Aloha massage

Most massages are nice and relaxing, but few provide the recipient with a life-changing experience. Ka Huna massage promises to do just that.

Ka Huna -“ or Hawaiian healing massage, as it’s sometimes known -“ originated in the South Pacific and was used during rites of passage as a transformational tool. It was believed to balance the body and mind, healing you physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Unlike other forms of massage, Ka Huna practitioners use their hands, forearms and elbows while dancing around the massage table using hula and tai chi-style movements.

I’d also heard it involved the masseur blowing air onto your naked body and that the experience is so profound recipients sometimes burst into tears.

So while I was looking forward to a nice relaxing massage, I was somewhat sceptical as I approached the Sydney Ka Huna Centre in Paddington (www.kahunacentre.com.au).

I was also excited and a little nervous about the prospect of having two masseurs working on me at once -“ a man, Shayne Bennett, and a woman, Jonnie Swift (you can request one or two practitioners when you book).

Bennett was introduced to Ka Huna seven years ago at a body, mind and spirit expo.

I saw these two massage therapists doing this strange flowing dance around this body, and I’d never seen anything like it before, he said.

I got a massage and it totally blew me away. The following weekend he started training in Ka Huna.

Swift too became hooked after her first massage three years ago. It was a really intense experience, she said.

The massage does release emotions and it spun me out quite considerably. It also makes you feel back in your body again, and gives a real sense of well-being.

I got my gear off and climbed onto the massage table. Bennett and Swift oiled me up and began lovingly kneading, rubbing and stretching every part of my body.

The following hour was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

It was like being massaged by some sort of fantastic four-armed creature. I’ve never been lavished with more attention in my life, and while the whole thing was completely unsexual the experience was quite possibly better than sex (for me, anyway) and put me into an incredibly deep state of relaxation.

By the end all of my worries and stress had completely melted away. I hadn’t burst into tears or decided to become a Ka Huna practitioner, but it was certainly one of the most beautiful and relaxing experiences I’ve ever had.