My naked body covered in glacier clay, an orchid tucked behind my right ear, I'm prancing around the open-air lava sauna. My massage therapist, Betty Lau, escorts me (post-shower and mud-free) to a grass hut, lowers the bamboo shade, touches my belly to realign my stomach and abdomen, and says a pule. A former hula dancer, Lau designed many of the Mauna Lani treatments, including the opu huli massage she's just performed. As she moves through the lomilomi hula dance, working on each body part to the beat of a different Hawaiian tune, she explains that children "lomi" elders at luaus, to pass on their happy-kid energy. My muscles release, and I have a deep spa thought: the Hawaiian path to spiritual well-being is just about playfulness, having fun, keeping things light.
After the massage, Betty shows me a few hula moves. I now know how to say rain, land, and—for my next trip to the land of aloha—love.
Ilene Rosenzweig co-hosts A Girl's Guide to Swell Movies with designer Cynthia Rowley on Showtime Women.
The Facts
Kahala Mandarin Oriental 5000 Kahala Ave., Honolulu; 800/367-2525 or 808/739-8888; www.mandarinoriental.com/kahala; doubles from $295.
Hilton Hawaiian Village 2005 Kalia Rd., Honolulu; 800/445-8667 or 808/949-4321; www.hilton.com; doubles from $185.
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows 68-1400 Mauna Lani Dr., Kohala Coast, Hawaii; 800/367-2323 or 808/885-6622; www.maunalani.com; doubles from $375.
