Relaxing Lomi Lomi Massage from Hands for Heart and Soul - Westfield, WI
For my birthday this year, my husband decided to kill two birds with one stone: he bought me a gift certificate for a series of three one-hour full body massages at the Hands for Heart and Soul Wellness and Empowerment Center in Westfield, WI. It’s the romantic gift that says “I love you”, and also spares him from “the look” when he’s too tired to rub my feet.
Being the curious and resourceful web geek that I am, I immediately Googled “Hands for Heart and Soul” and came up with www.handsforheartandsoul.com. The website only lists the basics: a short description of services, phone number, street address, and contact email. The rest still displays the default fill-in text <gasp!> left there as part of the original web page template. :(
As I read the brief website description, a phrase caught my interest: “Lomilomi massage therapy”. Lomilomi? What’s that? I wondered. Another quick search… lomilomi (also spelled as two words, i.e. “lomi lomi”) is a Hawaiian style massage. In fact, “lomi lomi” means “rub rub”. <<Correction: After reading this blog post, Kim has informed me that “lomi lomi” actually means “to break up into little pieces with your fingertips”. Thanks, Kim!>> There’s a lot of history and culture behind lomilomi, so I’ll let you do your own reading if you so wish. This article on Wikipedia is a good place to start.
Having never been to an actual “real” massage establishment before, I wasn’t sure what to expect during my first visit. I called well in advance to schedule my appointment with Kim, the owner. She informed me that evenings book up quickly, so it’s a good thing I’d called early. She was also very patient with me as I asked about a zillion questions. The major one in my mind was, clothes or nudity? I’d heard from other sources that nudity is optional, and Kim confirmed this with the added note that she insists on modesty.
The day of my first visit arrived. I pulled up to the building that houses Hands for Heart and Soul, which is actually the old Westfield High School. There was a nice big sign out front so I didn’t have to wonder if I was in the right place. I was greeted at the door by Kim and Lucy, a blind, large-breed dog with bunny-soft white fur. Lucy’s lack of eyesight didn’t make her skittish as I thought it might, and petting her immediately eased my nervousness. A second dog was ushered down the hallway and out of sight by another woman, but Lucy was allowed to tag along as I followed Kim through the first door to the left. The ”office” is really a spacious room with a large desk, decorated with an aquarium and numerous papers on the walls, and completed by a classroom chalkboard.
After signing in, Kim led me into a second, smaller adjoining room - the massage room - and instructed me to remove my clothes and lie face down on the massage table with my face over a hole in the headrest, then cover myself with a thin cotton sheet that was spread out on the table. She said she’d give me a few minutes, then left the room and closed the door. The room was comfortably dark as I prepared myself, and as I got onto the table some music started playing from seemingly nowhere. (I found out later that the artist is Dean Evenson and ended up purchasing the MP3 album “Spa Dreams” from Amazon.com.)
After that, I can’t tell you a whole lot other than to say it was absolutely incredible. I’m not sure how to describe the various techniques used in lomilomi massage. Kim started at my upper back and skillfully worked her way down to my feet, using kneading, rubbing and stroking motions. She then lifted the sheet so I could discreetly turn for the front half. The material acted as a sort of curtain to shield my body. (I was wondering how that worked. LOL) She continued with the front half, starting at my neck and shoulders and again working her way down to my feet. She ended the massage by putting pressure on the balls of my feet with her fingers, and I was surprised to realize I still felt the sensation of pressure even after she’d moved to another part of the room! That was a pretty cool trick. :) After whispering to me to take my time, Kim left the room so I could dress and ready myself for the “real” world.
Although the entire massage was extremely relaxing, I didn’t fall asleep. In fact, I felt joyful - almost giddy - as I got dressed to leave. And that’s a big deal for me!!! I was so excited that I scheduled my next session for two weeks later, and it was just as wonderful as my first visit. My entire body, or I guess I should say every muscle in my body, felt “drunk” for a couple of days afterwards. I know that’s a weird way to say it, but after each massage my muscles were just too relaxed to be bothered with things like moving me from the couch to the bed. Not to say that I couldn’t move, but it was more like “uh, do I have to?”. Now if there were only a way to get dentists to offer mini-Lomilomi sessions in their waiting rooms…
If you’d like to contact Kim at Hands for Heart & Soul Wellness and Empowerment Center, I’ve posted her info below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Hands for Heart & Soul
Wellness & Empowerment Center
314 South Thomas Street
P O Box 32
Westfield, WI 53964
608-547-3900
Contact: Kimberly Bode
Email: lomi6@verizon.net
Hands for Heart & Soul Wellness & Empowerment Center is committed to excellence and caring in providing Lomilomi massage therapy for every person who enters through our doors. We will provide a safe, stress free, nuturing environment where all individuals are supported and encouraged to develop to their highest potential as they seek professional and personal fullfilment on their life journey.
Kimberly Bode, LMT has been a licensed massage therapist and has owned and operated Hands for Heart & Soul for 20 years as of November 2008. Kim’s area of expertise is the Hawaiian Lomilomi massage. Paraffin treatments are offered as well. In addition to her massage practice, HFHS also offers health & fitness classes that include; Cardio Kick boxing, Yoga, and Tai Chi.