Spencer Pratt Is Fighting End-Times in a Gucci Fanny Pack Full of Crystals
The OG reality TV villain shares how he rid his life of bad vibes and where to find the best crystals online – because we need them now more than ever.
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag gave the golden era of reality television its edge as the messy king and queen of The Hills, causing mayhem in early 00’s fly-on-the-wall LA.
But while Speidi – as the couple became known – helped give rise to lucrative partnerships between big brands and hot-mess heroes of TV and social media (not least a certain group of sisters from Calabasas), in recent years the pair have found something more spiritual to connect with.
Those familiar with Spencer and Heidi’s social media, last year’s reality re-boot The Hills: New Beginnings, and of course, the memes, will be well aware of Spencer Pratt’s love of crystals. His interest was sparked when during a low-point after The Hills ended his wife Heidi sought out something, anything, to fight the pain she was in, and found the healing energy believed to be derived from crystals was a hit.
The couple tapped into a billion-dollar industry, increasingly ubiquitous in the beauty, fashion and wellness sectors. Demand in the US for overseas crystals is reported to have doubled over the last three years alone and brands like Online Ceramics and Advisory Board Crystals are helping the mystical objects gain momentum in the streetwear sphere, too.
Now Pratt has come a long way from being an oddball crashing into shoots shouting “THIS ROSE QUARTZ!”, as he recalls doing during filming of The Hills, and is heading up a thriving online crystal emporium, Pratt Daddy.
As the world faces unprecedented crisis, and our collective existential dread sees us clutching for comfort, it should come as no surprise that Pratt Daddy is more popular than ever. We caught up with the hottest couple in the crystals biz to find out how to shop for them successfully online, talk healing energy, and get the inside eye on if the crystal trade really is as brutal as Uncut Gems.
So, your first introduction to crystals was while Heidi was unwell and you were looking into alternative healing methods, right? Were you aware of their properties before then?
SP: No, before then I didn’t know any healing methods besides dancing in a nightclub. People could argue and be like, “Oh, it’s a placebo effect.” But when Heidi was in that much pain, there’s no way she was going to be like, “Oh, these painkillers aren’t working and now this crystal has and I slept through the night?” There was no logic for her, she definitely didn’t want me buying crystals. You know, if the painkillers worked, she wouldn’t have been like “Oh, thank gosh Spencer got this crystal.”
How did you start to incorporate crystals into your daily life after that?
SP: I got this book called Love is in the Earth by Melody and I would just read about every crystal and then I would have to go buy that crystal. I would be like “Oh, black tourmaline is for protection? If I’m going somewhere I need protection, maybe I should have black tourmaline on me.” I really just started connecting the crystals with my daily life and I started wearing them as bracelets and in my pockets. I was wearing Gucci fanny packs full of crystals. So, Love is in the Earth; once I read that book, there was no turning back.
So that’s it? They just became a part of you after that?
SP: Oh yeah, to the point where I was getting calls from MTV like, “What are all these crystals you’re bringing on set?” It was so weird back then, they were making sure it wasn’t shady. “These are what kind of crystals?”
At the time that you guys really got into crystals, around 2008, they were less popular or at least less understood than they are now. Did people just think you really were crazy?
SP: Yes. It didn’t help that we were already looking pretty crazy on TV pre-the crystals. I think if we were acting like Lauren Conrad, all basic AF and just being like [quietly] “Hello, I have a rose quartz” versus like [shouting] “THIS ROSE QUARTZ!”
We were so passionate about crystals from the jump and bringing them into the club on the show, telling the customers what each thing did, it was so weird at the time. I think if we had been a little bit more mellow about it, like “yeah it’s chill guys.” But we were like [shouting] “THESE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL, MAGICAL HARRY POTTER TOOLS!” Heidi was going everywhere with a crystal wand as a protection shield. I wish that we still did that! We’ve got to step our game back up. We were onto something.
Well it seems like you guys really believed in the power of them and it was something that was tangible to you.
