Deep in the mountains above Topanga Canyon, past ramshackle dwellings, horse stables and flower gardens, India-born Felix Babu Stephen is at work inside his yurt.
The giant, green, dome-like tent is where the self-described Ayurvedic spiritualist -- whom clients call a guru, a healer and a spiritual teacher -- leads meditation sessions, teaches yoga breathing and performs deep-tissue massages.
In a T-shirt and baggy surfer shorts, the wiry 43-year-old UC Davis dropout doesn't look like a guru. His face is unlined, he has a curly crop of dark hair and he looks 15 years younger than his age. His slightly accented Southern California drawl is punctuated with the occasional exclamation "Dude!"
New Age is bunk, he says, but clients tell him he can predict the future. He saw through walls as a child in India, he says, but he has lost that power.
Stephen, who is also known as Felix Sinnappan, boasts of a jet-set clientele -- from as far away as Britain, Germany and the Bahamas -- seeking relief from all kinds of pain: physical, emotional and spiritual.
He doesn't advertise but attracts business through word of mouth. His celebrity clients include British rock musician Sting and actor Robert Downey Jr., who, sheriff's deputies said in a report, paid Stephen for his services with a 2001 black BMW station wagon.
Stephen said he charges on a donation basis, depending on a person's ability to pay. One client said she paid $800 for a full-day session. Another mops his floor in exchange.
"I have so many clients that I don't go looking for them. If they need my help, they find me," said Stephen, standing in flip-flops under a shady tree on his hilly compound, which includes main and guest houses, as well as the yurt. Peacocks strut nearby.
But the cloud of criminal prosecution now hangs over the Topanga spiritualist and his yurt.
Stephen, who has been out on bail since last summer, is scheduled to go on trial in Malibu this month. He is charged with practicing medicine without certification; illegally possessing a controlled substance, codeine; and defrauding a client of more than $200,000. He faces more than six years in prison if convicted.
Authorities say Stephen provided clients drugs, including hallucinogens and pills, during meditation sessions. Only licensed professionals are permitted to dispense pharmaceuticals, according to state law.
