We Lava Lava Lava You!

To our wonderful customers, we want to say thanks. Thanks again and again. Thank you for shopping with us, ordering online with us, sharing the spirit of aloha with us, and letting us know that we are doing a good job.

We just received this from Kim Jones in Sonhomish, Washington:

To the wonderful people at Lanikai Bath and Body - Thank you so very much for the precious bath and body products. The product formulations are superb and fragrances absolutely heavenly -- they transport me back to Hawaii -- which, after all, is where we all want to be! I use only all natural, paraben-free products now, and I am so ecstatic to have discovered your wonderful paraben-free product line made with natural Hawaiian ingredients and quality fragrances. Thank you to the staff who package your products for shipment with such love and care. The transactions are so easy on the internet...I really appreciate the shipping confirmation, fast and reliable delivery. You have made it far too easy for me to indulge myself! I am addicted to your products and a fan for life... Please don't ever stop making these lovely, high-quality products!

Sincerely,
Kim Jones
Snohomish, WA

HawaiianTel Directory Assistance

Big surprise HawaiianTelCom or however they spell their name lost so much money and is fast losing customers. Last night in a desperate attempt to avoid getting out of my chair to find the phone book, I called directory assistance to find out the number of the Enchanted Lake Safeway, which is in Kailua, but is not the Kailua Safeway. The very nice gentleman with an Indian accent was unable to find anything in Kailua but what we call the "Big Safeway."

This has happened before to me with HawaiianTel directory assistance, and it seems like they must have given their outsourced cohort a directory of most-called numbers as opposed to an actual directory of numbers.

Don't get me wrong. I love the guys who answer the phone and put Americans out of business. I just can't stand the companies who do it, especially when they make their alleged comeback on the back of being local in Hawaii.

They're not, but Lanikai Bath and Body is. Sorry about the rant. I will try to keep them to a minimum!

Hawaiian Air

Just got back from the mainland. Flew both ways on Hawaiian Air, and I have to say it was a great experience.

One of the kids who got on after I was seated announced to his father "Hey Dad, this is really nice!" And it was. Strongly recommend you get on a Hawaiian Air flight to Hawaii...immediately!

Glad to be back in beautiful Hawaii,beautiful Kailua,beautiful Lanikai Bath and Body.

Family at Dinner

This is a picture of me with my brother's family -- his wife Catherine, and his twins Gregory and Michele.

They are coming to visit us in Hawaii a week from tomorrow, so you will read more about them. For now, thanks for visiing magical Lanikai and Lanikai Bath and Body!

Bowl of Joe

Goodbody, Mac and I went to the Hays Valley area of San Francisco to shop and walk around. We stopped for a beverage, I ordered a large black coffee and we went outside to sit down. When my coffee didn't arrive, Goodbody went to get it and came back with a bowl. No kidding. Mac told me to tell you that it was like drinking out of a toilet. Not quite; but you can see that it has an oil slick on it.

Next door to Lanikai Bath and Body is Morning Brew where I am quite certain they do not serve bowls of coffee.

Trip To The Trees

Still on our visit to San Francisco, we took a trip to the Muir Woods with naturalist Tom Martell (www.muirwoodswalkingtour.com) and four strangers-now-friends, Andrew, Melissa, Sydney and Zach. This is a picture of all of us inside a giant redwood (except Tom who took the picture).

Tom picked us up at our hotel, drove us to the woods, and off we went for a three mile hike that included lunch, provided by Tom --with table cloth, half a giant turkey sandwich each, a bite or two of churro and juice. Besides giant redwoods, we saw basil, wild cucumber, poison oak, and the first gay marriage ceremony at Muir Woods. A Park Ranger approached us on the boardwalk/trail and had us double back so as not to interfere with the marriage, which was being filmed by the local NBC station.

