For Eatonton native Latonya Taylor, opening a Reiki practice in her hometown began with an invitation to try something she knew absolutely nothing about.
Taylor, 46, was introduced to Reiki (pronounced “Raykee”) in June 2025 through her mentor and teacher, Greensboro practitioner Jamie Sills.
“At that point, I didn’t even know what Reiki was, so I did some research on it and decided that I wanted to try it,” she said.
Reiki is “an alternative wellness practice in which practitioners believe energy is channeled through or around a client to encourage relaxation and the body’s natural healing processes,” according to a quick Google search.
Now, just over a year later, Taylor is certified as a Reiki Master Practitioner with her own space at Harmony Crossing, where the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting Aug. 5, for Heal In-Ez Reiki & Wellness Spa.
Taylor describes a Reiki session as somewhat similar to a massage, though without muscle manipulation.
“It’s not like a hands-on massage where you’re just massaging parts of the body. It’s an energy massage,” she stated.
Taylor explained a Reiki session may involve light hand placement on areas such as the head, as well as moving her hands above a client’s body. She generally prefers sessions to be quiet, explaining that allows her to concentrate while clients naturally relax.
“If you are really receiving this energy, it puts you in a very relaxed state, and you wouldn’t want to talk anyway,” she said.
Taylor said her own interest in meditation and energy work predated her formal Reiki training. After researching Reiki, she felt it was similar to practices she had already incorporated into her life.
“I realized that I had already been doing this type of work anyway and just didn’t know what it was,” she said.
Taylor said Reiki practitioners view the body as having energy centers, “chakras,” that can become blocked by emotional, mental, or physical trauma. Reiki, she added, is intended to help restore the flow of that energy, promoting relaxation and healing.
Taylor said her path from learning about Reiki to opening a practice moved quickly. She began looking for office space just a few months ago and drove through Harmony Crossing without knowing whether space was available.
After searching online from the parking lot, she recalled driving away, looking into her rearview mirror at Building 110, and having an immediate thought.
“Something just said to me, ‘That’s going to be your office space right there,'", she said.
Not long after, Taylor said she received a call and was shown the same second-floor space.
“I knew right away that this would be perfect for what I need, especially just starting off," she said.
The coincidence, she added, “also made me feel like this is what I need to be doing.”
Taylor has been operating from her Harmony Crossing location for more than three months now. The setup includes individual offices for several small businesses surrounding a shared conference room.
Heal In-Ez Reiki is not Taylor’s first attempt at entrepreneurship. She previously made and sold handmade jewelry, building an initial customer base before eventually giving it up as sales slowed and a job in Athens consumed more of her time.
With Reiki, though, Taylor said she is less interested in making a hard sales pitch than in finding clients who are receptive to what she offers.
“I’m not really a salesy-type person,” she said. “I just let people do what they feel like. If they feel drawn to me, come to me. If not, then no, that’s okay. I know the right people will come to me.”
For Taylor, her practice ultimately comes down to helping clients slow down, relax, and become more open mentally, physically, and spiritually. She encouraged people to visit online at healinezreiki.com for more information or to book an introductory consultation.
“It’s a very powerful practice,” she said. “I hope people will have an open mind and take advantage of it more.”