Johannes Fisslinger makes a device touted to read human energy fields, and new age therapists and some retailers are buying it
German-born and -bred Johannes Fisslinger knew that if he wanted to start his own unconventional “lifestyle” business in the world of New Age and alternative therapies, he would have to move to Los Angeles.
“To me, things are created in Los Angeles and then they go all over the world,” said Fisslinger, 36, a former banker in Munich.
Today, Fisslinger runs what people from the East Coast might think of as a typical small business in La La Land: He makes machines for mall kiosks that read human auras.
Far out? Sure. But also lucrative. From $200,000 in sales in 1997, Fisslinger’s Marina del Rey-based Aura Shop generated $1 million in sales last year, and is projecting $1.5 million this year.
Even Fisslinger admits his so-called “Aura Video Stations” would never fly in Europe, but says they’re perfect for cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. “This convergence of technology and healing is so L.A.,” Fisslinger says.
Bored with his conservative job, Fisslinger took a trip to Los Angeles for a vacation and decided to move here 13 years ago to study alternative therapies. He wrote several “New Age-type” books and started giving lectures.
In 1997, he invested $5,000 into the creation of his aura-reading machine, hiring a computer expert to develop the software and sensory box that, coupled with a computer system, became the Aura Video Station.
Biofeedback device
The system consists of a biofeedback glove attached to a computer that Fisslinger says translates electrical energy from a person’s hand into on-screen colors. These colors change with a person’s mood or thoughts, sort of an ultra-high-tech mood ring.
The concept might raise a few eyebrows among medical technicians, but it’s popular among New Age therapists, paranormal researchers, chiropractors and other alternative therapy enthusiasts, who are willing to plunk down the $7,500 to $12,000 cost of the system. Sales to these therapists currently make up the bulk of Aura Shop’s revenues, though Fisslinger has recently started selling aura-reading franchises to mall operators and store owners.
Sheila Moore, a hypno-therapist in San Diego, says the machine “has really taken over my practice. I have many people who come for aura interpretation.”
The machines are also catching on among retailers and even major manufacturers.
DKNY’s eyewear brand Marchon displayed Aura Shop machines at three of its fall fashion shows. The idea was for guests to match the colors of their auras to the colors of their sunglasses.
Fisslinger’s goal is to become the king of Los Angeles-area mall kiosks. He is pitching his Aura Express, a smaller version of the kiosk, to health food stores and alternative bookstores in Los Angeles and beyond.
An Aura Shop kiosk franchise goes for around $30,000, and a monthly franchise fee of $890. For that, you get an Aura Express system, plus tech support, training and advertising support.
One franchise has been set up locally in the Century City Shopping Center. The second is in Detroit, and a third is slated for Santa Barbara.
William Crookston, a business professor at USC, said such “lifestyle” businesses usually start in Southern California because factors such as the weather and the entertainment industry make the area more open to such ideas.
“Southern Californians are opportunists as entrepreneurs, and daring as consumers,” Crookston said.
Typically, “lifestyle” businesses are run by evangelist-type leaders similar to recently deceased Herbalife International Inc. founder Mark Hughes, and if successful, they are often copied. Eventually, though, most such ventures either run out of funds or fall out of favor with consumers as cycles change.
Time is right
Fisslinger himself believes the cycle has never been better for his business. He points to best-selling books about alternative therapies and shows like “Oprah Winfrey” that stress life changes.
Already, several companies have come out with machines similar to the Aura Express, but Fisslinger insists they are about three years behind his system technologically.
The company is also developing a line of aromatherapy products to be sold at the Aura Express kiosks. Right now, kiosk owners sell aura photos and readings, along with outside products like New Age music compact discs, crystals, candles and books.
The aura photo snapshots range from $7 up to $30, depending on the type of reading.
Kate Mitchell, co-owner of the Century City Aura Shop kiosk, said in the nine months since the kiosk opened, sales have steadily increased to about $12,000 a month.
