An even more powerful healing recently occurred during a fourhanded lomilomi massage. The spa’s bookkeeper bought this lavish treatment for her husband, who had difficulty speaking after suffering a stroke. One of the benefits of four-handed lomilomi is that the two practitioners working in tandem are able to recalibrate the client’s connection between the right and left brain. After the massage, the man was able to carry on a normal conversation with his wife.
Ho‘omana means “to empower,” and it’s an apt name for this healing sanctuary. The spa menu incorporates ‘alaea (red clay), ‘ili‘ili (hot stones), and ‘awa (a relaxing tonic) in its body masks, massages, and herbal soaks. Guests take part in la‘au lapa‘au, collecting lemongrass, lavender, and white ginger blossoms for their treatments.
Twice a year, Naluai takes five students through a 600-hour certification program, inducting them into the ancient rites. In addition to the usual lessons in anatomy and technique, her students learn Hawaiian chants, plant medicine, and ho‘oponopono (conflict resolution). Before graduating, they tour sacred sites around the island and perform community service, such as caring for heiau (temples), and working in lo‘i kalo (taro patches).
“When you bring the physical body into alignment, it brings the spiritual and emotional body into place . . . so that we walk in line with our ancestors,” says Naluai. “Each vertebrae is an ancestral support that helps us to stand and walk.”
Lomilomi has the potential to “heal a person’s path backwards and forwards,” she says. She’s a living example. By picking up the lost thread of lomilomi, Naluai reestablished the lineage of healers within her family. Her many beneficiaries include not only her clients, but her students, children, and future grandchildren.
For more information or to book a treatment, call 808-573-8256, or visit hoomanaspamaui.com.
1550 Piiholo Rd., Makawao, HI, 96782
Great !