Best of HONOLULU 2025: Health & Wellness on O‘ahu

The best wellness retreat, fitness supplements, mat pilates, natural pain relief and more ways to live well.

July 11, 2025

Diane Seo,

BEST OF HONOLULU 2025

Thumbnail Img 3268 H — Photo: Chey Kaeo-Chin/Bevy Boss HI/Recap Hawai’i Content Creator

Local Wellness Retreat

Yoga instructor Maka Paracuelles organized her first wellness retreat in March at the scenic Ka‘ala Vista site in Waialua. The daylong event included three yoga classes (Vinyasa, a yoga sculpt class and a Yin session), along with meals, kava, lymphatic massage, a facial and jujitsu class. With a Hawaiian Studies degree from UH, Paracuelles titled the event Pehea ‘oe or “How are you?” to encourage attendees to slow down and get centered. After encouraging feedback from the 85 attendees, Paracuelles is planning the next one in October, at the same venue. This time, she’ll have two retreats capped at 50 participants each, allowing for a more intimate experience. —DS

@makaparacuelles

Hn2508 Ay Hi Discount Vitamins 9318 — Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Locally Owned Shop for Fitness Supplements

Protein? Check. Creatine, electrolytes, fat burners and muscle builders? Check, check, check and check. When you’d rather support a local brick-and-mortar store for your workout supplements instead of sending more dollars to Amazon, head to Hawai‘i Discount Vitamins. The friendly staff members are workout buffs themselves and can answer all your questions about slimming down,
toning up and getting jacked. —DS

1600 Kapi‘olani Blvd., Suite 121, Ala Moana, (808) 369-2550, hawaiidiscountvitamins.shop, @hawaiidiscountvitamins

Hn2508 Shebrews Aloha 4148 — Melinda Mullis, co-owner of SheBrews Aloha, focuses her gaze in Standing Bow. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Yoga to Add Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years

Bikram yoga classes at Yoga & Art by SheBrews Aloha will heal you “from the inside out, from bones to skin,” as students learn in the 75-minute session. Devotees of this infrared heated practice have been coming for years—some for more than a decade—to complete the same 26 postures and two breathing exercises. While the distinctive (and sometimes humorous) dialogue deviates a bit from the original, 90-minute Bikram script, the yoga’s healing capacity is clearly relayed in this impeccably timed and well-prompted class for students of all ages and skill levels.

So, what’s to gain? Far more than a toned physique. A regular practice will connect you to your life force—your breath—giving you power to complete the rigorous sequence of standing and floor postures, “calm your monkey mind,” and allow you to “heal thyself.”

What’s more: The well-kept studio, tucked on the second floor of Koko Marina Center, is the best kept yoga secret on the island, with ambient lighting, cocoonlike lanterns, wood floors and a serene vibe. Instead of trying to be overly trendy, this East O‘ahu studio is content being a sanctuary, a quieter place where you can steady your gaze, stand on one leg while kicking out with the other and balance during Standing Bow.

Although this “26 & 2” class, heated typically past 100 degrees, may be intimidating to newcomers, persistence brings incremental progress. As students learn, a consistent and disciplined practice leads to graceful aging, adding years to your life and life to your years. —DS

7192 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, #E-215, Hawai‘i Kai, (808) 853-8202, shebrewsaloha.com, @shebrewsaloha

Thumbnail Hbp Leg Pull Front Courtesy Happie Body Pilates H — Photo: Courtesy of Happie Body Pilates

Mat Pilates

Launched last year near Salt in Kaka‘ako, Happie Body Pilates offers challenging (and fun) group mat classes, incorporating classic, low-impact movements created by Joseph Pilates. The boutique studio’s owner and instructor, Angie Happie Lieuw, is a Pilates dynamo with 20 years’ teaching experience, most recently in New York. Her encouraging, expert instruction over the hourlong classes—which regulars attest will rock your core—is motivating and effective. Class packages are available, with a discount on your first class. —DS

400 Keawe St., #106, Kaka‘ako, (808) 590-8162, happiebodypilates.com, @happiebodypilates

Tristy1 Courtesy Red Light Healing Center — Photo: Courtesy of Red Light Healing Center

Place for Relieving Pain, Naturally

When your back is achy or your body inflamed, instead of popping Advil, book a 20-minute session on one of the professional-grade machines at Red Light Healing Center. The noninvasive light therapy has been found to address various issues by stimulating mitochondria, the energy source of cells. This increased energy can reduce inflammation and also boost collagen, which is why some use red light as a beauty or skin treatment. The centers are at McCully Shopping Center and in Kailua, with both memberships and packages available. —DS

Multiple locations, (808) 260-9795, redlighthealing.com, @red_light_healing_center