Technique Spotlight- Hawaiian Lomilomi
Aloha! Here at Blue Moon Massage Hale in Lahaina, HI our staff are trained and practice a big variety of massage styles. We realize that for the lay person, all these different massage names don't mean much if you aren't familiar with what they are or how they differ from another.
It is my goal to spotlight each massage modality we use using this blog to help educate and share about all the amazing options we offer and why you might want to try them!
Being that most of our staff graduated from Maui based massage schools we have had the unique privilege of learning the ancient Hawaiian style of massage that has been passed down through generations of kupuna.
It's only been in the past 40 years that lomi was taught to anyone non-Hawaiian or outside of the family. It's important to note that there are many different lineage's of lomilomi, so a lomi massage on Maui may differ from a lomi massage in Kauai, or in Kona.
Lomilomi has roots in storytelling hula, and ancient Hawaiian martial arts called lua.
In the most basic explanation, lomi is much more spiritual than a typical European massage. In our lineage which was passed down from Aunty Margaret Machado through Jeana Naluai, the lomi practitioner will pule (pray aloud or silently) or Native Hawaiian's will oli (chant) for the client at the beginning of the session to ask spirit to assist in the healing of the person and to bless the massage to help them. It is a very heart connected and beautiful practice.
For the manual techniques of lomi, practitioners use long, slow, flowing strokes with their hands and forearms (not elbows!). The pressure can be light, medium, to deep, depending on the need, but the intention is to affect the mana (energy) of the body. The goal of lomi is to restore balance & alignment to the structure of the body. The rhythmic movements increase circulation of the fluids in the body, while the long forearm strokes are soothing and reduce tension.
If you've never had a massage in Maui before, you will likely notice a difference in the feeling of your lomilomi massage compared to other massages you've had in the U.S. Most people consider it the most relaxing and healing massage they've ever had.
Ready to try it? Book a Lunar Tide Lomi massage or couples lomi massage here.