The space in Zen Den hosts everything from meditation to belly dancing. Photos: Supplied.
With just four cents in her bank account and a vision for a more connected community, Leila Vassilakoglou took a leap of faith and opened Zen Den Studio in Oak Flats.
Now, less than a year later, the space has become a thriving hub for mindfulness, creativity, and personal growth — offering everything from yoga and belly dancing to meditation and sound healing.
Leila, a longtime Illawarra belly dance instructor and performer, was inspired to create Zen Den after returning home to the Illawarra following seven years of living in Darwin and Far North Queensland.
It was the lack of community experienced while away that made her yearn for the sense of community connection the Illawarra had always provided her.
“I had fallen in love with the landscapes up north, the tropical life, all the food and the plants being a horticulturist, that I didn’t want to come back to the cold weather,” she said.
“But I remembered that there was a sense of community back home, and I was quite shocked that it didn’t exist in other places.”
However, once home, she began seeking a way to connect beyond pubs and clubs.
“If you’re not into drinking and you don’t want to go to a pub where there’s really loud music … where is there to go?” she said.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a place where you could go, where it’s not based on the consumption of alcohol, where you can learn about new things, be around like-minded people, express yourself, be creative, sing, dance, paint, drum, meditate, belly dance, yoga, pilates – just basically come to a place where there’s an alternative going on.”
Complete with a zen garden inspired by those years as a horticulturalist, she said the Zen Den Studio offered a diverse range of activities, from yoga and pilates to sound healing and shamanic workshops, delivered by a team of experienced facilitators to create a holistic approach to wellness and self-exploration.
She also runs themed nights, including a Greek night complete with plate smashing and a Mexican night based on Day of the Dead, along with doing tarot and oracle readings and teaching Bollywood and belly dancing.
In fact, Leila had a successful 30-year career as a dance teacher and performer that took her to Egypt, Morocco, and even Fiji, along with performing for the likes of former prime minister Bob Hawke, soccer player Johnny Warren, singer-actress Natalie Imbruglia and actress Toni Collette.
She said while she had already completed a Certificate IV in Small Business Management and was armed with a detailed business plan before noticing the “for lease” sign on the building, bringing Zen Den to life still took a great leap of faith.
“I’ll be honest – at that time when I got it, it was really run-down, had been empty for over a year, smelt stale and the grass was all weeds and it just looked like it needed a lot of love,” she said.
However, peeking through the windows, she could see its potential.
“Then I looked next door, and I thought, oh my gosh, that could be a coffee shop,” she said.
“It was everything I had put in the business plan because I wanted a coffee shop next door. So when I expressed that to my real estate agent, he said, ‘Oh, funny enough, Bean Roasted is looking for a place.’”
Bean Roasted now operates next door.
“I had just come back from seeing the space and I looked in my bank account, and I had four cents,” she said.
On that same day, Leila happened to run into a friend and, on asking what she was up to, told her about her vision for Zen Den.
“She just said, ‘There’s $5000 that can be transferred into your account. Just let me know if it’s a yes or no and you can pay me back in a year,’” she said.
While she was afraid to take the leap, she’s glad she did.
“This little spot I’ve watched go from a dead-end type of street, to just growing,” she said.
“It’s become like a little hub now, where people come and hang out.”
Since opening, it’s quickly gained in popularity.
“I think people really benefit from that community, from feeling uplifted by others, from being able to come to a safe space where they feel held, heard and safe enough to open up about their experiences,” she said.
“We have people going through all sorts of things, whether it’s the loss of a loved one or divorce, or they’re just feeling severe anxiety or depression.
“It’s that place that you come to to be present, to be off your phone and just to connect predominantly with yourself, but secondly, with like-minded community.”
She encourages newcomers to approach the experience with an open mind, admitting it could challenge some preconceptions.
“I always say, this is my unique take on it and it’s a very personal journey,” she said.
“You either come in and you love it, or it’s really just not for you.”
Learn more about Zen Den Studio at 54 Kingston St, Oak Flats.
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