Noni is No Ka Oi

Noni is a popular plant used for healing in many of our Lanikai Bath and Body products. Noni's scientific name is Morinda Citrifolia, and its common name is Indian Mulberry.

According to our friend La'akea Kamauoha, who is a partner in the Hawaii Seal of Quality program and grows Hawaiian Noni on his Kamauoha Farms, Noni has been reported to aid in supporting the immune system and strengthening the body’s natural ability to fight disease and infection. Noni contains over 140 phytonutrients, selenium (a powerful antioxidant) and other naturally occurring beneficial compounds. All of La'akea's Noni is collected from trees grown in Hawaii’s rich volcanic soil and pristine environment producing some of the most potent Noni on earth.

You will find healing Hawaiian Noni, along with Papaya, Macadmamia Nut and Kukui Oils in the all natural lotions, washes and butters of Lanikai Bath and Body. We hope you love them as much as we do!

A Slider is a Beautiful Thing

The Boston Red Sox are two games ahead in the world series, thanks to the fast balls, curve balls and sliders of pitchers named Beckett and Schilling and Okajima...and to the man some say is the greatest "closer" in the game -- Jonathan Papelbon -- who is almost unhittable. A Papelbon slider or two were among the clinchers that closed out the 2nd game at Fenway.

At Lanikai Bath and Body we have "sliders", too. Or that's what we call them in the "back of the house." For our customers, we call them "samplers." Our floral samplers are sets of different 2.2 ounce washes and lotions "cozied together in a travel bag."
That's a slider.

So whether it's full of beautiful, perfectly scented precious bottles of lotion or it's part of a battery of throws that wraps up a very close game, a slider is a beautiful thing.

Pohaku is Sandalwood

The sandal tree is medium sized ~ 12-15 meters tall. The tree reaches its full maturity in 60 to 80 years, which is when the center of the slender trunk (the heart wood) has achieved its greatest oil content. As the tree grows, the essential oil develops in the roots and heartwood, which requires atleast 15 to 20 years.

Like many islands of Polynesia, the Hawaiian Islands were blessed with an abundance of sandalwood. The Hawaiian word for sandalwood is "iliahi." Known for its aromatic, aphrodisacal and herbal and medicinal properties, sandalwood was also called "sweet wood" in Hawaii. It became a commodity which was traded until there was no more.

Knowing its connection to Hawaii and its wonderful sweet smell, we decided to make our men's product scented with sandalwood. We call it Pohaku, for stone ~ meaning it's strong like men are. In lovely brown bottles, we have Pohaku for men. In 16 ounce shampoo, and 8.5 ounce toner, wash and lotion. Women like it, too!

We Love Being An Also Ran

Today we lost for the second time in our bid to be the Retail Merchants of Hawaii Neighborhood Retailer of the Year. But we don't mind. We were one of three finalists, for the second year in a row, and we have only been open for two years!

This year's winner was Nagasako General Store. Nagasako's is a small mom and pop store located in Lahaina town on the island of Maui. It is well known for its fresh produce and fish, and has been in business as a family business since 1919. Nagasako's is the kind of store Hawaii is known for -- the kind of store you'd be proud to go up against (and we were) and happy to see them win (we are).

We were nominated by our friend Lori Lloyd at the Kailua branch of the Bank of Hawaii, and we were seated with other Bankoh nominees including Meyvn's clothing from Kauai and Mr. and Mrs. Nagasako. When it was announced that they had won, Mrs. Nagasako was too shy to go up and receive the award but it was clear that both of them were very happy to be honored.

We are honored,too, to be a part of the great group of local retailers in Hawaii!

(pictured here is an actual Spam Musubi from Nagasako General Store, on the hood of the car rented by the guy who bought it --at 6:30 a.m. one beautiful Maui morning.)

Magnificent Monkeypods

One of the trees you will see most frequently in Hawaii is the Monkeypod tree, although it is listed as a pest to the Hawaiian ecosytstem. The trees are native to "tropical America" and can grow to heights of 80 feet.

In South and Central America, the most widely used common name for the species is raintree, from the belief that the tree produces rain at night. The leaflets close up at night or when under heavy cloud cover, allowing rain to pass easily through the crown. The Hawaiian common name, monkey-pod, is a logical derivation of the scientific name Pithecellobium (monkey earring in Greek).

