About Us
Eri Mahealani Virden
Owner, Lomilomi Practitioner, LMT, Aromatherapist, Lomilomi Instructor
Eri’s love for Hawaii started at an early age. A native of Nagoya, Japan, her family traveled often to Hawaii, and she remembers falling in love with the islands, the culture, and everything Hawaiian from the age of nine, deepening with every trip here.
Eri’s youth included a rich educational background, both scholastically as well as in the healing realm. She credits two teachers who made the greatest impact on her in this way. The first of these was Ms. Saburi, who taught Eri through demonstration and observation, the ability to bring forth healing using energy. Her father also shared with her his gift of an understanding of healing energy through his own spirituality.
Eri studied dance, through ballet, from a very early age. This grace served her later when she began to study hula with Hawaiian kumu who traveled to Japan. Her poise and love of Hawaiian music and hula led her to a coveted spot in a competing halau in the Big Island’s Merrie Monarch Festival in the year 2000. In 2007, she returned to the Merrie Monarch stage with her hula sisters and Kumu Kapua Dalire as a Hawaii resident, and she was truly excited.
Lomilomi and Hawaiian healing arts became a profound interest after successfully completing and becoming certified in a rigorous course of study in aromatherapy, anatomy and physiology in Japan. She enrolled in Long Life Lomilomi under Kumu Dane Silva in Pahoa, Hawaii, and studied with him for several years. She also studied with Kumu Alva Andrews for many years. This led to the opening of her own lomilomi and aromatherapy clinic in Nagoya, which she successfully ran for over four years.
Eri moved to Hawaii seven years ago, now has two sons, ages four and two years. She assisted her mother-in-law Kumu Brenda with teaching lomilomi workshops at Hawaii Healing Arts College and other locations. This harmonious venture led to the combining of a higher vision of expressing her love of lomilomi and assisting in others’ healing with her new Hawaii family. She enrolled in HHAC and got her Hawaii massage license, as well as earned her Kumu Lomi status with HLA, and now shares her many gifts at Lomilomi Hana Lima. One of these gifts is her use of listening skills, which awakens her intuition and allows her to express her loving compassion.
Eri’s dream for the future is to expand this vision of healing and teaching.
Brenda Mohalapua Ignacio
Kumu Lomi, Lomilomi Practioner, LMT, Kahu
A native of the Big Island of Hawaii, Brenda was taught from birth the connection of the spirit of love in all things, especially nature. Formal training in the strict manner of hula opened her heart and mind to her inner dance and expression. It was through dancing the hula that Brenda became aware of her hands and the impact they held.
Guided and encouraged by kupuna to return to early life influences and to use her hands toward her purpose, Brenda turned seriously to extensive study with masters in the Hawaiian healing arts. The most influential of these was Hannah “Nana” Veary. Charged with sharing the rich history and philosophy of various aspects of this loving work, her passion is not only in being an authentic practitioner of lomilomi massage; it is also in empowering students and individuals to awaken to and appreciate their own awareness of the healing power within. Foremost in her practice is her ability to hear and feel others at a soul level, and to treat them with unconditional love.
Brenda is a Hawaii state licensed massage therapist and a Hawaii DOE licensed instructor. Prior to joining her family in the establishment of Lomilomi Hana Lima, Brenda was a co-founder of Hawaii Healing Arts College in Kailua, establishing and teaching the lomilomi program there. A former director of the Hawaiian Lomilomi Association, she is a credentialed Approved Instructor of this governing organization. Also a Kahu, (a Hawaii state licensed minister,) she loves to perform weddings and other Hawaiian blessings. As a Kahu and a Kumu, she shares many years’ experience in being a practitioner and instructor of Hawaiian healing arts, which she considers to be an integral part of Hawaii’s culture. She believes that through prayer, compassion, forgiveness, acknowledgement and humility, the body can and will heal itself.
Brenda has appeared in three films by film producer John Kalani Zak on Hawaiian healing: “Hawaiian Healing,” “Hawaiian Meditation” and “Pule Wailele,” all of which are educational and inspiring. She is honored to join with some of her beloved kupuna and kumu in sharing Hawaii’s rich past and present.
Brenda’s other passions are hula dancing, learning, creative endeavors and above all, her family.
Laura Bach Buzzell
LMT, Lomilomi Practitioner
Laura has been a licensed massage therapist in Hawaii for several years, and is a Certified Professional Member of ABMP (Associated Bodywork of Massage Professionals.)
She first began her training in the ancient art of lomilomi massage therapy with Kumu Brenda Mohalapua Ignacio in 2002, at Hawaii Healing Arts College in Kailua. Subsequent to that, Laura attended Hawaiian Lomilomi Association conferences with Kumu Brenda in 2003 and 2004, greatly increasing her training with other master teachers.
Laura believes that through Kumu Brenda’s teachings, that she has found that the beauty of lomilomi truly lies in the seeds of ho’oponopono, or forgiveness, of one’s self, and of one’s past. Through pule, or prayer, positive intention and Akua’s guidance, Laura blessedly nurtures each client’s individuality. She enjoys working with warm pohaku (stones) warm towels and the use of aromatherapy to assist in transforming the physical body back to its homeostatic, productive state. Laura herself feels very nurtured as part of the Lomilomi Hana Lima ohana, and enjoys the ever-present learning environment, as she believes we learn from one another and every client, every day.
Outside of her professional massage career, Laura has a keen interest in the performing arts. She studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, (LAMDA) and pursued her craft in New York city for 5 years. Laura has appeared in many productions on Honolulu stages and was recently honored with a “PO’OKELA” Award for her ensemble performance in Enchanted April. Hula and slack key guitar playing are other interests that she has studied and enjoys.
Lisa Marie Perez
Esthetician
Lisa is a graduate of UC Irvine Hospitality & Spa Management Program (California), Champneys International College of Health & Beauty-CIBTAC & CIDESCO Diplomat (London, UK), and the International School of Beauty and Esthetique – Aesthetician Program (Hawaii). She has also completed two internship programs, first with The Four Seasons Maui Resort at Wailea (‘The Spa at Four Seasons’), and Lomilomi Hana Lima. Lisa Marie is the first graduate from Hawaii to attend Champneys International College in London and complete the CIDESCO Diploma. CIDESCO is the world’s most reputable international qualification in the field of Esthetics. Currently, Lisa Marie divides her passion for helping people between two companies, Lomilomi Hana Lima and the Pacific American Foundation a non-profit organization. She comes from a large family of seven, two brothers and four sisters from Aliamanu, Oahu.
