A Little Aloha

Is constant juggling making you feel like a circus clown? A little aloha may be the perfect prescription for frazzled nerves. Case in point: The Hawaiian Lokahi treatment, which translates to ‘unity of mind and spirit'. ESPA therapists especially created this two and a half hour experience for the Spa Suites at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu.

The path to Zen is set in stone as spa-goers are led through a garden and into their very own private suite, where each treatment phase compliments the next. A cactus-bristle brush preps the skin for a soak in a bubbling bath filled with Hawaiian sea salts, algae extracts, and kukui and macadamia nut oils. The indigenous oils are renowned for their nourishing and softening abilities.

Next comes the traditional Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage—a healing, yet vigorous, technique that works deep tissue as it melts tension. Lomi (meaning “to knead”) restores mana, or life force, by releasing trapped energy throughout the body. Legs are wrapped in Ti leaves grown naturally in Hawaii to boost circulation and clear sinuses.

Especially tense types get Pohaku stones, made of heat-retaining volcanic rock, placed on their backs to loosen tight muscles. In ancient times Hawaiian warriors also used these stones to relax their bodies before going to war.

In the spirit of mind-body unity, your head is not to be ignored. The treatment includes a facial cleanse and pink-mud scalp massage before spa-goers lounge in their own private garden, sipping iced tea infused with lemongrass and jasmine. While the Lokahi won't make your to-do list shrink, it will leave you feeling more grounded—and better equipped to catch any balls life throws your way.

For more information call (800) 367-2525 or visit www.mandarinoriental.com.

—Holly Corbett

March/April 2005