More than Filipino massage, Hilot is a holistic system of healing focused on physical, emotional, and spiritual repair.
Most people who have heard of Hilot know it as Filipino massage, or know Hilot as the Filipino word for “massage” in general. For most of my life this is how I understood the meaning of Hilot as well, as I first learned it as a child from when my Filipino family members asked me in Ilokano, “Hilotenakman?” (“Can you give me a massage?”), where “Hilot” referred to massage.
My family members aren’t entirely wrong, of course, Hilot can include bodywork, but Hilot is better defined as traditional and indigenous Filipino medicine. Traditional, as in passed down from generation to generation from our ancestors; indigenous, meaning originating from pre-colonial customs of the Philippines; and medicine, meaning the practice of diagnostics, and the prevention and treatment of ailments1.
To limit Hilot to only Filipino massage is like limiting a tree to just its leaves. Is a tree only leaves? Or does a tree also include its many branches, its bark, its trunk, and its roots that are often unseen beneath the ground? If you’re only looking at its leaves, does the tree cease being a tree? Of course not. The leaves are part of the tree. In the same way, massage or bodywork is part of Hilot but it’s not all of Hilot– said in another way, bodywork does not encompass all that an Hilot practitioner does– it’s simply one of many things an Hilot practitioner can do.
As further elaboration, the Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Care defines Hilot as: “the art and science of the ancient Filipino healing traditions that are grounded on the concept of balance among the physical elements along with the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person. This practice includes the use of manipulations and massages that help in the prevention of disease and the restoration and maintenance of one’s health and well-being. Hilot also makes use of medicinal plants and bulong/orasyon (whispered or written prayers).”
So when you receive Hilot treatment sometimes that could include massage, and sometimes that can exclude massage and include other things, like pagpupulso (pulse reading) to check the state of your organs and life energy, finger alignment to assess spiritual disturbance or physical imbalance, suob (dry fumigation or hot steam) to induce sweating to cleanse the body and hasten restoration and recovery, herbal tea blends to rebalance hormonal fluctuations, tawas (spiritual diagnostic procedure) to find answers to issues in your life that are unclear, and much more not listed here2. Your hilot treatment can vary from session to session, depending on what is found during diagnostics and/or on what type of hilot treatment you’re looking for. It is also because of this customized, personal nature of every session that it can take upwards to 3 hours for a single session, depending on what needs to be treated.
One more thing, if you do get bodywork or massage during your Hilot session, it’s not considered relaxation massage. Hilot emphasizes encouraging you and your body to take control of your healing– and unlike other types of healing that ease you in and work over the course of multiple sessions, Hilot aims to help your repair in a “one and done” type of appointment.
To close, I’d like to leave you with one last quote, from my certifying instructor, Apu Adman, “Hilot is more than a technique—it is a family healing tradition. As there are many families that form our country, each carries a unique style of Hilot, shaped by their own ways of caring and compassion. Even within indigenous communities, healing is deeply personal, passed down as a gesture of love. Just as we cannot regulate how a mother cares for her child, we cannot standardize Hilot. It is an expression of love, and love cannot be confined by rules or forms. To practice Hilot is to embody the spirit of caring, to listen with the heart, and to touch with intention.”
This is to say, Hilot is not a monolith, and what you might experience in booking an Hilot session with me, may be different from what you experience in booking an Hilot session with a different practitioner.
Are you interested in trying Hilot?
As of writing, my full Hilot sessions are at capacity, but I am taking appointments for a blend of Hilot and lomi at Hale Lomilomi O Kekaimalino, with the aim of hastening targeted recovery. It’s great for gym-goers and people who want a “reset” for specific parts of their body.
Healing by Melody 
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