Down the Rabbit Hole: My Search for Real Aromatherapy and the Birth of Auratherapy
The Blue Ocean That Changed Everything
When I first discovered aromatherapy, it wasn’t on a spa menu or in a gift set—it was in the quiet of my own healing.
Years of working at a breakneck pace had left me disconnected, depleted, and sick. Breathwork and scent were two of the first tools that truly helped me feel grounded again. Not just better—but whole.
Aromatherapy wasn’t new. But the way it was being offered? Confusing at best. Missing at worst.
Fragrance had become all about fantasy and formulas. And I didn’t wear it anymore, for all the obvious reasons. Perfume and I had broken up.
I wanted scent as a healing ritual. Where were the beautiful bottles with real oils and real impact?
As a lifelong entrepreneur, I’ve always had a radar for market gaps. What I saw in aromatherapy wasn’t just a tool for healing—it was a blue ocean. An entire wellness category hiding in plain sight. Fragrance was everywhere, but where was the breathable perfume?
So I followed the trail. And like Alice in Wonderland, I fell headfirst into a world full of curious characters, smoke, mirrors, and the occasional mushroom cloud of patchouli.
The Wild World of Aromatherapy Shops
I began searching for something that felt modern, luxurious, and real. An aromatherapy shop that wasn’t a head shop or a Whole Foods aisle. Instead, I found crystal stores with unlabeled oils, incense dens with "fragrance oils" (read: synthetic), and overwhelming online catalogs offering lavender for sleep, stress, dreams, heartbreak—you name it.
It was surreal. A world that should have felt sacred instead felt slapdash.
There was the Caterpillar character, always surrounded by swirling incense, ready to offer advice with a hazy sense of authority. The Cheshire Cat, always smiling from digital storefronts, offering “100% pure” oils with no sourcing, no certification, and no reason to trust. And the Mad Hatters—the MLMs—throwing essential oil parties where everything was marked up and the truth was hard to pin down.
I went deeper anyway.
The Patchouli Paradox
Say the word patchouli and you’ll divide a room. People either recoil or swoon. But here’s the truth: most people have never smelled real patchouli. They’ve only encountered its synthetic impersonator—bold, bitter, and burned into every incense memory from 1997 to Burning Man.
Real patchouli? It’s grounding. Deep. Smooth. It’s the scent of roots and soil and warmth. But because of its cheap, chemical twin, patchouli became the most controversial oil in the aromatherapy world.
I learned to always ask: Where are the oils sourced? How are they made? Who’s behind the bottle?
Because in aromatherapy, provenance is everything.
And to me, it became a symbol for everything wrong with the industry: beauty without truth, tradition without care, healing reduced to hype.
The MLM Maze
No deep dive into aromatherapy is complete without detouring through the multi-level marketing thicket—specifically, Doterra and Young Living. I remember when I first learned about the “Utah essential oil mafia”. These two behemoths built billion-dollar empires with the charm of Tupperware parties and the tenacity of a Mormon wedding registry.
They’ve done more than anyone to bring essential oils into suburban America, but at a cost. Prices are inflated to support the army of “wellness entrepreneurs” upstream. Claims of “therapeutic grade” are tossed around like glitter (note: there's no such FDA-recognized category). And their oils often come with a side of side-eye from anyone outside the downline.
It's a whole vibe—part cult, part apothecary, part backyard BBQ.
Why Rewilding Your Nose Matters
If you’ve been living in a cloud of perfume, scented candles, and air fresheners, your nose has been hijacked. And that’s not your fault.
Synthetic fragrances are engineered to be powerful and long-lasting—but that comes at the cost of subtlety, breathability, and health. When you first smell a real essential oil, you might think, That’s it?
Yes. That’s it. And it’s everything.
Your nose needs a detox. I call it rewilding your nose—returning it to its natural state, where nuance is noticeable and purity is enough. Think of it like a food shift: if you’ve been eating fast food, it takes time to appreciate grass-fed steak. But when your body adjusts, you can never go back.