SP: Once we started reading about Nikola Tesla, you know, he’s one of the smartest people ever on earth and he was talking about crystals being living, breathing energy. So once we read his quotes about crystals, I was like, “This is science! This is the guy who invented electricity talking about crystal energy.”
Crystals have long been connected with counter-culture and have been seen as hippie or witch-adjacent. At the same time, they’re more commonly seen as “feminine” things. How do you think the perception has changed?
SP: I see way more people in LA now wearing crystals; guys and girls. What’s so funny to me is everyone thought it was a hippie thing. But if you think about it, what rich people buy—what all celebrities buy— anyone that has money buys, is diamonds, rubies, tourmaline, sapphires, emeralds. Those are all crystals. People love crystals, they just think of them as stones. They don’t get that there’s energy on a ruby energy, there’s energy on a sapphire. There’s quartz in our phones and our TVs. Crystals are definitely way more part of everyone’s life than they realize.
What are your thoughts on how crystals have infiltrated other industries, like beauty?
SP: We used to get jade healing stone massages and I’ve had a lot of massages without jade healing stones. I will say that the jade healing stone massages, blew any basic non-jade healing massage out of the water. I’ll even back that if you’re gonna put some face wash on my face, I’d rather a jade roller doing it than just some hands. I think you can actually really feel it; I think that stuff feels better.
Many brands are also exploring the world of crystal-related merch. What are your thoughts on crystals becoming more mainstream in that way?
SP: I think crystals are still so niche. Even if you don’t believe in energy, just the idea and the intention of wanting to wear something, or drink something or having your face massaged with something. Just the idea and the power of intention, of positivity, is so powerful. Even if it’s like, “Okay, I don’t believe this actually, like is doing anything” but trying to look for something that’s positive, I think is already a huge step.
Personally, I used to not even think like this before crystals. I didn’t think “Let me grab that aquamarine and have a little extra courage today.” Whether or not the aquamarine stone is giving me courage power, my own being is like, it’s a tool that inspires my own mind to think that way. It’s kind of like a talisman. It’s like reminders on your phone or notifications. That’s why I think the more crystals, the better. There’s nothing negative. Yes, there are witches out there that definitely use crystals in a negative way and do spells. Don’t get me wrong, now the witches are gonna get upset. Witches of light and love—that’s all great—but there’s actually dark energy which is used for not good purposes so I’m not down with that side.
Shopping for crystals is such a personal thing – you want to be able to feel the crystal you’re drawn to. What’s the best way to navigate that when shopping for crystals online?
SP: I think that’s why we have so much success; because people know I’m just trying to get the best crystals at all times. Most of the crystals I buy now are from Africa or Afghanistan; places that are very hard to get to, where I’m just WhatsApping with the miners. Even now I shop through an iPhone because the quality of these photos, you can actually sometimes see more than you can see with your human eye. I spent scary money to buy the best Fuji medium format camera to shoot our crystals to go on the website. You actually see so much more of the crystal in some of these photos. I think that’s one of the most important things that we do, just have like, insane visuals of these crystals.
I always say if the crystal doesn’t jump out at you then that’s probably not a crystal you should get. When I’m shopping for crystals in person or on WhatsApp through the miners, I know right away like “Oh, I need that.” So yeah, I think there’s power through our devices.
What would you recommend for someone who is a total newbie to crystals? What’s the ideal way to get started with bringing them into your life?
SP: I get asked that all the time. Your best bet is to scroll the website and if you see something that you’d actually wear. That’s more important than me saying, “Oh, you should get an amethyst for calming energy.” Because maybe you don’t like the colour purple, so you’re not you’re never going to wear it. You’re better off looking at all the crystals and being like, “I would wear that crystal bracelet or I would wear that crystal pendant” and then read about what the energy is.
One thing that’s super interesting is stuff that I personally maybe wouldn’t wear sometimes sells faster than anything [else]. I just bought a bunch of these expensive tourmalines that hadn’t sold and I was like “If people don’t want these expensive tourmalines, I’m bringing them home to Heidi and I because these are my favourite crystals ever.” So I took them off the site like two days ago and brought them all home and Heidi’s wearing one right now and I was wearing one earlier. It’s like “These were on the site for an incredible price but they didn’t jump out to anybody.” So I personally would’ve recommended “Start with one of these green tourmalines because we have the best price on green tourmaline and they’re incredible,” but you know, nobody bought them that week.
