Definition

Lomilomi literally means "to break up into small pieces with the fingers." It is a type of healing massage that is traditionally practiced in the Hawaiian islands.

Origins

This form of massage involves both physical and spiritual ritual components. Lomilomi originated in the South Pacific and is practiced mainly in the Hawaiian islands, although lomilomi practitioners can also be found in Australia, California, and a few other places in the United States.

When Captain Cook and other European explorers disembarked on the islands of Polynesia, the indigenous people healed their aches and pains with therapeutic massage. Experts in lomilomi also knew how to use it in childbirth, congestion, inflammation, rheumatism and other musculoskeletal disorders, asthma, and bronchitis. They also applied lomilomi to babies and children...