When Torrie Dueñas was struggling with her mental health alongside skin-related problems, she turned to nature.
"I started talking to my grandma and she got me into some of the plants in our area because she had used plant medicine herself to help with her day-to-day life," Dueñas says. "She said, 'go out and check out these plants' and 'drink this tea' and really what she was telling me was to connect with nature."
Through different iterations over the last 15 years, Dueñas started her online shop Desert Mystic Goods — and in 2023, metaphysical brick-and-mortar Monsoon Mystics.
"I was living in Las Vegas at the time and no one else was doing this," she says. "We used to have markets called the First Friday markets and I was like, I'm going to bring some of this. I don't really know a lot, this was before you could just Google everything, I just knew what my grandma told me. I got a great response from it."
Dueñas was a professional chef at the time, and Desert Mystic Goods was just a side hustle that gave her an excuse to connect with nature. She said it was a slow burn — until she moved to Tucson.
"When I moved to Tucson, it was still this sort of pocket project. When I moved here, my husband and I were talking about work and I kind of approached him and said, 'Can you give me six months so I can expand on this before I commit to a big job?' And Tucson just wrapped its arms around me and it was this crazy experience of feeling accepted.
"That was in 2016, when we moved from Las Vegas to here, and it just snowballed. The slow burn became an avalanche of information and events and people and community," she says.
Now, as part of Desert Mystic Goods, Dueñas creates intention candles and skin-care products under the full moon. You'll find magnesium oil spray, creosote salves and lotion bars. Her brick-and-mortar, Monsoon Mystics, is home to 18 vendors — almost all of whom are local — selling everything from incense sticks to smoke wands.
But selling her products is the secondary goal of the shop. The main priority is to build community.
"When I announced I was opening the store, I didn't know what people were going to say. I didn't really have a plan. It was like, let's see what we can cobble together and see who will show up," Dueñas says. "The response from people when I said we have a store was insane. I was blown away — just people being completely excited for me, asking 'When can I help? What do you need?' which is something I hadn’t experienced in a really long time or really ever because I never put myself out in that form before, out of fear of not being accepted."
"If something crazy happened and we had to close our doors, we would still be meeting at the park," she says. "I have the four walls that say, this is where we can gather and this is where we can be. Come as you are, call all your friends, gather your coven or your cycling group or whatever."
Below are 11 metaphysical shops in Tucson where you can find all the crystals, tarot decks and limpia mists of your dreams.
Aquamarine Daydream is known for their crystals for all budgets.
Aquamarine Daydream
What started as a hobby in 2008 has turned into a full-blown shop on Fourth Avenue. Owner Lovisa Axtell has more than a decade of experience selling crystals and minerals and handpicks all of the gems sold in the shop. She made the move to Tucson during the pandemic, after visiting our giant gem show for 11 years prior.
Aquamarine Daydream is known for their crystals for all budgets, including a bulk table in the center of the shop filled with hundreds of gems. Metaphysical items like books, jewelry and herb wands are also part of the shop roster.
"I feel like a lot of people don't realize the crazy things that are right under us, that could be right under our feet. I mean, it (crystals) just come from the dirt and through these crazy processes of the Earth," Axtell told #ThisIsTucson in 2022.
Bruja, a witchy shop in downtown Tucson, sells candles, soap bars, tumbled stones, smudge sticks and skin-care products.
Bruja
Owner Lori Martinez opened Bruja — witch in Spanish — in 2023. It's decorated with gothic Victorian-inspired decor and you might hear haunting music a la "Edward Scissorhands" when you walk in.
The shop is home to candles, soap bars, tumbled stones, smudge sticks and skin-care products.
With the help of her husband, Martinez makes mini bottles of oils that sport labels like "karma's a b—ch." She also curates bruja boxes that center manifestation and ridding negative energy.
Celestial Rites
Sandwiched between an art shop and a famed restaurant sits Celestial Rites on Fourth Avenue with a slogan of "feel the energy."
It's where you'll find crystal necklaces, intention candles and mini domes reminiscent of fairy gardens. Jars of herbs line the wall, from basil to elderberry. You might notice lounge chairs behind a set of red curtains, where a tarot reader with more than two decades of experience gives readings.
Inked Goddess Creations
In 2013, Inked Goddess Creations started out in a closet under owner Morgan Moss' stairs. The shop is now home to a 4,000-square-foot office on Tucson's east side.
Though the office isn't open to the public, local delivery is available to local shop Mystic Cavern (more about them below). You can shop gemstones, spell oils, divination tools, altar imagery, herbs and more. There's even a section for kid-friendly magick!
Inked Goddess Creations has also curated a monthly subscription box for the last eight years and also runs what Moss dubs an online learning coven, with members who are just beginning to dabble in metaphysics to those who have been practicing for decades.
Find the metaphysical art shop Libra & Thorn at 101 S. Pantano Road.
Libra & Thorn
Melissa Mercilliott calls her shop, Libra & Thorn, a metaphysical art shop.
Yes, it's where you can find crystals, essential oils, herbs and smudge sticks. But it's also where Mercilliott sells desert-themed tarot cards that she crafts herself, plus saguaro-shaped shelves made by her husband, along with soaps, Mount Lemmon scavenger boards and more items made by local makers.
Beyond the items for sale, Mercilliott loves creating connections — one way she does that is through her workshops and classes that range from tarot basics to manifestation candles and sound baths.
