Okay, so. Deep breath. I'm reflecting on what just happened, and I need to tell you about it because I'm STILL buzzing from the energy of it all.
Aura Sanctuary NYC just wrapped, and honestly? It exceeded every dream we had for it.
How We Got Here (The Real Story)
So here's the thing. I'm Laura — founder and CEO of Aura Therapy Life (or just Aura Therapy, we go by both). We make these beautiful, breathable essential oil perfumes, and we have stores in Miami and Asheville. But listen, I don't really think of myself as a beauty founder. Like, yes, we make perfume. But really? I'm a spiritual founder. A wellness founder.
We do aura readings, aromatherapy events (we call them Aura Days), we have this whole Vibe and Glow program where we teach yoga teachers how to incorporate aromatherapy into their classes — like, we're doing ALL these different things.
And I've always wanted to come back to New York. I'm a New Yorker — lived here for 30 years, raised my family here, went to Parsons. About eight years ago I moved to Asheville, but my family's still here. And since the beginning of my business, I always wanted to be able to come back home and do something really cool.
So when we got this offer to take over a beautiful English basement of a historic brownstone on Sullivan Street in the West Village — I mean, between Houston and Bleecker, you couldn't ask for a better neighborhood — we were like, okay. This is it. This is the moment.
What We Created: Aura Sanctuary: The Awakening
For four incredible weeks (October 16 - November 9, 2025), we brought Aura Sanctuary: The Awakening to life. It was a journey through the seven chakras with some of the most incredible healers and artists I know.
Over the years through my "People We Adore" series, I've had the opportunity to meet SO many amazing people. And instead of just doing our own thing, spending our money, making it all about us, us, us - we thought: who could we bring into this to co-create and PLAY?
And oh my, did we play. Did we CREATE. The energy was absolutely magical.
The Journey: Seven Rooms, Seven Activations, Pure Magic
Let me walk you through what we've created, room by room. Because honestly, it's SO good.
ROOT CHAKRA: Getting Grounded with Jim
James Levinson — our Chief Aura Therapist and my partner — is holding down the Root Chakra room. It's GORGEOUS and red, with all these themes that are very grounding and nature-driven.
Jim does biometric scans and aura readings. Like, he's done over 10,000 readings at this point, which is an incredible privilege — to see that many humans' energy fields and learn what we do with our energy. He'll reveal your energetic blueprint, show you your colors, your numbers, your chakra report. It's the foundation for everything that comes next.
And when Jim was double-booked between rooms, we had Amickoleh Imani - an incredible auratherapist and energetic medicine educator - covering aura readings. She was amazing, and guests absolutely loved her energy and insights.
Connect with Jim: @levinsje | @crystalsforengineers
SACRAL CHAKRA: Divine Feminine Energy with Nicole
Oh my god, I'm so excited about this one. My friend Nicole Buffett is flying in from LA, and she is INCREDIBLE. Nicole is an artist and painter who does these beautiful mandala paintings. She has her own oracle deck — the Spirit Oracle deck — and she's going to be doing oracle readings in the Sacral room.
The coolest part: she created what she calls Signature Spirit Code Paintings™. Private 1:1 readings where she channeled intuition through colors, brushes, and numbers, and created original paintings for guests. Each person got their painting on its own lucite stand, PLUS a time-lapse video of her creating it. The reactions were SO emotional and beautiful.
This was all about amplifying that feminine divine energy, that creative flow. It was co-creation at its finest.
Connect with Nicole: @nicolebuffettart | nicolebuffett.com
Read Nicole's story
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA: Empowerment & Alchemy with Peter
Peter Duchemin came all the way from Newfoundland for this. He's a PhD tarot reader — okay, I also call him a magician — and he's world-renowned. Like, if you try to book him normally, you CAN'T. He's that good.
Peter held the Solar Plexus room, and it was all about empowerment and alchemy. He used this 10-card Wheel of Life Spread in a calm, meditative, ritual setting. The purpose wasn't prediction of the future — it was illumination of the present, where all choice and freedom live.
Guests uncovered pathways for transcending limitation, dissolving old patterns, and aligning with their wholeness. People left his sessions absolutely transformed.
Connect with Peter: @peterducheminphd
Read Peter's story | Ibis Oracular
HEART CHAKRA: Reiki & Massage with Kimberly
The Heart Chakra room was pure magic. Kimberly Hauer from Hauer Power Holistic came from Asheville and brought SO much heart energy to this space. We created this incredible line of chakra massage oils together, and she did 30-minute sessions weaving together Reiki energy healing, crystal therapy, and aromatherapy massage.
When Kimberly needed coverage, Amickoleh Imani stepped in with her beautiful heart-centered energetic medicine work. Both brought such profound healing to this space.