Tom dropped us off in Saualito where we had coffee at Lappert's (with "Mahalo! on their napkin dispensers), saw a few galleries and took the ferry back to SFO. Back at the hotel, we've rested and now we're waiting for Game 6 of the NBA finals and trying to figure out how we are going to eat dinner (no room service) and not miss a lot of the game.

Back in Hawsii, Brook has things under control at Lanikai Bath and Body, so order on line and/or visit the store at your leisure. And if you come this way, be sure to book a tour with Tom Martell.

Summer Weddings

The summer wedding season is on and Lanikai Bath and Body has the perfect gifts for brides and grooms, bridal parties, and favors for the guests.

In this picture, the bride, Priscilla,is a friend of Laura Goodbody's from Smith. To her right, the most beautiful bridesmaid, is Laura, Mary Goodbody's daughter. The flowers look pretty Hawaiian, and so does this scenery -- but this beautiful bridal party happens to be in Antigua.

Beause Priscilla was studying to be a nurse, Laura had the honors of scoping out the site and the wedding plans ahead of time with groom Noah. A trusted friend to be sure!

Whether your wedding is in Hawaii, or Antigua, or even Antartica, Lanikai Bath and Body can help you make it beautiful.

Puakenikeni Summer

PUAKENIKENI

Orange. Yellow. White.
Trumpeting Wild Beauty.
Heady Scent. Yes! Hawaii.


Lanikai Bath and Body's perfect Puakenikeni Jojoba Mist Spray is just right for
summer. Light on your skin. Lingers near your soul.

Party! Party! Party!

This is a picture of my life long best buddies, Mac and Goodbody, at the end of a long weekend of play and a long table of food at the toney Restaurant Lulu in San Francisco.

The gathering was the wrap party for Rachel Demming's graduation from Stanford -- Rachel being Mary's niece, Mary's sister Katherine's daughter,Anna and Kate's sister, and Anna Demmings'granddaughter. Rachel is smart and Jacqueline-Kennedy-esque and very, very cool. As are her sisters. Rachel will teach for Teach for
America in Oakland next year. Sister Kate took a gap year and travelled to India and later to Romania to work with Romanian orphans. Now she is at Washington University learning Arabic. Anna -- a junior at Choate -- will spend a month this summer in Ghana living in a community and building latrines.

We old folks sit back in admiration. After our freshman year in college, Mac and Goodbody and I went to Europe on an oceanliner where we drank fresh lemonade and played three handed bridge in our hotel room in Paris. Goodobdy reminded me that one day when we came back from the beach at Nice, to our usual routine of having a citron presse at the bar. Evidently we spoke francais and Goodbody did not and we told the bartender that Goodbody did not know how to french kiss (untrue, but it made for a good story). He offered to teach her, she protested "but you are married, " at which point he removed his wedding ring, shouted " Ca Ne Fait Rien!" and swept her in to the closet. During that same trip Goodbody protected me from two italian doctors who were addressing what proved to be kidney troubles, but at no time did we help any one, or add any value to the planet.

Mac and Goodbody and I are settling in for a short week in San Francisco. Today they took a Segway tour (they got a certificate!) from the San Francisco Electric Tour Company, had a great lunch and went to Alcatraz. I lolled around the room and
controlled all of Hawaii by cell phone from my bed. Life is good.

Father's Day 2008

Although our Father is no longer alive, I was with my brother on Father's Day this year. I was there with him and his twins Gregory and Michele( and my friend of almost fifty years,Mac), and my heart was warmed by the love and genuine affection between them. Not that I thought there wouldn't be, but my brother's idea of raising children is far less free form than mine... and so ... I expected a 10 year old resitance to be mounting.

None was readily evident and the kids had sufficient free reign to comment subtly on parental over involvement (my opinion of course). The kids are fantastic and he gets along with them fabulously. I am going to have to post a picture of the boys,
and one of Michele because I did not capture them together.

