Lomi Pa'akai

After reading and perceiving "Aloha spirit" from a fabulous book Hawaiian Massage Lomilomi: Sacred Touch of Aloha, I have been thinking about including Lomi Pa'akai into my Lomi practice. I was not sure, how far this "technique" belongs to Hawaiian Lomi treatment history, so I asked about it maybe the most competent lady in that subject, Makana Risser Chai, author of that book, and recipient of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority "Keep It Hawai'i" 2008 Award for authentic portrayal of Hawaiian cultural traditions.

I have received her fabulous comment:
"... I don't think that pa'akai was used much. Maybe only for ali'i but maybe not even for them. The reason is that salt is so valuable for preserving food, and it is so hard to make. They don't make it by just letting water evaporate in the sun. It is a long, hard job. So I would be surprised if they wasted it in that way. When I was at Auntie Margaret's, we used sand to exfoliate our skin. We didn't use it as part of the lomi, but after the lomi we would sit on the beach and take wet sand and rub it all over, then swim in the ocean, then get in the steam room. That was wonderful!
I never found anything about salt scrubs in all my research in the Bishop Museum. That's why I think it is new. ....
The way in which salt was used, as you can see in the Na Mo'olelo book, is as a poultice. Salt water is used to soak in, and for gargle, and drunk in order to cleanse the bowels. Salt is also used for blessings. That is all I know. ..."

Thank you Makana once again.

Anyway :) I have used a mixture from sea salt and red clay for several clients and their feedback was very positive. I applied it just locally, on belly and legs. Using salt during Lomi Lomi session was also a sort of cleansing for me, so most probably I will integrate it into the Lomi session just as a local cleansing support.