I don’t accessorize when it comes to sex. If it’s not naturally attached to a human body (or readily available at Walgreens), I’m not interested. It’s not so much that sex shops are awkward or intimidating—I just don’t find them sexy. Yes, sex shops are sexual and have an army of toys flopping and buzzing at you from the perimeter of the room to prove it. But for the most part, they’re made of rubbery silicone and batteries and come in the same secondary colors you’d find in your sixth-grade sticker collection, or solid flesh tones anatomically correct to a life-sized Ken doll. They look more “toy” and less “sex.” Sex is raw, imperfect, and different each time—and the thought of introducing a vibrating Minion into the mix really kills my mood.

Then came Chakrubs, a sex toy line made of 100 percent pure crystal intending to, “make sex sacred.” If only for aesthetic quality, the striated, multi-tone Indigo Chakrub (pictured) has your average sex toy beat. You could easily leave this thing on your coffee table, have your parents over, and they’d be like “Oh! Is this from that gift shop at the MoMA?” (The Custom Rose Quartz “Diletto”…not so much.)

But you shouldn’t have sex with anything just for looks—there needs to be a deeper connection. “Crystals have been used for thousands of years because they’re believed to have healing properties within them,” says Chakrubs founder, Vanessa Cuccia. She was working at a sex shop when she began studying crystals with her mentor, the creator of Spirit Science, an animated video series that explores the connection between, well, spirituality and science. “Crystals have perfect molecular structure, which is why they have a positive effect on our electromagnetic field. They’re really good conductors of energy—the first radio was a crystal set, we use quartz in our watches, and computers use major crystal components to get them to work. And it’s becoming widely known and accepted that our thoughts hold energy, so we can put our intentions into crystals with our thoughts. With Chakrubs, the idea is to create an intentional practice. So if you have some kind of block with sexuality, or negative feelings, or trauma that you have experienced, putting an intention in the crystal during your practice is therapeutic to overcome these things and to open oneself up to love.”

Simply put, when you get that feelin’, you need sexual healing—in the form of a crystal phallus. The Indigo Chakrub promotes inner strength, earns respect, and is good for those with issues communicating—sexually or otherwise. The rose quartz Heart Chakrub opens you to all forms of love and is considered a comforting stone. The jade White Lotus filters out distractions, so it’s good for somebody who can’t quiet their mind during intimacy. To get over an ex, reach for the Onyx.

But Vanessa doesn’t expect every customer to be a crystal-collecting neo-hippie, “It is just a really good sex toy, regardless of the benefits! It’s beautiful, first of all. It’s something that you don’t have to be shameful of—very elegant, very heavy and sturdy, and it also conducts temperature really well, so you can heat it up or cool it down. Just by having a crystal and being open to it, you’re saying to the universe, ‘I’m ready to go on a journey, I’m ready to accept love into my life and to show up for myself and be ready to experience life’s simple pleasures.’” Positive vibrations—no batteries required.

—Annie Kreighbaum

Photographed by Tom Newton.