Torrie Dueñas, the owner of Monsoon Mystics, rings up a customer on Feb. 10.
Monsoon Mystics
With a sign out front that says "witch this way" and a sage and crystal vending machine inside the store, Monsoon Mystics is the brainchild of Desert Mystic Goods' Torrie Dueñas.
Monsoon Mystics carries Dueñas' handmade vegan skin- and body-care products, candles and other spiritual items, alongside witchy items from other local makers.
The big goal behind the shop is to foster community. You don't have to buy anything; you can simply sit down, hang out and ask questions. Dueñas hosts artisan markets, tarot readings and workshops on moon-kissed pickles and manifestation candles.
"I don't have to be the teacher, but I can unlock the door," she says. "I'm just here to make the space. Ultimately, the community feeling and the circle of connection is really what the store is about."
"If we stopped selling products and just became a gathering place, that would still be Monsoon Mystics," she says. "I feel like I've made so many friends just in the last couple months — all of the people coming out of the woodwork, 'I didn't have an outlet for myself. Can I join you? Can I be part of this?'"
Mystic Cavern
You won't see Mystic Cavern from the street. You might even miss it if you pull into the parking lot. But enter the purple door of this hidden shop and you'll be transported into a world of metaphysics.
You can find herbs, books on essential oils and palmistry, jewelry, loose gemstones and candles that represent your spirit animal — cats for independence, foxes for ingenuity, owls for wisdom.
The shop hosts daily tarot readings, along with metaphysics fairs on the fourth Saturday of each month.
Nexus Occult Books and Oddities
For two decades, Andrew Cox has collected thousands of occult books from yard sales and thrift stores. In 2022, he opened the only occult bookstore in Tucson.
Nexus Occult Books and Oddities is home to thousands of books that range in topic from mythical creatures, meditation, tea leaf readings and astrology to conspiracy theories, the extraterrestrial and demonology. You can also stop in for a tarot reading or classes and lectures on occult symbolism, potion making and metaphysical sciences.
Cox told the Arizona Daily Star in 2023 that his main goal for the store was to create a safe haven for people who want to share and learn occultism.
Spirit's Child
The first things you might see when walking up to Spirit's Child are the wind chimes hanging outside and a sign that simply says, "crystals."
Owned by local psychic Aitreyia Reifsnyder since 2002, Spirit's Child is packed with jewelry, chakra candles and incense in scents like rose and vanilla, cinnamon and lavender. You'll find decorative figurines in shapes of fairies and dragons, alongside dozens of colorful Oracle, astrology and tarot cards. You'll see crystals in glass cases, from amethyst to fluorite.
Spirit's Child is also home to what they dub the Phoenix Rising Reflection Room, described as a quiet space to re-center. You may also find readings, energy healing sessions and possibly a henna artist.
"To us, it's not about 'let me sell you something,'" Reifsnyder told the Arizona Daily Star in 2021. "It’s about 'here, let me help you feel better.'"
The Ninth House
The Ninth House came to founder Melisa Doran Cole in an actual dream, waking her up in the night. "It was a fully formed, channeled vision of something that was one part modern, rad metaphysical shop, and another part authentic community formed of deep spiritual connection," The Ninth House says on its website.
The shop describes their team as "bold, soul-driven, badass witches" who empower each other to own their "magick." Beyond the shelves of tarot and astrology cards, intention candles, jars of herbs, incense sticks and tumbled stones, The Ninth House has become a hub for community.
The shop has hosted artisan markets, book clubs, tarot salons and informal witch talk meetups. "We work to create a space for learning and exploration that feels safe and comfortable for vulnerability, asking questions and trying new things," the shop says.
Some of the creosote bath and body oils available at Yōlia Botánica.
Yōlia Botánica
Yōlia Botánica owner Lulu Tineo dove headfirst into the world of spiritual and energetic healing after experiencing a series of hardships. The brick-and-mortar she opened in 2023 is an extension of that journey.
The shop blends Mexican curanderismo and Paganism, featuring Tineo's handcrafted floral bundles for smoke cleansing, bath and body oils made with creosote, gemstone jewelry and multipurpose home and energy cleaners. She also curates other items from small businesses, including candles, sparkly soap, crystal tools, books and phone grips shaped like gemstones.
Tineo's real goal is to help people connect with their roots and culture, hoping to provide a sense of community to everyone who steps inside. She also facilitates 50-minute limpias which are energetic resets and cleanses that can include guided meditation, smoke cleansing and sound bowl vibrational healing.
Apatite, Marcasite, Shuttuckite and other minerals are on display at Arizona Lapidary and Gem Rough.
Honorable mentions
While she doesn't have a physical shop, Cassandra Wisdom's Wisdom Body and Soul sells aromatherapy jewelry, sun catchers, soaps, essential oils and more. The Stitching Hour creates cross-stitched "magickal" wall art and jewelry, and Purple Sky Incense makes incense sticks in scents like blackberry vanilla and cactus flower.
One of Tucson's newest shops is Wild West Oracle, which creates Oracle decks based on photos the owner has snapped while traveling around the world. You can shop online or you might see Wild West Oracle in shops and at pop-ups around town.
Tucson is home to a number of rock shops. While they may not carry your typical metaphysical supplies, you may be able to find crystals at Arizona Lapidary & Gem Rough, Dah Rock Shop and Tucson Mineral and Gem World.