But my mind is full of beautiful pictures, hands being held, kisses being given.
Gregory and Michele made the most delicious crepes for breakfast, with jam, or fresh berries or grown-in-their-yard Meyer lemons and sugar. As perfect and sweet as the kids who made them.

Hard Work

Running a retail shop is hard work, but we love it. Just like winning game 4 of the NBA finals is hard work, but the players love it.

I couldn't resist posting this picture of two of my favorite Celtics -- who played their hearts out to come from as many as 24 points behind and win by 5.

May Best Selller = Pikake Lotion

In the same way that Plumeria is the flower for graduations, the oh-so delicate pikake flower is the flower of choice for lei of romance. And with June (the wedding month) upon us, pikake flowers are in much demand.

For the month of May at Lanikai Bath and Body, Pikake Lotion was the most popular seller. So if you're on the mainland, and can't get a Pikake lei, the next best things are our many necessarily luxurious Pikake goodies: 8.5 and 2.2 ounce lotion, 8.5 and 2.2 ounce wash, home mist, liquid hand soap, cold pressed soap and even hand sanitizer.

Lovely Pikake. Princess Kaiulani's favorite. And a favorite of our customers at Lanikai Bath and Body.

Elephants in Kailua

Actually, there aren't any elephants in Kailua, at least as far as we know. This is a picture of Brook and Ian taken a little more than two years ago in Thailand, where they went with Robin and her sister to have a good time and find cool things for Lanikai Bath and Body.

As it turns out, the really cool things for Lanikai Bath and Body are Lanikai Bath and Body products, made right here in Hawaii. Naturally. Our necessary luxuries are paraben free, many of the ingredients are organic,and they feel and smell terrific. (Except for Buddha Surf, which is unzented.)

One of the things about this picture that is like Lanikai Bath and Body is that Brook and Ian are having fun. We have lots of fun at Lanikai Bath and Body and so do our
wonderful customers! Come and visit us. Soon.

P.S. Hawaiian Tap bottles are back in stock -- the 22 ounce variety in red, silver
or blue. The big greens are on their way and should be here soon.

Manuhealii

Right next door to Lanikai Bath and Body is Manuhealii -- a Kailua original, just like Lanikai Bath and Body. Manuhealii creates its own designs, and will even make a matching shirt for your dog.

This is a picture of the "bugs" -- also known as Adam and Doug, co-owners with Dave and Brook of Skipper the Dog. Just like Skipper, Adam and Doug love Lanikai Bath and Body, particularly Pohaku the amazing sandalwood scent for men.

In this picture, Adam, the "bug" on the left, is wearing a Manuhealii shirt. Doug, the "bug" on the right is not. Doug and Adam, or Adam and Doug, are the coolest twins in Kailua. Maybe in Hawaii. Maybe in all the world.

They are both in the Navy reserves, but somehow, they are not reserved -- in fact, they got reservations to go to the Middle East -- something about which I definitely have reservations (of a different kind). Doug is Navy air crew, currently in Qatar for sixty days. Adam is a Navy medic, currently training at Ft. Dix (New Jersey) to go to Iraq in August for nine months.

We would vastly prefer to have them walking on Kailua Beach, as they are doing in this picture. Please send them all of your good thoughts.

(And don't forget about Manuhealii. Or LaniKai Bath and Body, of course!)

Skipper Loves Lanikai

This is Skipper.

He loves taking a bath in Flea Tub Tea.

He loves Poi Dog Island Mango Shampoo.

He loves it when Brook dries him off with a soggy dog towel.

He is a Lanikai Bath and Body dog through and through.

The Fountain

As many of you remember, the original Lanikai Bath and Body had a stone path leading from the front door to a beautiful blown glass blue fountain -- nestled in real Lanikai Beach sand. Loets of people thought it was a sink, so when we moved, it didn't move with us.

Instead, we got a beautiful new fountain, and some days ago, I promised you a photograph of thew new fountain at 600 Kailua Road. So here it is. In no way does the picture do the fountain justice ... especially the incredible sound that it make as the water slips over the side into a bed of river rock.

