By VaNessa VerLee

If you strolled by Java Beach Café in the Sunset District near Ocean Beach this summer, you might have encountered Krystle Pizzuti – an energetic woman adorned in a straw hat and colorful attire. At her table, carefully arranged with stunning crystals, gems, and rocks, Pizzuti offered both stones and their stories to curious visitors. 

By the invitation of Pat McGuire, Java Beach’s owner, whose “energy is seismic,” Pizzuti, a nurse by training and healer by heart, is navigating a transformative journey while doing her best to stay rooted in San Francisco. 

Pizzuti lives with her husband, Joe Garrido – a maker, DJ, yoga teacher and healer – in a sunlit apartment at 31st Avenue and Fulton Street, her third home in the Richmond District. For the past two decades, she worked as a registered nurse. While she cherished the role for many years, the demands eventually took a toll on her spirit. 

Raised by a single mother on Long Island, New York, and significantly older than her three younger siblings, Pizzuti naturally gravitated toward caregiving. This instinct led her to nursing and an affinity for plants, which she intuitively decorated with gems and crystals. What began as an aesthetic choice revealed itself as something more profound when she noticed the plants adorned with stones thrived better than others. This observation sparked her interest in the healing properties of crystals. 

“The nurse-patient relationship is what kept me in it,” she reflected. 

However, the onset of COVID-19 marked a turning point. The pandemic’s shift from personal interaction to treating critically ill patients was emotionally draining. 

“For two-and-a-half years, I took care of dead people,” she says. This experience prompted her to reconsider her career and explore new possibilities. 

A pivotal moment occurred a week later at the Alameda Flea Market when Girito spotted a family selling stunning gems. A suggestion to explore this path resonated deeply with Pizzuti. 

“I was like, bing! That’s it! The whole time, this is what my life has been leading to,” she said.

 This revelation set her on a new path aligned with her passions. 

Pizzuti soon connected with the Gem and Mineral Society on Judah Street, where the older members welcomed her enthusiastic, fresh energy. The “rockhounds” there provided her with “Lapidary Journals” from the 1950s, dense with information about stones. 

“I treated this path – learning about stones – as my full-time job,” she said. 

Her days were spent at the Richmond Library, her favorite branch because of the cavernous, open windows and huge rows of tables. She would immerse herself in the study of crystals with the same dedication she had shown to nursing since she first started learning it at the age of 16 in her vocational school in New York. 

Now, Pizzuti combines her nursing expertise with her newfound passion for crystal healing. She and Girito have a vision to create a sacred space for community healing, education and creativity. The high cost of living in San Francisco has made it hard to know how to implement that vision. 

“For years, I’ve been in this dance of ‘Do I stay, or do I go?’” Pizzuti said with a pained smile. “It was so hard here for so long. But every time I go to leave, San Francisco comes in and like, no, no, no, we’ve got you. She scoops me up and puts me on the tee and just starts feeding me again.” 

Pizzuti is pursuing certification as a board-certified nurse coach, developing programs centered on balance, coherence and self-healing. Her approach integrates the scientific with the metaphysical, making crystal healing understandable and practical for a broader audience. 

Although no longer aligned with her deepest purpose, Pizzuti has returned to nursing in short stints for financial stability during this transition. She embraces the challenges and is learning to navigate the pain of doing what no longer feels fulfilling but is necessary for survival. 

“I’m giving myself permission to feel what I feel,” she said. 

Pizutti encourages people to explore the neighborhood to connect with their own relationship to stones. 

“Geology is all around; you just have to open your eyes and pay attention,” she said. 

She recommends visiting Golden Gate Park to see outcroppings of jasper and exploring the giant stone slabs of amazonite at 47th Avenue and Taraval Street. Even the simplest rocks in your yard can offer grounding and inspiration. 

In San Francisco’s ever-evolving landscape, Pizzuti’s dedication to her craft and community shines brightly. Her journey offers a grounded form of healing amid the City’s changes. 

For those interested in exploring crystal healing and Reiki, Pizzuti is building her presence on Instagram as @krystle.freq.xo and welcomes inquiries about workshops and sessions for both children and adults.