The smell of Palo Santo is wafting and people are starting to trickle into Oz by Oz when a tall, dark-haired woman dressed in black and lacy sleeves whirls into the downtown Madison cocktail bar.

“The doctor is in,” says Colin, one of two bartenders working this evening. The woman greets him and asks for water with no ice, then settles into a small nook in view of King Street pedestrians.

By day, Dr. Laura Robu — her tarot stage name — is a licensed psychologist at ClearPath Counseling and Wellness, where she specializes in trauma therapy and EMDR. Tonight, she’s here for her monthly residency as a tarot reader. She unpacks a small black cloth given to her by a former client, filled with quartz and other gemstones, and a traditional tarot deck.

Each reading comes with disclaimers: Robu doesn’t predict the future, answer yes/no questions, or conduct readings about other people. A small sign sums up her approach: readings are supposed to be intuitive, reflective and personal. “Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t,” it adds.

“I know tarot gets a bad rap,” says Robu, but it’s also “a tool for self-reflection.” She uses tarot with some of her therapy clients, but only if they bring it up first.

Bethany Vongsiri settles in across from Robu, a small table between them. Vongsiri picks a number between zero and 10, knocks three times on the deck while thinking of a question for Robu, and then splits the deck. Robu begins to lay out cards: Three of Coins, Four of Swords, and Three of Wands. Her cards suggest a reset.

“You’re probably burned out,” says Robu.

“I’m totally burned out,” concurs Vongsiri.

Does Robu believe in tarot’s divine possibilities? “I don’t know that I have that answer,” she says thoughtfully. “But the universe is a magical place.” She adds that she’s had readings that weren’t just chance: “I believe in meaningful coincidences.”

Robu started reading at Oz by Oz earlier this year. The bar, which turned 5 years old on Halloween, is co-owned by Ryan Huber, Sam Parker and Brian Bartels, who are also partners in the Settle Down Tavern and Turn Key.

The bar’s draw is magic. Huber points to a glass bottle sitting on the shelf in reach of bartenders that contains a spell. It’s a gift from a friend’s mom, who’s a witch, to use “in case things get really bad.”

The menu lists drinks suited to your astrology sign, along with “seasonal charms” and “root rituals,” i.e. original cocktails. Oz by Oz has a long list of amaro, an Italian herbal liquor, that Huber says is “like witchcraft, in a lot of ways.”

The pine bar, built by Huber, has a ouija board burned into it by local artist Owen Tuohy. Plants native to Wisconsin mark the “yes” part of the board, while invasive plants mark the “no.”

The bar also draws on nostalgia. Tonight’s movie on VHS tape is The Wizard of Oz. The cast and crew from The Wiz is expected to visit after tonight’s performance at the Overture Center and Robu has agreed to stay late for the ensemble.

Bridgit Crider, the wig and makeup manager for The Wiz, does turn up for a session with Robu. Afterwards, she tells Isthmus it was more laid back than she is used to. “It wasn’t as intense as my lady in Savannah,” says Crider. “After those sessions, I come out crying.”

By the numbers:

• 78: Cards inside the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck first created in 1909.
• 22: Major arcana cards, which map out major life archetypes. Robu says “powerful” cards include Death, The Towers and The Devil.
• $20: Cost of a 20-minute session from Robu at her monthly residency at Oz by Oz.
• 1927: Year the King Street Arcade, the only known example in Madison of an “arcaded block,” was built. Oz by Oz is located inside, at 113 King St.