The best thing about them is their wide, symmetrical canopy. They are not only gorgeous to look at but they give the most marvelous shade. They line the medians of our streets in Kailua, and many of us have them in our backyards. The one in my backyard droops over the canal that runs by my house, from the mountains to the sea. It is lovely and lazy looking and without it our backyard would be nothing. Because of it, our backyard is a glorious place.

Monkeypod trees are just one of the many things that make Hawaii the most beautiful place in the world. If you haven't visited, you really ought to come and see them.

Let There Be Light

At Lanikai Bath and Body, we just introduced a new line of palm wax candles in glorious tropical scents including coconut lime, sandalwood, plumeria , strawberry papaya, ginger and gardenia. The handmade 'lantern' candles are made exclusively for Lanikai Bath and Body by Lanikai resident Kent Heilbron, a massage therapist who has translated his appreciation for just the right essential oils into just the right scented candles.

Palm Wax is a hard, smooth and dry wax – less oily than the more typically used paraffin or soy waxes. Smokeless palm wax burns longer and more steadily, and will not melt in shipping (as other waxes often do) because of its higher melting point. For candle lovers, the biggest benefit comes with palm wax’s ability to absorb a higher concentration of fragrance that will keep the aroma longer.

Kent chose palm wax for his candles not only because of it’s “dry touch” advantage, but with sensitivity to the fact that it is a renewable resource. Like all Lanikai products, “all natural” is very important when it comes to the new candle line.

Each palm wax candle is unique in appearance because of the patterns that appear on the sides of the candle in the creation process. The bottom of the candle has a unique, sugary look to it -- the candles come in one size -- are round and about 2.5 " x 4". We also have 6-candle tealight packets in the same lovely fragrances.

Candles are candles are candles. Not. These candles are amazing --the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell and the way they burn.

I Love Lanikai!

I lived the first half of my life in Hawaii in Kahala. In 1990, my husband and my business partner persuaded me that Kailua was a better bet. As it turns out, they were completely right.

When I say I Love Lanikai, I am not just referring to the loop of housing and surrounding environs at the far end of Kailua Beach. I am referring to the whole “thing” of Kailua and Lanikai – and I can do that, because the original post office name for this town was Lanikai.

Living here is truly incredible. I know that a lot of people on the Honolulu side of the Pali think you have to pack a lunch to come to Kailua. Yet our traffic is (so far) nothing compared to traffic elsewhere on the islands. If you work in town, you have the amazing every day experience of coming out of the tunnels (pick a tunnel, any tunnel) to the sweeping views and the incredible peace of the Windward side. It is cooler here, like Hawaii is supposed to be. It is greener here, like Hawaii is supposed to be.

It’s healthy to live on the Windward side. The beaches are long and wide, and a roundtrip walk starting at Kalapawai Market (take along one of their lattes) puts close to five miles under your belt. Kite boarders and windsurfers provide a circus of color and accomplishment, and swimming is a nearby, always welcome choice. If you like your ocean VERY calm, you can swim at Lanikai Beach. It’s smaller than Kailua Beach, but no less beautiful. The sand that makes up Lanikai Beach is particularly soft and gentle – like the water that slides into shore.

People ride bikes here. They walk here. They run here. I know they do that on the other side too – but ours is a small town and exercisers seem like they are having fun. Easy does it.

In case you haven’t been to Kailua lately, it is becoming a walking town. For real. Not a strip mall, not an indoor mall surrounded by a sea of parking, but a small, walking town.

Old time Kailuans and Lanikai residents were resistant to the change, but you can see that they are warming up to their new town, little by little.

Even in the heat of the summer, people are walking all over the place. This in a State where residents surveyed about parking say they don’t want to walk more than a block.

We are growing. We have our share of national retailers -- Starbucks, a Jamba Juice and even a Pier One and a California Pizza Kitchen ASAP. But we also have lots of wonderful local retailers. Places that are worth walking to.

It is becoming a town worth exploring.

I have lived and worked in Kailua for 17 years now. Two years ago, my longtime business partner and I decided to open a retail shop. We wanted to be part of the growth of our town. We wanted to practice what we preach. We named our shop Lanikai Bath and Body. Inside, there are cool blues and greens, a bamboo floor and a stone path. We wanted it to feel like Lanikai. Because we love living here. We love Lanikai.