#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

#ALOHANUYBEAUTY Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

Waiting for my massage (neon toes by Erica Marton in NYC) at Moana Lani Spa, a Heavenly , Waikiki, Oahu

Post 2: The Able Ancient Art of the Lomi Lomi Massage at the Moana Lani Spa

I was so lucky to have been born and raised in Hawaii. But I never got to experience the awesome ancient art of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage until present day. And at no less than one of my favorite, most picturesque hotels: The Moana Surfrider, a.k.a `First Lady of Waikiki, and a Westin Resort & Hotel, in Honolulu, Hawaii! If you are ever visiting my beautiful home island, go to their Veranda restaurant, sit beachside and have their Afternoon Tea. It's exquisite. Proper. But perfectly tropical at the same time. My first headshots were shot right there post-scones in the HD screensaver backdrop.

So let's talk about why I loved the great LOMI LOMI massage at the Moana Lani Spa. The phrase Lomi Lomi itself means "to rub, knead, press, squeeze, massage; to work in and out, as the claws of a contented cat." It is a serene, 90-minute, lighter pressure technique. The massage practitioners at the 17,000-ft beachfront spa have all trained with kumu (teachers) whose lineage is traced from “Kahuna Lomi Lomi” to learn the delicate combination of long strokes and rhythmic massage movements that make the total experience soothing -- and, more importantly, I found: healing.

Waiting for my Lomi Lomi in the peaceful waiting area

My particular bonding with the Moana Lani's Lomi Lomi treatment was twofold: first off, I was overtaken by the incredible tranquility of the view of the Pacific ocean in the spacious waiting room- it took me to a fantastic place of zen before I even hit the spa room. I was comfortably alone and could hear only the soft chatter of beach folk talking down below and ocean waves crashing. And of course the trade winds smelled heavenly, as I basked in pefect, salty, sunny warmth.

My bag of Alaea Salt, used to throw my worries into the Hawaiian Sea

Second, the Spa has a ritual with all its spa guests, where they give you a wood bowl with Alaea Hawaiian sea salt, known for its restorative abilities, before your treatment.  Each guest is invited to dump their worries into their individual salt bowl. At the end of the day,  the salt bowl, along with all the other guests' salts, are thrown into the ocean - and washed into sea.

I think this idea is beautiful in its philosophy and so representative of Hawaiian natural healing culture.

All troubles are washed away at the end of the day.
Hawaiian natural healing cutlure at work
at the Moana Lani Spa.

I had a severe stomachache that day from my chronic pancreatic issue (worsened by stress) - and I'd left my prescription pills at home, so I threw my tummy ache into the salt bowl and though the massage didn't help right away, in about one hour, I was happy to find that most of it had lifted! So Yay to lomi lomi for aiding in the circulation and the mind-body pain treatment process.

So if you have mom stresses, busy body stresses, and/or health concerns like me, try a Lomi Lomi massage for yourself. I highly recommend it. Circulation aids like a slower massage (e.g. Lomi Lomi) really helps relieve tension, aches, pains and overall health.

If you can't make it to the Moana Lani Spa anytime soon (though it's so worth making a trip to Oahu for!), then just carve out some time for a little self-care time. Take a hot bath with epsom salts, and gently wash your troubles away at home. Tomorrow's always a new day. A good soak never hurt ;-).

-- N.C.

Disclaimer: Nuy Cho has no affiliation to any of the beauty companies mentioned on www.nuybeauty.com.