These sessions helped guests soften what weighed on their hearts, reconnect to self-compassion, and expand their capacity for joy and love. The feedback was incredible - people left with lighter hearts, deeper breaths, and this sense of peace and connection that was truly transformative.
Connect with Kimberly: @hauerpowerholistic
Book your session
THROAT CHAKRA: Voice Activation with The Damkianna
The Damkianna — she's working with us, she's a performer, a multidimensional producer and advisor, and she's INCREDIBLE.
She created this beautiful throat chakra activation called Frequency of Creation — Resonance. It's a meditation and cinematic music video composed in Latin (!!), designed to awaken authentic expression and intention. You're invited into a state of deep resonance where sound becomes creation.
The journey closes with a private interaction at the intention altar, where you write your intentions and anchor them into form — transforming inner vision into embodied possibility.
Dom is here with me right now helping set everything up, and honestly, the energy is already SO good.
Connect with The Damkianna: @thedamkianna | damkianna.com
Read her story
THIRD EYE CHAKRA: The Art of Rest with Rebecca
Then guests stepped into the Third Eye room, and my very good friend Rebecca Litwin from Down Etc. - one of the most incredible luxury bedding companies - created this beautiful experience.
It was a purple room (those are her colors!). Guests exchanged their shoes for complimentary slippers and were guided into this sensory journey. There were down blankets and pillows and meditation cushions.
And we had these sound bowls from Hess Sound USA. Guests got to PLAY the sound bowls in this private space. Peter Hess Sound Massage is very well known in Germany and across Europe, but it's only now emerging in the United States. We were so excited to bring their work into this space.
It was the art of rest meets intuitive sound healing. Rest was honored as the highest form of self-care here.
Connect with Rebecca: @downetc | downetc.com
Read Rebecca's story
CROWN CHAKRA: Spirit Connection with Rachael
And THEN — after you've chilled out in that beautiful restful space — you go into a room with Rachael Lahren, who is this beautiful spiritual medium and intuitive guide.
Rachael's gift is in bridging intuitive insight with chakra awareness. Whether guests were navigating relationships, career transitions, or longing for deeper spiritual connection, she offered both perspective and actionable clarity.
So many people described leaving her sessions with a renewed sense of purpose, a clearer understanding of their challenges, and a next step that felt both empowering and achievable. It was a very Crown experience - reaching into the divine, connecting with something bigger.
Connect with Rachael: @rachaellahren | RachaelLahren.com
Read Rachael's story
The Art That Holds It All Together
My mom, Leah Poller, is a bronze sculptor, and she created "The Birds of Leah Poller: An Installation Across the Chakra Journey" — these beautiful bronze pieces that tie the whole aesthetic together. It's so special to have her work be part of this.
Connect with Leah: @leahpollerart | leahpoller.com
The 333 Journey: What We Created
The journey we created - we called it the 333. We used angel numbers, which was such a cool concept. The numbers all meant something.
It was a two-and-a-half-hour journey through all seven chakras with five different healers.
Here's the thing: this was really more like an $1,100 journey. These are the kind of people that if you tried to book them individually, you COULDN'T. Or they had months-long waitlists. But we wanted to bring this to the public in a way that was accessible.
So all of our partners agreed to do it for $333.
Three hundred and thirty-three dollars for a complete chakra activation with world-class healers. The response was overwhelming.
Oh Yeah, And We're Launching ALL THE THINGS
Because apparently we're extra? (Spoiler: we are.)
Our BOOK!
Jim and I finished our book. It's at the printers RIGHT NOW. I can just feel all the pages printing, printing, printing. It's called "Aura Therapy: A Guide to Adoring Yourself, Your Aura, Your Chakras, and Your Aroma."
It's a primer on aura reading and the systems we use, but mostly it's Jim's journey doing about 10,000 aura readings — which is an incredible privilege, to see that many humans' energy fields. So we're sharing all of that wisdom. This is also a book launch!
Moodzee — Our New Line
We're launching Moodzee at the sanctuary — it's this super cute Gen Z aromatherapy line. There will be testers and displays so you can come smell everything. It's aromatherapy for emotional balance and modern wellness.
Chakra Massage Oils
The complete collection we created with Kimberly. Each oil is aligned with one of the seven energy centers. You're gonna want these.
What's Next: The Journey Continues (And It's BIG)
Okay, so here's where I get REALLY excited.
The NYC pop-up may have closed, but Aura Sanctuary? That's just beginning.
WE'RE GOING VIRTUAL!
Due to overwhelming demand (seriously, you all showed UP), we're bringing the Aura Sanctuary experience online. That means you can now access:
🔮 Art & Oracle Readings with Nicole Buffett - Transform your energy reading into visual guidance through oracle cards and intuitive art. Nicole's Signature Spirit Code Paintings are available virtually!
