Hawaiian technique puts the 'ahh' in massage

Tucked in a corner of a strip mall in Joliet is a studio where the energy and philosophy of Polynesia are channeled to heal bodies, minds and spirits.

From the outside, it is an unassuming massage studio
called Every Body. But inside massage therapists and
co-owners Kelly Fowler and Sarah Evans use all the
techniques they have learned, including those from Hawaii,
to help heal their clients.

"We really take everything we know and just incorporate it to make the best experience for them," Evans said.

One of the techniques they use is lomilomi massage.

"It's almost a different culture, it's Polynesian medical massage," Fowler said.

In lomilomi massage, therapists use more of their own bodies to manipulate the massage.

"I think you use more aspects of your hand, forearm, elbows and blades of the hand," Fowler said.

The therapists movement around the table is different, too.

"Watching lomilomi is like a dance around the table," Evans said. "It seems you put your entire being into it."

For Joliet resident Ann Bretz, who has been a client for a little less than a year, the massage and its technique have changed her life. Bretz has fibromyalgia and goes in for lomilomi massages once a week. She said she has had other types of massage before, but lomilomi seems to work best.

"It really feels like it gets deep into the muscle. It helps (me) to relax," she said. "When the (muscles) are tense I can feel them loosen up.

Every Body also offers Temple Lomi, where two therapists use lomilomi techniques concurrently. In Temple Lomi, the two therapists must be working in harmony or it will be too distracting for the client.

"But for the client, it can provide an 'ahh' release because they can't anticipate where the massage is going," Fowler said, "I think it's a more profound relaxation."

A whole approach

Fowler and Evans met at the Soma Institute, the national school of clinical massage therapy in Chicago. Fowler was Evan's instructor for her first class in massage school. The two decided to open their own studio because they wanted to be able to treat the whole client.

"It's having the creativity to do what you think is right for the patient, not what insurance will pay for," Evans said.

When it comes to lomilomi, the approach is not just massage, but improving the lifestyle of the client.

"It includes branches of nutrition; prayer and meditation is part of it as well," Fowler said. "If your physical body is affected, your spiritual body is affected."

This was the approach Bretz took, taking up yoga and deep-breathing techniques in addition to her weekly massage. She said it really helps her to keep the stress under control.

The studio the two women created took atmosphere into consideration as well. The decorations are minimal. When you walk in the front door, they take your coat and offer clients hot tea or water. And when a person lays down on the massage table they won't inhale chemicals.

"We strive toward green practices," Fowler said. "Everything is done with environmentally friendly products."

At the conclusion of a massage, the owners invite clients to a piece of heart-healthy dark chocolate.

Co-owners Kelly Fowler (left) and Sarah Evans, both licensed clinical massage therapists, do Hawaiian Temple Lomi Lomi two-person massage on Dr. Ted Cook at Every Body Massage & Bodywork Studio in Joliet. (Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff Photographer)

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