Lobelia's Lair / Aura Arcana Wellbeing Co

Such a beautiful gem in Nanaimo! They have an amazing variety of unique crystals. Anything that’s good vibes, metaphysical, healing and holistic this place has it! I always feel welcomed and the staff also have great knowledge on all things spiritual and more. Most certainly one of my favourite stores on the island.

It's too bad that the new look came with a new attitude.and not a good one. Looked forward to shopping once the reno's were done, went in and the staff were too busy chatting among themselves to even acknowledge customers! Girl at the jewelry counter looked at me and looked away - not a word. And I was there to buy some jewelry. Of course, it wasn't the first time that staff there have been rude, condescending or uninterested. I was a longtime customer at Lobelias - I won't be back to Aura Arcana. There are other shops in Nanaimo that value their customers and treat them with respect.

I can see the owners response is quite sarcastic, which is exactly why she is one of those Karen's who refuse to take responsibility for the attitude issues of their staff. Diversity, equity and inclusion training is sorely needed here. But she won't admit it. No matter how many times people complain about feeling unwelcome here, feeling hostile energies, this woman is unable to turn within and reflect without ego and pride. You are not spiritual at all if you cannot grow. This place is hard to shop with the staff. Some are very very abrupt and rude. Racial profiling

Such a lovely collection of product to choose from each unique and special. I especially loved my extensive tarot card reading by Kelsey who was just a lovely being of light. It was certainly a unique and empowering experience to have her read my cards. Thank you all at Aura Arcana for making my first experience so mystical and lovely.

Lobelia’s used to be one of my MOST favourite places to shop, always greeted by great staff and lovely smiles, as well as lovely pieces in the shop. The aura surrounding it was unbelievably inviting. But now I feel that Lobelias/Aura Arcana is not what it used to be. The store used to be surrounding spirituality and wellbeing, along with reasonably priced crystals and other metaphysical products, now whenever I go into Aura Arcana I feel like I’m just surrounded by the “trendy” side of things, less authentic and more so just caring about selling product and making money. Aside from that, there were some staff in lobelias that made it worth while to come down even to just converse, but now i just feel judged whenever I come into the store.

I have been a customer at Aura Arcana, formerly named Lobelia’s Lair, for a number of years now. I have lost count of how many times I’ve gone into this store by myself, with my children or with friends, and every visit I am met with the same experience. I am met with kindness, patience, knowledge and sharing. I am met with true genuine care and attention. The people that work in this shop are truly beautiful, magical beings, and I feel so lucky to be able to visit this shop every time my favourite incense runs out… or for any other necessities! ;p For all things metaphysical and magical, there is no place to go?

Ill start with the positive, 2 stars. Reasonable prices on crystals in my opinion, and I have good past memories of the place.
This used to be my favourite shop however there have been many changes as well as little concern for covid protocol. Staff are unsure of where products are sourced. Over charged for a 15 min reading by a maskless "psychic", her reading did not make sense and they charged 40$ for it, a 15 minute reading. I did not complain however as I just wanted to leave. Be sure to discuss pricing AND what type of reading before being pulled into one of the reading rooms.
I miss the old shop.

My FAVORITE store in Nanaimo! I especially love the new layout- the vibe is so inviting and calming! The new owner, Stacey, and staff are so kind and helpful! They have an AMAZING selection on stones and crystals. I am obsessed with amethysts- and they have such beautiful ones! I add a new one to my collection with each visit! It’s also my go-to place to get unique gifts and cards (stones, GORGEOUS jewelry, books, lavender sage…. So much selection)! I HIGHLY recommend!

Aura is my favourite store in all of nanaimo, and my absolute favourite metaphysical and crystal shop i’ve ever been in. I have yet to go to another shop that carries the same range and variety in products. The staff are always so kind, and each and every one of them puts time and effort into the community outside of the store.i’ve had nothing but good experiences, love, education about products, and great assistance.i recommend this store to literally everyone and cant say enough great things!

EDIT: Thank you for responding, but I stand by my review as it reflected my experience. I also noticed you edited your response after another reviewer called you out for not responding well, it was definitely a bit snarkier before, so I appreciate the edit. I have upped my review from 2 to 3 stars. However, I still do not feel comfortable shopping here while things are so bad with the pandemic. Hopefully in the future I will be able to visit again and we can put this all behind us:)

Nice store with lots of cool products, I used to love going in here. However, there are very few Covid protocols in place (there might have been some hand sanitizer somewhere…). 2 out of 3 of the staff I saw were not wearing masks and were not giving 6 feet of distance to customers around them. They claim to have staff with mask exemptions, and in previous responses they have said they clearly advertise this, but I did not see anything in the store, so it was quite jarring. If you have staff that are exempt (which very few people genuinely are) the least they could do is wear a face shield or stand 6 feet apart from customers…

