What Lomilomi Really Is (And Isn’t)
Some people think lomilomi is just another massage technique. A bit of Hawaiian style, maybe some oil, maybe some gentle music in the background. Something nice to help you relax.
But when you really experience it — when it’s done with presence and care — you realize it’s something completely different.
Lomilomi isn’t about fixing the body. It’s about reconnecting with it. It’s about allowing the body and the spirit to meet again, especially when life has pulled them apart.
Susan Pa’iniu Floyd, who has spent decades sharing this work, says it’s not just about the hands. It’s about attention. Intention. Deep listening.
She recently shared this approach with us at Orizon, and we feel lucky to have welcomed such a grounded and devoted teacher. Her way of speaking and her way of being carry the wisdom of someone who has lived this practice — not just learned it.
When someone comes to the massage table, they’re not just bringing their body — they’re bringing their whole story. Their stress, their emotions, their thoughts, their history. All of it shows up in the body, and all of it is welcome.
The person receiving lomilomi is not passive. They are the guide. The practitioner follows, not by thinking, but by feeling. Feeling where the tension lives. Feeling what’s ready to be released. Staying soft enough, present enough, to notice even the smallest changes.
In lomilomi, the goal isn’t to reach an outcome. It’s to be in connection. Not just physical, but spiritual. That’s why Susan calls it a commitment. You’re not just giving a massage — you’re showing up fully for another person and trusting the process to unfold as it needs to.
This is not something you can rush. It’s not something you do from your head. It’s something you feel, moment by moment, in your heart and in your hands.
There are many types of massage, and most of them focus on the body — releasing knots, loosening muscles, and improving circulation. But lomilomi is something else. It works on the body, yes, but it also touches the emotional and spiritual layers that most people carry quietly, without even realizing it.
Susan Pa’iniu Floyd explains that lomilomi is not about using a fixed technique or trying to reach a specific outcome. It’s not about doing something to the person. It’s about being with them.
The practitioner listens — not just with their ears or hands, but with their full presence. That presence is what creates a safe space, and in that space, the body starts to speak. Sometimes through movement, sometimes through breath, sometimes through silence.
What makes it different is this soft, sensitive attention. You’re not working on someone. You’re working with them, in partnership. And the body leads the way.
Susan says that often, we think healing has to be intense — deep pressure, strong techniques, big results. But true healing can be gentle. Sometimes, the lightest touch can create the deepest shift. Because it’s not about how strong your hands are — it’s about how clearly you’re listening.
And in that listening, something beautiful happens: the body begins to trust again.
We hope that this article offers a clearer picture of what lomilomi truly is — and gently clears away the common misunderstandings around it.