You musy come and see our fountain -- you must come and see our new store. You must come and see us --- at Lanikai Bath and Body! We're hoping you will do it soon.

Plumeria Haiku

This is the season of plumeria. Graduation stages and graduated students are festooned with them. The most popular are the "graveyard plumeria" -- the super scentual, deeply yellow and white ones.

Here is my haiku:

Plumeria grows
In the graveyard scented strong
Sweet love left behind.

You can buy our perfect Plumeria Lotion online or in Kailua at Lanikai Bath and Body!

Kamehameha Day

This is a weekend of festivities and parades in Waikiki, beginning today with the world's most beautiful floral parade (at least we think so) the Kamehameha Day parade.

One of the best parts of celebrating Kamehemeha's birth is the decorating of his wonderful statue in front of the courthouse downtown. It is more than magnificent.

We found several great pictures on the web, but unfortunately could not find the photo that was in this morning's Advertiser ... which featured a firefighter leaning in from his crane to touch noses with Kamehemeha and share the breath of life ("ha") with him. Mark did find the one which appears here which is of a firefighter named "Ocean" getting ready to place a lei on the statue.

Kamehemeha the Great, born on the Island of Hawaii, is credited with bringing the Hawaiian Islands together under one rule. He is much revered by the Hawaiians, and the ceremonies surrounding him and the Hawaiian culture are what makes this a wonderful place to live.

If you come to Hawaii, you must go see King Kamehameha's statue, before you drive across the Pali of course, to come to Lanikai Bath and Body!

Pat, Ann & Megan

Pat, Ann and Megan are the women behind BookEnds, the coolest bookstore in the world. Really. Well, it is at the very least the coolest bookstore in Hawaii and we are after all the most remote islands in the world -- so if you're here, you have to go to BookEnds, and then come visit us at Lanikai Bath and Body of course.

BookEnds is owned by Pat Banning (pictured here) who is a very bookish bookfiend, She loves books, she reads everything, and she knows what all of her customers like.
Mark was looking for more than 20 years for Colin Glencannon books -- books from his childhood memories. His sister Felciity made off with the Glencannon collection, and Mark was bereft until Pat found him some of the Glencannon series.

Now that Lanikai Bath and Body is just down the way from BookEnds, we can visit more often. It is definitely worth it.

Pablo's Lanikai Juice

As Father's Day approaches, it makes sense to celebrate fathers who are also our neighbors and friends. One such name is Pablo, the owner of Lanikai Juice.

Long ago -- maybe more than ten years, we worked with Pablo for smoothies, in exchange for helping him shape his image, and bring his brand to life. One of our most proud accomplihsments is the "Fresh. Pure. Hawaiian." which appears on bumper stickers,signs, and t shirts. We came up with that! It was the perfect positioning for Pablo and Lanikai Juice against the frozen berries of mainland competitors just around the corner.

Today , his placeis packed. He is selling plenty of fresh.pure.hawaiian. And everyone loves his place, including Matthew Fox (is that his name) one of the stars from lost who got him on Oprah.

Pablo has two lovely daughters --- so happy father's Day, Pablo! Have a fresh. pure. Hawaiian. father's Day. Love, Lanikai Bath and Body -- now your neighbors!

Father's Day is Just Around the Corner

Two weeks from today, your Dad will be wondering where his Father's Day present is.

Luckily for you, you will have shopped at Lanikai Bath and Body. Now you can even buy him one of Doug Peebles spectacular prints.

In addition to all things good for Dad's body, we have these beautiful photographs by our favorite photographer ... photos of Hawaii flowers, photos of the Mokuluas,
photos of windsurfers ...

Doug Peebles, our favorite photographer, is the husband of Margaret Peebles, our favorite manager, and he is the one who did the spectacular shot of the Mokuluas that was a feature of our old store and is now a feature of the new store.