My Story
I received my first formal instruction to massage in 1993 at a school in Southfield Michigan. In addition to working part time at a local spa, I ran a private practice from my home until 1999. During a visit with family in Hawaii I was introduced to the to the idea of lomilomi. Before this conversation I had never heard of lomilomi. At that time my family only knew of "this Aunty on the Kona side. Everyone goes to study with her." It was 1995, the world wide web had yet to envelop the globe. Finding information about "this Aunty" who lived in a remote fishing village on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was a journey through catalogues, magazines, and archival materials. I was determined, and ultimately successful!
I made the journey to Hawaii with the man who is now my husband. Daniel Alber bravely joined me as I pursued my dream to study Lomilomi in Hawaii. Dan apprenticed with the Machado family to meet the requirements in Hawaii to get licensure for massage. My training in Michigan was accepted by the Hawaii Board of Massage. That allowed me to write the exam a year ahead of Daniel. Since 2003 I have been providing Lomilomi in the South Kona community. I continue to take classes and workshops with Kumu Lomilomi, and occasionally teach privately when my busy schedule allows.