Best of HONOLULU 2025: Services on O‘ahu

You need a pet health expert, professional organizing, auto repairs or another service? Consult this list of businesses voted and selected as most reliable in their fields.

July 11, 2025

Darlene Dela Cruz, Katrina Valcourt, Diane Seo,

BEST OF HONOLULU 2025

Img 9041 2 Courtesy Muse Holistic Veterinary Care Bethany Brown H — Photo: Courtesy of Muse Holistic Veterinary Care/Bethany Brown

Place for Holistic Pet Health

Along with being an integrative veterinarian, Dr. Meghan Barrett has a background in dance, horseback riding and music. So it’s fitting she launched Muse Holistic Veterinary Care, a wellness-focused practice where beloved pets recharge through holistic treatments and services. This includes acupuncture, rehab exercises, customized nutritional plans, and specialized laser, massage and touch therapies. She even creates sound therapy compositions to ease stress and anxiety, a kind of spa playlist for our animal friends.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Barrett attended UH Mānoa, then veterinary school at Colorado State University. From an early age, she appeared destined for a career helping animals. At age 12, she wrote a letter to a local newspaper calling for a ban on fireworks, citing the stress and trauma they cause pets. And even in veterinary hospitals where she previously worked, she recognized the need for calmer clinical environments.

When launching her own veterinary practice, her vision was to create a peaceful sanctuary that drew from her rich musical background. Barrett’s parents are both professional musicians with more than 40 years with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, and she plays the flute, piano, guitar, drums, bass, penny whistle and harp. (The soundscape compositions she creates for pets are available on YouTube @drbarrettvet.)

Along with sound therapy, Barrett focuses on animal nutrition. In 2023, she published a book, From Basic to Bougie: A Blueprint to Upgrade Your Pet’s Diet Safely and Simply, that provides information and resources for holistic pet health. The result of Barrett’s approach: happy, healthy pets. “I wouldn’t trust our fur babies with anyone else,” one pet owner says in a website testimonial. —DDC

1023 Pensacola St., Makiki, (818) 457-1414, museholisticvet.com, @drbarrettvet

Travel By Plane Getty — Illustration: Getty Images

READER PICK

Airline

Since it fittingly started serving Hawai‘i (we’re the “southwesternmost” state, after all) in 2019, Southwest Airlines has provided local travelers more options to travel nonstop to such cities as Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Despite recently announced changes such as assigned seating (to start next year) and baggage fees, you can still find one-way trips to the Neighbor Islands starting at $49, which makes for an affordable day trip. —KV

southwest.com, @southwestair

202211 Rr Closetorg Photoshoot2 Hires 27 Courtesy Revise Refine Ashley Kaneko — Photo: Courtesy of Revise Refine/Ashley Kaneko

Professional Organizer

Bringing calm and clarity to a home often begins with decluttering. Enter professional organizer Chelsea Tsuchida, founder of Revise + Refine. Tsuchida left a media and marketing career after she drew a following for her Instagram posts on the Marie Kondo method, which she used on her own home. Beyond bins and labels, Revise + Refine offers personalized consultations for everything from downsizing to moving to addressing an overstuffed closet. Tsuchida also provides feng shui consultations, with all appointments scheduled online. —DDC

reviseandrefine.com, @reviseandrefine

Courtesy Mccully Bicycle Repair And Maintenance Shop Grant Takayesu — Photo: Courtesy of Mccully Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Shop/Grant Takayesu

Place to Fix a Bike

Not to be confused with McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods, the store, this is its mechanic brother. Located in a modest, nondescript garage on Hausten Street, McCully Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Shop will help you fix a flat, adjust your brakes and switch out tires to get you rolling. It’s known for its efficient and reliable service, and bicyclists in the know attest there is no better place in Honolulu for a quick fix. —DS

932 Hausten St., Mō‘ili‘ili, (808) 946-1192, @mccullybike

Microphone Gettyimages 2193778217 — Illustration: Getty Images

Way to Find Your Voice

When I started taking singing classes with Gary Shimabukuro at SEN Music Studios 15 years ago, I had no idea I would learn far more than scales and syncopation. Part musical guru, part life coach, Shimabukuro has instructed singers and musicians for more than 40 years, with students including professional vocalists, karaoke regulars, keiki and others just wanting to “find their voice.” By helping students deepen their feelings and senses through music, Shimabukuro says even shy, timid people gain confidence, and in some cases, “find hope.” DM him on Instagram to schedule a virtual session. —DDC

@senmusicstudios