That’s how scent should be. Alive. Ephemeral. Functional. Not overpowering and artificial.
The Healer Who Knows… But Never Tells
We all have that one friend—the healer, the oracle, the one with the right tea, the right mantra, the right words at the right time. They always know the best practices, the cleanest brands, the secret breathwork retreat in Topanga Canyon.
But when it comes to where they get their oils? Crickets.
Not because they’re hiding anything, but because they haven’t quite figured it out either. Or worse, they’re using incredible oils—but the brand doesn’t retail. There’s no shop. No story. It’s a secret too good to share because it was never really for sale.
And that’s the problem. The best oils are often invisible, used by bodyworkers or passed between practitioners. I’ve been to dozens of healers—Reiki, craniosacral, acupuncture—and rarely have oils even been a part of the experience. Occasionally someone might wave lavender under my nose, mix something into a massage oil, or sell a tiny vial at checkout.
But that’s commerce. Not art. Not healing.
The Big Guns Were Never in the Game
Back when I started, the biggest names in beauty and retail weren’t even in the aromatherapy conversation. Ulta? Sephora? Not a single shelf of functional essential oils. No chakra support. No aura blends. No breath-friendly anything.
At best, Whole Foods had a few brands on the bottom shelf. Maybe your local co-op stocked a dusty box of rollers and single-note oils, sold like vitamins. But nowhere did I see what I really wanted: an aromatherapy shop like a Parisian perfume house—elevated, intentional, and modern.
I had been to those places. I had seen the beauty of fine fragrance shops in Europe, where scent was treated like ceremony. But now that I no longer wore perfume, I had nowhere to go. No scent sanctuary. No clean, curated option for someone who still wanted beauty—just not benzene.
That’s why I created it.
Building Auratherapy: Where Retail Meets Ritual
So, what did I learn on my journey through the looking glass of modern aromatherapy shops?
That in a world full of fragrance tricksters and overpromised oils, you have to sniff smart and find the shop. Ask questions. Read labels. Trust your instincts. Search and search. And when you find a brand or product that resonates—really resonates—you’ll know. Because the real thing doesn’t shout.
It whispers.
In 2020, during the height of COVID, I opened our first Auratherapy shop in downtown Asheville at the historic Grove Arcade. It was both a leap of faith and a return to myself—bringing together my love of packaging, retail, design, sourcing, and energy work into one space. It was my dream to create a shop I couldn’t find.
Five years later, we opened our second store in Miami’s vibrant Wynwood district—a neighborhood built on bold ideas and colorful creativity. It felt like the perfect place to invite people into a new kind of aromatherapy.
Like Alice, I had drunk the potion, grown to impossible heights, and then shrunk back down again—only to re-emerge as myself. Healed, whole, and ready to lead others through their own scent journeys.
The Vision: What an Aromatherapy Shop Should Be
When I began building a business to bring our chakra and aura blends to life, I realized the problem wasn’t just bad oils—it was overwhelm. People didn’t know which oil to buy, when to use it, or why. It was too complicated. Too cryptic.
So I simplified everything:
-
Make it smell amazing. That was rule number one.
-
Remove the guesswork. We color-coded and mood-coded our blends to match how people feel—and want to feel.
-
Use data-driven guidance. Our aura and chakra readings help customers know what their energy needs, then match them with the right scent.
That’s what aromatherapy shops could be.
But only Auratherapy is.
We offer clean, beautiful, intentional scent for healing, not hiding. Our shops are sacred, modern, inviting spaces that blend the science of scent with the soul of energy work. We’re not trying to sell you lavender and leave you confused.
We’re here to show you what’s possible—when you trust your nose, follow your breath, and let your energy lead the way.
Ready to Rewild Your Nose?
Come visit us in Asheville or Miami, or explore the journey online at Auratherapylife.com.
This is not just about essential oils.
It’s about adoring yourself, one breath at a time.
Explore More
