopes, for others, it’s physical activity. I think we all are just looking for how to feel connected and happy. It’s not going to be a one size fits all answer. We’re all the same, but we’re all very different, too. It’s all about discovering what works for you.”

Those interested in discovering more about The Chakra Shack can visit Facebook or Instagram at @thechackrashack or via their website at chakrashack.com.

Share this:

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here