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Eastern and Western traditions meet on Oahu, where savvy shoppers find luxury goods at high-end malls and scout tiny boutiques and galleries filled with pottery, blown glass, woodwork, and Hawaiian-print clothing by local artists. This blend of cultures is pervasive in the wide selection of spas as well. Hawaiian lomilomi and hot-stone massages are as omnipresent as the orchid and plumeria flowers decorating every treatment room.
Exploring downtown Honolulu, Kailua on the windward side, and the North Shore often yields the most original merchandise. Some of the small stores carry imported clothes and gifts from around the world—a reminder that, on this island halfway between Asia and the United States, shopping is a multicultural experience.
If you're getting a massage at a spa, there's a spiritual element to the lomilomi that calms the soul while the muscles release tension. During a hot-stone massage, smooth rocks, taken from the earth with permission from Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, are heated and placed at focal points on the body. Others are covered in oil and rubbed over tired limbs, feeling like powerful fingers. For an alternative, refresh skin with mango scrubs so fragrant they seem edible. Savor the unusual sensation of bamboo tapped against the arches of the feet. Indulge in a scalp massage that makes the entire body tingle. Day spas provide additional options to the self-indulgent services offered in almost every major hotel on the island.
For a look into the harvesting and design of coral and black pearl jewelry, visit this shop and take a free tour at its adjacent factory near the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Avoid the "Pick a Pearl" option at their other kiosk locations unless you're prepared to be upsold on a jewelry setting or two for the pearls "found" in your shells.
If you look at the wrists of kamaaina (local) women, you might see Hawaiian heirloom bracelets fashioned in either gold or silver and engraved in a number of Islands-inspired designs. Na Hoku sells these and other traditional Hawaiian jewelry along with an array of modern Island-influenced designs that capture the heart of the Hawaiian lifestyle in all its elegant diversity. There are a number of Na Hoku locations on Oahu, as well as on the other Islands and the Mainland.
Like its larger sibling in the Ala Moana Center, this designer and island-lifestyle jewelry store sells Tahitian pearls and ocean- and marine-theme jewelry.
This famed jeweler creates heirloom-quality Hawaiian pieces in platinum and different shades of gold that feature traditional scrolling patterns, enameled names, and inlays. Items from the outfit's Wedding Collection are often sought by celebrities.
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