🃏 Tarot & Archetypes Sessions with Peter Duchemin- Gain clarity and empowerment by identifying the archetype you're meant to embody. Work with one of the world's most sought-after tarot readers from anywhere.
💜 Heart Chakra Balancing with Amickoleh Imani - Receive personalized energetic medicine and heart-centered healing work. Amickoleh brings her gifts as an auratherapist and transformational guide to virtual sessions from LA.
🧘♀️ Meditation & Integration Experiences - Access self-guided meditations for grounding, reflection, and integrating your chakra work on your own time.
Whether you want immersive self-facilitated meditations you can do on your own schedule, or one-on-one sessions with our healers - you can now book everything online.
No travel required. Just your intention and an open heart.
Book Your Virtual Experience Here
IN-PERSON EXPERIENCES: Aura Readings & More
And listen - if you want the in-person magic, we've got that too!
Jim's Aura Readings are available at our Miami and Asheville locations, at Aura Day events, and by special appointment. If you've been wanting to get your aura read, there's never been a better time. Jim has done over 10,000 readings, and the insights are truly life-changing.
Amickoleh's At-Home Aura Readings are available in the Los Angeles area by pre-booking. She brings the full aura reading technology and energetic medicine right to you.
Watch our event pages for travel schedules, Aura Day events, and special offerings!
BECOME AN AURATHERAPIST!
Oh, and THIS is so exciting - we're launching our Auratherapist Certification program!
If you've been feeling called to this work, if you want to learn how to read auras, work with chakras, and offer transformational healing sessions - this is YOUR moment.
Training launches in Miami in April 2026, and virtual enrollment is open NOW.
Jim and I will be teaching you everything we know - the biometric technology, the interpretation systems, the energetic medicine, the business side of it all. This is a comprehensive program that will equip you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to offer professional aura readings and chakra healing sessions.
Like, imagine being able to do this work. To hold space for people's transformation. To see their energy and help them understand themselves on such a deep level.
🎓 Enroll in Auratherapist Certification
The Permanent Sanctuary is Coming to Asheville
And listen - this is the dream. We're opening a permanent Aura Sanctuary home in Asheville, NC, in a restored historic church. Anticipated to open in late 2026 or 2027.
This space will be a year-round destination for immersive chakra journeys, auratherapist certification, healing arts, and conscious community events.
It's going to be THE place. A sacred space rooted in community, transformation, and creativity.
Stay tuned for updates!
Come See Us In Person: Miami & Asheville
In the meantime, we have permanent locations in both Miami and Asheville where you can:
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Get aura readings with Jim
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Experience our full aromatherapy collection
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Book chakra balancing sessions
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Connect with our team
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Shop all our products - perfumes, Moodzee, chakra oils, everything!
📍 Visit our Miami or Asheville locations
The Real Talk: Why We Did This (And Why We're Continuing)
Listen. You can do this kind of thing and it can be all commercial. Or you can do this kind of thing and it can be all about your soul.
And that's what we're building.
We're building a soulful business where everything fits into the lifestyle, the community, the relationships, the outcomes that we're looking for. And of course, yes, we'd like our business to grow and thrive and more of you to know about it.
But the truth is we only want that because we KNOW what we have is so fun and amazing. And we want YOU to have that.
The NYC experience proved something to us: this work matters. People are hungry for authentic spiritual experiences. They want to connect with their energy, understand their chakras, and do the work in a space that honors both ancient wisdom and contemporary creativity.
And now? We get to bring this to the world. Virtually AND in person.
A bunch of us lived in a brownstone together for that month in NYC. There was co-creation and meals and all that energy together. It felt like spiritual camp, and it was SO magical.
Now we're taking that magic and expanding it - online, at events, through certification, and eventually in our permanent Asheville sanctuary.
Follow the Journey
Main accounts:
@auratherapylife | @aurasanctuaryavl
Auratherapylife.com | Facebook | TikTok
Meet all the healers:
Check out our Practitioner Spotlights to learn more about each person holding space in the sanctuary.
My heart is open. I just feel the joy of it — whether anybody comes or anybody likes it or not, I'm so proud of me and my team. I'm so proud of the vision that we had. And we're really here to have fun too.
So hopefully you'll see that in the work that we do, and you'll come and join us.
If you have friends in New York and you've been thinking, "Ooh, I'd like them to experience an aura reading" or "They need this kind of healing" — make sure they know about it so they can book! Because we're only doing four weekends.
Adore you. Can't wait to connect with you — whether virtually or in person. 💜
— Laura
P.S. I'll be hopping on Instagram more often doing lives where you can ask me questions about the virtual experiences, the certification program, the Asheville sanctuary plans, and everything we're creating. Come say hi!
Explore all our offerings here