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Hilot & Massage
WHAT IS HILOT?
AN ANCIENT ART STILL PRACTICED TODAY
Hilot (pronounced hee-lot) is Indigenous Filipino Manual Medicine, a hands-on healing practice that has been used across the Philippine islands for centuries. Think of it as the Filipino cousin to therapies you may already know, like Thai massage or Tui Na (Traditional Chinese medical massage). All three traditions share a similar philosophy: the body holds tension and imbalance, and specific pressure, stretching, and manipulation can release it, restoring the body to a natural, pain-free state.
Where Thai massage draws from yogic and Ayurvedic roots, and Tui Na comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hilot emerged from the shamanic healing traditions of the ancient Filipino people. It shares real similarities with both of those systems, using touch, pressure, and body manipulation as medicine, but it carries its own distinct techniques, philosophy, and lineage.
The goal of Hilot is simple: relieve pain and bring the body back into a harmonious, balanced state. It's popular enough that visitors travel from around the world specifically to experience traditional Filipino manual medicine in the Philippines.
In the islands, it's a common belief that healing ability is passed down through generations, a gift carried through families rather than simply a skill that's taught.
BERNARD'S STORY
IN HIS OWN WORDS
"It is common belief in the islands that healing abilities are passed down through the generations."
— Bernard Ruño
My maternal "Lolo," or grandfather, was a powerful psychic with healing abilities. He named my mother Remedios, which is Spanish for remedies or cures. I can remember from a very early age my mother teaching me some of what she learned from her father and using it on her to ease her aches and pains.
As a musician, I was experiencing quite a bit of pain due to hours of repetitive movement while playing violin, guitar, cello, and bass. In addition to hours of playing, we must often haul heavy equipment from place to place. My pain was so bad that I sought out treatment with a Chicago-based doctor, Dr. Nick Lorenz. Dr. Lorenz is himself a musician, a percussionist, and specialized in naprapathy. I participated in his case study, which was geared specifically toward musicians. Dr. Lorenz used several holistic modalities such as cupping and Gua Sha. His treatments were quite effective and dramatically reduced my pain issues. It also got me thinking about what I had learned from my mother and grandfather, and our own healing methods.
In my search to learn more about my own Filipino healing traditions, I met Virgil Apostol several years ago at a Filipino cultural festival in the Los Angeles area. Virgil is also a descendant of several generations of healers on both his maternal and paternal lines, is the author of the book Way of the Ancient Healer, and is the founder of the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science. It is there where I obtained my certification in Ablon (Hilot) Seated Therapy in Fall 2022.
I went on to study at the East-West Healing Arts Institute in Shorewood, where I learned both Western and Asian modalities. I obtained my massage license upon graduation, and returned to the Kailukuan School to complete my full body Hilot certification right after that.
At the Kailukuan School, I learned how to apply pressure combined with specific manipulative movements on different parts of the upper body. In the course of training, and after having experienced the treatments of my fellow students, I noticed that I had reduced pain, improved circulation, and greater range of motion, results similar to what I had experienced with Dr. Lorenz in Chicago.
Hilot can benefit anyone who sits for extended periods in front of a computer, or anyone who plays sports. My treatment focuses on the various musculoskeletal tensions and imbalances in the neck, head, shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers.
60-minute sessions of Hilot are recommended, and can be booked as a standalone treatment or combined with sound therapy.