Welcome summer with well-deserved beach time, tropical beverages served in fresh pineapples (with jaunty umbrellas), and an authentic Hawaiian lomi lomi massage.
This latest pampering treatment from Belmora Spa in Basking Ridge blossomed from native medicine on the Big island. The classic version includes a spiritual component that embraces the aloha concepts of peace and balance to promote personal harmony.
Lomi lomi includes abdominal massage because, according to Hawaiian tradition, that area of the body incorporates the soul.
“Receivers of lomi lomi should be comfortable with minimal draping to facilitate the long-flowing strokes of the massage,” says Belmora therapist Megan Tarkany, who recently visited Hawaii to learn the finer points of the treatment.
“During this massage, which uses generous amounts of oil, we focus on the abdomen and sternum to stimulate heart and sacral chakras—areas that symbolize love and self-esteem.”
“Receiving a lomi lomi massage can be an emotional experience and the ultimate way to release negativity, detoxify and make a conscious shift in your well-being,” says Belmora owner and therapist Claudia Georgescu, who enjoys introducing New Jersey clients to exotic treatments.
Belmora Spa (908-696-0022) suggests that clients book lomi lomi sessions at the end of the day to gently integrate into conscious awareness as evening falls. Each 90-minute lomi lomi ritual costs $185.