Hawaiian Healing in Hawaiʻi

Hawaiian healing — lāʻau lapaʻau (herbal and plant medicine), hoʻoponopono (family reconciliation and forgiveness), and lomilomi (healing massage) among the most prominent practices — is not a wellness trend. It is a living tradition, rooted in a cosmology that understands the body, the land, the ancestors, and the community as a single interdependent system. Health, in this framework, is not merely physical; it is relational and spiritual, a matter of pono (right balance) within oneself and between oneself and others. Healers — kahuna lāʻau lapaʻau (plant medicine specialists), kumu (teachers of tradition), and lomilomi practitioners who carry genuine lineage — approach their work as a responsibility, not a service.

Across all four major Hawaiian islands, practitioners of Hawaiian healing exist along a wide spectrum of training and lineage. Authentic practitioners are often found through community relationships and word of mouth rather than through search engines; the tradition has always been transmitted person to person, kumu to student. On the Big Island and Kauaʻi especially, communities with strong Native Hawaiian presence sustain practices that have been passed through generations. For visitors and newcomers to the islands, approaching this work with humility and genuine curiosity — rather than as a tourism experience — matters. Closely related modalities such as lomilomi and herbalism are practiced by some Hawaiian healers as part of a unified approach.

When seeking a Hawaiian healing practitioner, prioritize those who speak openly about their lineage and training, who come recommended by community members, and who make clear what their practice involves and what it does not.

Browse Hawaiian healing practitioners across the islands below.