Known by many names — Kahuna, Lomi Lomi, Heartworks Lomi Lomi, Hawaiian Temple Style, and Traditional Old Style — this sacred bodywork has evolved through different teachers and lineages. Depending on where the training has taken place and the ancestral stream it flows from, the techniques and expression may vary.

From the Bayside Ka Huna perspective, Kahuna is a dynamic, flowing dance — weaving forearms, elbows, palms, joint mobilisation, and both soft and deep tissue techniques into an expansive, rhythmic experience. Lomi Lomi, in contrast, is practiced primarily with the palms of the hands and tends to be slower, gentler, and more meditative in nature.

Regardless of lineage or style, these Hawaiian-originated healing arts all share the same heart-centred intention — the spirit of Aloha — honouring connection, compassion, and wholeness.

Rooted in the sacred traditions of Hawaii and the wider Polynesia, the Kahuna were master healers who offered ritualistic practices, including Lomi Lomi, as part of important rites of passage to restore balance across the physical, emotional, and spiritual body.

Today, these sacred teachings have been shared with the West through dedicated lineage holders, and modern Kahuna bodywork continues to embody the heart-centred spirit of Aloha, offered with deep respect and ceremony.

Kahuna massage offers a nurturing space where the body and mind can soften, unwind, and feel truly safe. When the nervous system settles into safety, stored energy and emotions held within the cells begin to release naturally and without force.

Without the need for dialogue or analysis, we simply create the conditions for the body’s innate healing intelligence to do what it does best — restore balance, harmony, and wholeness.

Freedom for mind - body - soul.

Kahuna massage benefits all tissues of the body. Beyond releasing muscular tension, it supports healthy lymphatic flow, assisting the body’s natural detoxification processes. It encourages circulation, nourishing the blood and delivering oxygen and vital nutrients to every cell.

By enhancing the elasticity of the fascial network, Kahuna helps unwind long-held physical tension — which in turn supports the gentle release of mental and emotional stress — restoring a sense of spaciousness, vitality, and flow.

Kahuna massage is a holistic bodywork practice that attends to the entire structure rather than isolated symptoms. While tension may present in one area, it is often influenced by — or influencing — another part of the body.

Kahuna Massage is offered as a thorough, full-body treatment, working systematically and intuitively to release both physical and energetic tension from the whole system, restoring balance, connection, and integrated flow.

Underwear is optional. However, due to the flowing, continuous nature of Kahuna massage, we generally recommend removing underwear, as it can restrict the seamless strokes along the sides of the body and limit access to the gluteal muscles.

Your comfort, safety, and dignity are always prioritised. Clients are respectfully draped with a folded sarong to ensure private areas remain securely covered at all times.

When working with new clients — particularly men — underwear may remain on for the first few sessions, allowing trust, comfort, and a sense of safety to naturally develop.

No. There is a clear and unwavering boundary around this.

Kahuna massage can at times feel sensual or even tantric in quality, but never in a sexual way. Sensuality in this context refers to heightened awareness of sensation, presence, and the movement of life-force energy through the body — not sexual stimulation. Tantra, likewise, can be about conscious energy flow and embodied connection, rather than sexuality.

It is clearly communicated during pre-booking conversations that Bayside Ka Huna does not offer sexual services. The space is held with professionalism, integrity, and deep respect at all times.

Kahuna massage is an oil-based massage practiced on a massage table, using flowing, rhythmic strokes to work holistically across the entire body.

ZenThai Shiatsu is practiced fully clothed on a comfortable floor mat, incorporating stretches, joint mobilisation, and meridian-based pressure techniques.

While both modalities embrace a holistic approach — addressing the interconnected body–mind system — Zenthai Shiatsu can offer a more targeted and intentional focus, particularly when working with specific client concerns or therapeutic goals.

ZenThai Shiatsu is an integrated bodywork modality that weaves together influences from traditional Thai massage, Japanese Shiatsu, Yogic traditions and osteopathic techniques.

It was developed by its founder, Gwyn Williams, on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, blending Eastern healing wisdom with modern therapeutic understanding into a grounded, flowing, and holistic treatment approach.

ZenThai Shiatsu is practiced fully clothed on a comfortable floor mat. The session incorporates assisted stretches, joint mobilisation, and applied pressure along the meridian lines using palms, elbows, knees, and occasionally feet.

There is a fluid, rhythmic quality to the practice, allowing smooth transitions from one movement to the next. This seamless flow creates a deeply restorative and therapeutic experience, supporting the body to unwind, rebalance, and return to its natural state of harmony.

It’s always best to have a conversation with your therapist beforehand, so you’re both clear on what you’re wanting from your treatment.

From a practitioner’s perspective, ZenThai Shiatsu offers a more targeted therapeutic approach. It’s particularly supportive for lower back discomfort, tight hamstrings, neck and shoulder tension, general body stiffness, and the movement of chi through the meridian system. Because it’s practiced fully clothed, the body can be stretched and mobilised more effectively, allowing for deeper structural work.

Kahuna massage, on the other hand, offers a sense of warmth and luxury — flowing strokes with warm oils, hot towels, and continuous rhythmic movement. While it releases tension throughout the entire body, it may not target specific areas as directly as ZenThai.

Both treatments are deeply supportive in helping regulate and restore the nervous system, guiding the body back toward balance and equilibrium.