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Have you ever seen the movie The Hot Chick? Jessica, the most popular girl in school, played by the teen queen of the 2000’s, Rachel McAdams, walks into an African-themed store with her friends while they’re at the mall. When a pair of ancient earrings catches Jessica’s attention and she inquires about them, the employee lets her know that the earrings are not for sale. With her sense of entitlement, she challenges the laws of Karma and steals the earrings, only to be body-swapped with a criminal the day after.
Walking into Points of Light reminded me of that store. Welcome to the most authentic metaphysical store in Los Angeles. This Long Beach store is chaotic, and has been owned and operated by the same middle-aged Black woman, Rhapsody Hooks, since 1995.
At House of Intuition, a popular metaphysical chain store in LA, young employees tend to your needs and ensure you have the most comfortable customer experience in their super cool and neatly organized atmosphere. If you go to Points of Light expecting your experience to be the same as House of Intuition, oh well, you’re in for a rude awakening.
Rhapsody only opens three hours a day in the afternoon and has one helper. Since many of the patrons that frequent the store don’t live in Long Beach, the store gets big orders. If you’re the type of person who gets antsy like me because you have to be somewhere else and you want to check out as fast as you can, I suggest clearing your schedule. Even if you just want one item, you have to wait until she’s finished with other customers, so the wait may be long. Rhapsody can feel when someone is in a rush because she’s exceptionally good at picking up people’s energies. If you don’t believe me, Melanie F commented on Yelp that she was looking to buy things for her loved ones and she showed Rhapsody a picture. She said Rhapsody could feel their energy through the photos and picked items for them.
Her quick-witted humor and smart rejoinders always make for a unique experience. Here are a couple of my interactions with her while I was shopping for bath salts.
Me: What bath salt do you recommend?
Rhapsody: All of them because I make them.
Me: Oh wow! This smells so good! What are the ingredients?
Rhapsody: I’m not going to give you my ingredients.
A young girl who couldn’t have been more that 20 needed help to carry her order to her car. Close by, two guys were standing around chatting, so Rhapsody said: “The lady needs help. The lady needs help. The lady needs help”. She repeated it until the guys stopped chatting and helped the girl. “Everyone who comes into my store is a gentleman, and if they’re not, I’m going to make sure to remind them.” she told the girl. Interestingly, one of the two guys was wearing heels so I couldn’t help wondering how he felt about this “gentleman” comment.
If she calls you out for whatever reason, try to take it with a grain of salt.
If you’re looking for something specific, she will provide you with her vast wealth of knowledge. No fancy iPads to browse through the products, just her veteran wealth of knowledge and candor.
In my case, the first time I went there was to get some candles and Palo Santo in order to take my meditation practice to the next level. I also ended up buying some bath salts. I highly recommend them and she makes them herself! She has an impressive array. A few of them are Yule Rose, which was seasonal, Muscle Detox, which has a minty scent, Aura Cleansing, Healing and Health, and so many more. The bath salts are sold by the pound, the smallest jar is $4 and if you bring it back for a refill, you get a little discount on your next purchase. The rest of the prices at Points Of Light are pretty reasonable too. You can get a bag of two Palo Santo sticks for $7, whereas at House of Intuition, for that price you only get one stick.
The essential oils she sells are otherworldly. I told her I was looking mainly for relaxation and she offered me a great combo of lavender, cedar, and carnation. I like to mix and match depending on the scent I want, and oh boy, this blend is magic! I don’t know what’s taken me so long to get an oil diffuser! Admittedly, she’s very good at selling things, so if you’re looking for something specific or you have a fixed budget, just tell her. Although I caved in and ended up buying one more essential oil than I had in mind. Also, since I’m into aromatherapy and I love earthy smells, she pulled out a caldron incense burner with loose carnation incense that smelled delightfully good. In one of my many trips over there, I’ll probably bite the bullet and buy it.
Most people that go in, go there for her incense, which she makes in-house and can also customize for you.
If you go to Points of Lights, you have to go there with an open mind and be HUMBLE.
This is an excerpt from an interview she did for Long Beach Business Journal in 2017.
“I am a ridiculously honest person. If you need somebody to stroke your ego, I’m not your girl. But if you want to get down to the nitty-gritty, if you want to actually resolve an issue, then we’ll talk. Points of Light is not like any other store, even any other metaphysical store, a lot goes on here. A lot of compassion, a lot of love – sometimes tough love.” – Rhapsody Hooks
While you’re waiting for your turn, you’ll hear all sorts of stories and see people that are the complete opposite of what you’ll find at House of Intuition. Some people that walked in were into Black magic and others have had experiences with spirits. I saw a group of four girls buying a Ouija board and more stuff that looked like they were going to cast a spell like in the movie The Craft.
There’s a room in the back where a Reiki healer comes in a few times a week and offers readings for $30. These Reiki healers are a far cry from the ones you’ll find in Venice or Santa Monica.
You read it twice throughout this post but I’m here to remind you again: Points of Light is definitely not your typical metaphysical store.
Besides the items I mentioned above, you’ll also find crystals, cauldrons, cards, books, pagan items, and just like in the movie The Hot Chick, Egyptian deities and even earrings.
Whatever spiritual journey you’re on, Rhapsody will assist you in whatever you need as long as you’re kind and respectful.
Even the website looks straight from the 90’s. It doesn’t get any better than that. I, however, would not trust the inventory that’s shown on the website and would make the drive to see it for myself. You will not regret it. Trust me, not a dull moment will go by while you’re at the store.
Address 4358 E Stearns St, Long Beach, CA 90815
Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Saturday 3 pm to 5 pm.
