I’m Erica Forbes, born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. My work is deeply rooted in a lifelong relationship with nature, music, creativity, and holistic healing. As a young person, I spent two years living in the wilderness—an experience that profoundly shaped my connection to the earth and continues to influence my life and work today. By the age of 14, I had become a vegetarian, was crafting my own jewelry and clothing, and was already drawn to music, natural living, sustainability, crystals, and alternative healing practices. These passions eventually converged through The Lotus Boutique, a creative and sustainable space I built around art, fashion, jewelry, wellness, and conscious living. Within The Lotus Boutique, I later developed Lotus Healing Studio, an immersive space dedicated to sound, energy work, relaxation, and meaningful community connection, where I offer transformative sound bath sessions. 

My introduction to healing began long before I recognized it as a profession. Growing up in the 1980s, I watched my mother practice Reiki and hands-on healing. I remember her playing Gregorian chants, and feeling the sound resonate through my body. When I experienced headaches, she would often use her hands to help ease them. Those early experiences laid the foundation for the work I embrace today as a Reiki Master and holistic wellness educator.

My grandmother also possessed an extraordinary collection of sound instruments, including a four-foot standing gong, singing bowls, and water gongs. I was fascinated by these instruments, sensing even as a child that something ancient and powerful resided within them. This curiosity has since evolved into a lifelong passion for sound and vibration.

My father—a director, producer, writer, and filmmaker—instilled in me the importance of independence, creativity, and seeing life from diverse perspectives. He encouraged me to work for myself, pursue unconventional paths, and trust my intuition. His commitment to healthy living also shaped my personal approach to wellness and longevity.

Today, I am a Certified Sound Healing Practitioner, Reiki Master/Teacher, Crystal + Chakra + Energy Practitioner, Flower Essence Practitioner, Meditation Guide, and holistic wellness educator. I have completed over 300 hours of specialized study and training, including trauma-informed education, accumulating 31 certifications through complementary wellness and healing organizations.

At Lotus Healing Studio, I create immersive sound bath sessions using a carefully curated collection of instruments, including 19th-century Himalayan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, gongs, drums, rainsticks, chimes, flutes, tuning forks, and other acoustic instruments. Every sound bath I facilitate is designed live and in real time, with no prerecorded soundtracks, ensuring that each session is entirely unique. I listen to the room, the energy, the people, and the instruments themselves, allowing every experience to unfold organically. This approach gives participants the opportunity to become fully present, relax, reconnect, and simply receive.

Lotus Healing Studio offers weekly sound bath sessions, private sessions, private group experiences, retreats, ceremonies, and special events. Experiences can be thoughtfully curated for corporate groups, team gatherings, bridal celebrations, birthdays, family gatherings, celebrations of life, retreats, and other meaningful occasions.

I also bring Lotus Healing Studio experiences into luxury hospitality settings throughout Santa Barbara, creating elevated sound experiences designed to complement spa, wellness, concierge, and guest programming.

My approach is deeply influenced by trauma-informed principles. I believe a meaningful wellness experience begins by creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable, respected, and supported. Rather than viewing healing as something one person does to another, my intention is to create a space for individuals to reconnect with themselves and their own innate capacity for balance, awareness, and restoration.

For me, sound healing represents the culmination of many threads in my life—nature, music, creativity, independence, sustainability, energy work, community, and a lifelong curiosity about how sound can enhance our well-being.

Lotus Healing Studio is a welcoming environment for anyone seeking a moment to slow down, reconnect, experience sound, and explore a deeper sense of balance and connection.

Credentials & Professional Training

Erica Forbes

Certified Sound Healing Practitioner

Reiki Master / Teacher

Crystal Healing Practitioner

Chakra + Energy Practitioner

Flower Essence Practitioner

Meditation Guide

Trauma-Informed Practitioner — 300+ hours of study and training

31 certifications in complementary wellness and healing modalities

Continuing education in sound, vibration, energy work, meditation, nervous-system awareness, and holistic wellness

Professional Associations & Certifications Include:

CTAA • AANWP • ISTA • SHA • RHA • Life Church

Connect + Book

Call / Text: (805) 452-2929

Email: thelotusboutiquesb@gmail.com

Instagram: @lotushealingstudio

Explore my sustainable shop: www.thelotusboutique.com

Shop Instagram: @thelotusboutique