HM: Also, I think a great thing to look for is “What are you looking for?” It’s like, are you looking for love? Are you looking for a house? Are you looking for courage? We have all the descriptions for each of those so for me sometimes that’s what I do. I think that having an intention is a great way to shop online and then you can look within that category of which one you are drawn to because like Spencer said, the energy is so vibrant on the crystals because they’re captured at such a high-pixelated image. You can still feel the energy, but I think that’s a great way to shop.
“I got a little too hooked on moldavite and it’s a super powerful energy. I’ve got to be ready for my moldavite!”
Do either of you have any standout favourite or everyday crystals that you like have on you all the time, or any that have helped you through a particular time?
HM: My moldavite ring is one of my favourite things I’ve ever had. I had it in the ‘Big Brother’ house, I had it when I gave birth to Gunner. For really big, important things, I always wear moldavite. I love tourmaline, I love all different colours of tourmaline because they do different things. Obviously black tourmaline is great for protection, so that’s one I love that we have on hand. And then rose quartz is always one of my favourites because you can never have enough love. Spencer has a lot, he loves tanzanite.
SP: I always have kunzite on me in the car, black tourmaline, aquamarine. It used to be moldavite, I’ve tried to chill out on my moldavite – I got a little too hooked on moldavite and it’s a super powerful energy. I’ve got to be ready for my moldavite!
Can you estimate how many crystals you have at home, not including ones you wear as jewelry?
SP: At least 1,000. They’re surrounding the coffee machine, they’re surrounding the bathtub, they’re on all our shelves, we have giant ones, we’ve got little teeny ones. If it were up to me we’d have even more but there’s no space to put my glass down.
Do you have any thoughts on how crystals can help alleviate anxiety and any other bizarre feelings people might be having due to the pandemic at the current time?
SP: I’ve been recommending crystals to help with your immune system. Even if that’s just on an energy versus a physical; I’m not saying to not quarantine yourself. Smithsonite we’ve been selling a lot of, because it helps boost the immune system, and then zinc crystals.
Your own crystal business, Pratt Daddy, as a business seems to be going from strength to strength. How do you see the brand evolving through 2020 and beyond?
SP: I’ll be careful with my wording but one thing I learned is too much growth almost makes it too much work. It was so fun when I was not smaller, but a medium-sized business but now i’m selling 3000 crystals a month and they’re all one of one so everything has to be individually photographed, everything has to be individually chained so I’d say just a steady level. I used to say I wanted to be the biggest thing on planet earth and that sounds like a lot of energy, so I’d need to buy a lot more crystals! I’m very happy with continuing the trajectory we’re on. I don’t want to put too much work on the plate. I still want it to be really fun. I don’t want it to feel like work.
“That’s the thing with crystals, yeah there’s prices on certain ones but if you have a connection to a certain one, it becomes priceless.”
Have you guys watched Uncut Gems? Because throughout this conversation you’ve really been reminding me of that film.
SP: We did watch it, because everyone was saying “You need to watch it.” The next day, I was at my local burger spot and Adam Sandler was in there and I went up to him and was like “I’m the real life you! I owe money to warlords in Afghanistan right now, I wish it was just the mob in New York!” He was laughing pretty hard.
That whole experience [in the film] with the opal, that guy feeling like that was the opal that would help him win, I’ve felt that so many times with crystals. There are so many crystals I don’t even think you could put a price on that I have memory of things that have happened with Heidi and I and it’s like “Nope, I would never sell that” so I definitely feel that energy that that basketball player had when he was like “I need this.”
That’s the thing with crystals, yeah there’s prices on certain ones but if you have a connection to a certain one, it becomes priceless. There are so many crystals I’ve gotten that I’ve pulled off the site after a few hours because I’m like “I can’t sell that! I don’t think anybody really deserves that! They don’t even know what that is!”