Over the years, I have shopped here many times. I used to love the store, the selection and certain staff, however my opinion has changed. I find the store environment to be quite hostile, not very friendly to customers unless they need to make a sale. I have first hand experience with this, came into the store being one of the only customers and I wasn’t even acknowledged until I started looking at the more pricey items. To add, I work in customer service myself and this store does not act like they value their customers time, money and feedback. After reading a few reviews and responses to those reviews, whoever manages the responses needs to take a step back and properly learn how to handle customer service issues. The amount of defensiveness, excuses and lack of ownership really shows how there’s a lack of care or interest of customer complaints. I’ve been to many stores similar to this one but never in my life have i seen so many complaints about the same issues with no acknowledgement or reflection. Please take time out of your day to listen to your customers:)

This shop is super nice, it was the first time I've ever been and the crystals and everything was amazing. The decor is great. The reason I give this place a 3 star however, is the service. They over charged my friend and the lady working at the till was honestly super snobby. Many workers weren't wearing masks either which I guess is to be expected with spiritual stores. Anyways I recommend going here but make sure to check your receipt and don't expect the people there to be super friendly.

Reply: First of all, I do not care what emotional or mental issues your workers have with putting on masks because that is their own issue. If they have issues with it, then PLEASE do not stand near me. Second, I don't like the way you try to justify the service I got. You're staff member WAS snobby to me and my friends. She had a scowl, overcharged my friend, and had a very rude tone. She was not wearing a mask either, and there was not even any protection at the counter, like a plastic barrier. Third, I would like to apologize for being harsh in my review. My review might have been overexaggerated but I was very disappointed and angry by this service at the time of writing it. And PLEASE just say sorry next time someone leaves a critique on your store. Have a good day.

Truthfully, I wish I had read the reviews on this page prior to going to shop at this store. I am not someone that has ever left a bad review and truthfully I’m a pretty easy going person that wouldn't make a fuss about something like this, but honestly I don’t think anyone should spend their money at a store that doesn’t value their customers. I bought a bracelet 2 days ago and to my surprise the clasp was loose and my bracelet had come undone. It appears to be quite poor material and I spent just over $70 on this. I went back to the store today in hopes of seeing if someone could tighten it, if I could exchange it or receive a refund. At first I was informed I could exchange it for something else in the store and the employee was super helpful in showing me different items around the store as an alternative. After browsing around, I didn’t really see much of anything I wanted, so I opted to a refund. The employee was unsure of how to go about this, so she contacted the ‘owner’ and the response completely changed. I was informed by the employee that the owner said that she was not willing to exchange or provide me a refund for my bracelet. I asked if they could fix the clasp, why I couldn’t get a refund and if I could even just exchange it for something else and the response was simply ‘no’. I’m pretty annoyed that I wasted my time and money at this store and will definitely not be coming back. It’s a beautiful store with so much potential, but I will also be cautioning my friends that have shopped here before, to not go back after this really poor and disappointing experience.

Having been practicing the craft for 52 years I moved to the island 14 years ago. I have searched for a good metaphysical store high and low, this one rocks all the boxes!
Friendly, knowledgeable and full of good energy. My now go to store.

Amazing store. The staff were fantastic and so helpful, and went above and beyond. There is so much amazing stuff in the store and definitely will be going again. Very clean and organized.

We bought some nice gems and had are tarots read. Staff is nice and helpful.
Will be going back. Great way to spend some time.

Really really friendly staff and good selection for crystals! Legit my top favourite store in town!

Beautiful energy! I really love this place and the staff so helpful and sweet. Can't wait to go back.

Always an amazing experience! Such sweet kind people! And Morgan the dog there mascot is so friendly and wonderful! I always come out feeling so happy and positive! Thank you all for such amazing service!

I aways love coming back to the Lair. Even if it’s been a long while, the ladies always welcome me back with such love and friendship. I especially like to visit when Chiquita is working. We are always able to pick right up where we left off since the last time I visited. That’s rare to find. I need a visit!

Lovely natural/mystical store.found the sage and sweet grass I was looking for to cleanse my new space:) they also have a beautiful selection of stones, candles, and hats!

Shopped for sage smudge stick for an indigenous friend who's mother had passed. Helpful staff. Lots of crystals and a wide array of other things to browse. Perfect store for the courtyard at old city quarter!

Love this little gem I come here for crystals and Palo Santo but there are all types of goodies for everyone here. Staff are incredibly sweet and kind!

A beautiful, (and very tidy) gift shop in downtown Nanaimo.

Sales associate we talked to on our visit there (young woman, long blonde hair) was very pleasant and helpful.

One star off for overpowering scent in store.

Also, selection of merchandise was quite limited. We didn't find anything we actually wanted to buy but very nice presentation of what they do have available.

Lobelia's Lair has a wide selection of goods for a for assorted pagan practices and statuary (largely Hindu focussed), antiques, semi-precious stones and literature. Also offered are Tarot readings and other divinations. The staff are always friendly and helpful, though some have gaps in knowledge where a few product types are concerned. In any case, if you're looking for cards for your own practice, stones for decoration or mystical properties, or incense, this is the place to go.

This store is very comfy to be in. There is always something that you missed the last time you were there or something new and exciting. The lovely people that take care of you while you are at Lobelia's Lair know what they have and where it is. Thank you for all of the positivity you share with your customers.