Friday, July 30, 2010

what is hawaiian for "frickin' awesome"?

Last time i reached my Gold Star for Grown-ups goal i decided to try a different massage; gotta keep up the trying new things, ya know.
Lomi Lomi is a technique based on ancient Hawaiian healing rituals.
The folks at Massage Associates took a trip last year to Hawaii to get trained and certified in it and i figured that now was as good a time as any to try it.
From the outset you can tell that this is different from the standard Swedish massage because instead of working the body in top half and bottom half, the massage is divided into right side and left side. Also, the oil is different. For Lomi Lomi, they use a more expensive coconut oil. You can feel the difference in the quality on your skin and the smell is yummy. I really dislike fake coconut smell - it kinda makes me gag - but this is not that phoney-baloney, suntanning-oil, car-deodorizer nasty smell; rather, it smells like my kitchen when i make coconut candy.
It is almost impossible to describe Lomi Lomi: there is a lot of rocking and long sweeping motions, but there is also really small knuckle work in circles, arm swings, and this cool leg throwing thing. It fluctuates between slow and vigorous. Immediately i could feel the tension being worked away, but also i could feel my skin warming up and blood rushing to whatever muscles Lynn was working on.
Generally after a massage i am super relaxed and kind of a puddle, like a sleepy kitten who wants to curl up in the sun and nap. After the Lomi Lomi i felt relaxed, but energized. Yes, it seems like an oxymoron, but its true. I stood up and felt wide awake and ready to take on the world. I went to the library, grocery shopping, made dinner, cleaned out my pocketbook, finished a mending project that has been haunting me for weeks and balanced my checkbook - and this is after working all day.
I felt GREAT!
 Lomi Lomi at Massage Associates is only a little more expensive than Swedish massage ($10, i think) and it is totally worth it. Though Swedish will always be my regular massage of choice, i think Lomi Lomi will become my special treat massage.
You should go try it and see for yourself how something can be both relaxing and invigorating at the same time.
It's sorta mind-blowing.

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