I first heard of Chakrubs and founder Vanessa Cuccia on an episode of Down for Whatever. The origins story of her crystal sex toy company is both simple and serendipitous. Vanessa was working at a sex toy shop in LA when she got to know some new spiritual friends. One night she met a woman with a vast collection of crystals. Cue the a-ha moment, taken from the eloquent recap on her website:
I hadn't felt drawn to any of the items at the toy store, as many of them were made of plastic, were battery-powered, and created by men. The molecular structures of crystals, on the other hand, are so perfect that they vibrate at, and emit, very strong, very harmonious, very healthy frequencies. Combining those frequencies with a person's own sexual energy might not only increase pleasure, but might also help facilitate personal awareness and growth.
I got in touch with Vanessa to ask her a few questions about female pleasure, sexual healing, and the intersection of spirituality and sexuality.
There's such a lack of education about female sexual pleasure in the US--which is perhaps why women start masturbating later and less often than men. Do you see this changing? If so, how do Chakrubs seek to remedy that?
Since I started my brand in 2011, I have already seen such powerful and positive shifts in the way our society is approaching sexuality and self-pleasure. I know many people in the industry dedicated to providing sexual education where school fell short. As for Chakrubs, I believe the design and nature of the products are very welcoming to a wide-range of people. The ethos behind the brand is rooted in self-realization, acceptance, and connection. Because of the metaphysical aspects of Chakrubs, the education part is geared towards the personal and spiritual growth of a person.
I love your Instagram, which features solo women of all sizes and contributes to the idea of women having a space to be sexual on their own. How does becoming sexually empowered help women in other parts of their lives?
How we do one thing is how we do many things. If we choose to see self-pleasure as a symbol, self-love this will help us connect to ourselves more and lead to benefiting every other area of our lives. I see the focus on self-awareness as more revolutionary and sexuality is the perfect starting point for this practice.
Can you talk a little about sexual healing? How can crystals help with this process?
Sex is a transformative tool, and if we learn to use this tool correctly, we can access its healing potentials. When we educate ourselves about crystals, we are educating ourselves about energy, about the earth, and about intuition. Combining these two modalities unlocks the potential we all have to heal emotional and spiritual wounds. Chakrubs encourages the user to create an intention with the crystal. Upon purchasing the Chakrub, one may imbue it with the intention to open the heart center. Now, every time this person is aroused and ready for a session with the Chakrub, they are reminded of the intention, strengthening its purpose.
