Samadhi Hawaii

Awesome blossom! About as unique as you can get for a birthday party!
This review is for a birthday party for kids held at Samadhi Hawaii. I arranged a private party via email with Nicole. It was easy to arrange, she was informative and quick to respond. They are able to accommodate kids of almost all ages (they made it work for a 3 year old!). The payment is per person who participates in the party and the hours are held outside of their normal business hours. They are located on Cooke St, about a block in from Ala Moana Blvd and inside of Boca Hawaii (there’s a door just to the right of the cashier area to get upstairs).
The birthday I held was on a Saturday evening, which worked out just fine. You can also rent tables/​chairs/​space within their studio and bring in your own food/​drinks to conduct the birthday celebration after the lesson. They had 3 tables and roughly 20 some-​odd chairs.
Nicole and her instructors are hands on and great with the kids. The group was divided into smaller groups of 3s, which gave everyone much more hands on application on the apparatus’. The private lesson runs between one and a quarter to one and a half hours or so, including stretching before and after the lesson. They used the silks and the trapeze. The kids had a blast and learned a lot — most, if not all, had not tried anything like this before. After the kids ate, they continued to bounce and run on the mats that were left out. I’m not sure if this was ok with Nicole and her staff but no one stopped them and the kids continued their good time. It’s literally the perfect location for kids and an extra special girly birthday! The adults are happy too when their kids are worn out!
We brought in food and drinks to have dinner there after the instruction. They don’t offer refrigerator space so you need to have everything in coolers or out in the open (note: everything needs to be carried upstairs). Also, no A/​C so it does get warm. Would recommend food that can be outside. Also, due to no A/​C, best to let guests know so they can dress accordingly.
Parking I believe is street only. I’m guessing there is not usually a problem on the weekends (though a little walk from some stalls). Boca, which is the main tenant of the building, has a small lot, which is reserved for them. I didn’t ask but if you ever go to Samadhi, best to check with them if guests can park in the Boca lot after hours (they closed at 5 on that Saturday).
Another tip is that once Boca closes, the front door is closed so guests need to ring the doorbell so someone from Samadhi can let them in.
If you’re looking for a unique birthday party, I would highly recommend Samadhi! (Based on the party, I’m sure their normal lessons are GREAT too!)

I am visiting from out of town and was so happy to discover an aerial studio that was offering more than aerial yoga. I contacted the owner to see if I could attend an advanced class (since they seemed to be closed, ongoing classes) She was so wonderful and allowed me to do a drop-​in class. The teacher, Nicole, was great! We had a guided warm up, challenging and new conditioning ideas, innovative climbs, and she guided us very thoroughly through a progression of ankle hang skills. I loved how she moved along in steps, so you could stop where you needed to keep working on a skill… or keep moving on to challenge yourself. The other girls in the class were supportive and friendly. I will definitely take class here again if i find myself on Oahu in the future.

When I first started I was not athletic at all with zero experience but the instructors were patient and worked with me. Silks is probably the most popular but I love trapeze and lyra the most! Within a few months of practice every week I mustered up the strength and courage to perform a 2min lyra routine at the Hawaii Theatre for my pageant — one of the best experiences ever! The group classes are small so everyone has time with the instructor and private lessons are also available.

Pretty much I will preface this with I am a couch potato and I work a desk job. My fitness level is pretty low, but I still love the tissu class (only one I’ve tried, but I intend to try the conditioning one tomorrow… As I have been saying to my tissu teacher for the last year… And I did the burlesque and one dance workshop).
They are located on Cooke street, across from the jaguar/​Land Rover dealer– you go into the Boca bike shop, go to the door in the back of the shop and head up the stairs. You can pay for classes on arrival or pay online. If you email with questions they are pretty good about answering any concerns.
Parking is street parking. Street parking is free on Sundays or free after 6pm on weekdays so bring change for the meter.
The teachers are great — I’ve been in the tissu foundations class a couple years now, and even with my low fitness level, they can modify or assist to make sure you get the most out of every class.
There is no ac in the upstairs but there usually is water in the water dispenser. You can usually find an open chair or seat on the bench if you are still unsure and want to observe a class first.
The website provides the updated beginning and end of each session. Conditioning is ongoing and is $ 23/​class or you can save a few bucks a class and get the 10 class punch card.
For me, it takes a lot to get me off the couch. I’ve tried yoga, hot yoga, women’s weight lifting, mountain biking, barre, ballet, toe, jazz, ballroom dancing, belly dancing, Pilates, trx, bootcamps and aerobics … And this is only one I’ve really continued to attend regularly, other than yoga or aerial yoga. It might just be that workout you were looking for, plus it just plain looks cool when you progress!

I attended one Tissu Foundations class last week and it was a blast! My friend and I were first timers who were curious about how difficult aerial acrobatics actually is. Needless to say, it was very difficult. That being said, our instructor was very patient with us and always had safety as her first priority. One class is $ 30, which is not bad at all, and if you attend their 5-​week Tissu Foundation course the price is $ 135.
The only gripe I had with this place was that there was no air conditioning. The day we went was particularly hot, and it would have helped a lot if there was some sort of indoor cooling. That being said, if you are looking for a fun and unique activity you should definitely look into the various classes that Samadhi Hawaii offers. Don’t feel intimidated if you are an absolute beginner, the instructors are wonderful and will work with you!

I was lucky enough to attend a Unilocal event at Samadhi and their team was really awesome! They were super supportive of the people who were trying it for the first time. It can be really difficult to learn some of the basic moves, but they were very supportive (physically and emotionally). They also taught them a simple trick that was easy to execute, but made them look awesome in pictures. The best way to encourage someone to keep working at silks? Make sure they walk away with a great photo in the silks.
I’m not a beginner and although they were supervising a large class, they let me do a few more advanced moves and gave me great pointers to get better form.
Would definitely recommend!

I am taking a foundation aeriel silks class here. I signed up for 6 classes and plan to continue. I decided to take these classes with absolutely no aeriel experience or dance background, I honestly cant even touch my toes– flexibility is not my strenghth. Needless to say, the instructor has been so patient and encouraging. She really takes the time to teach and re teach the class, as well as ensure our safety. For such an intimidating new hobby, the instructor has really made me feel proud of the progress ive made, which is awesome motivation. There are people from all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds and she has accomodated us all very well. Fun class!

When I was little, my Mom enrolled me in ballet class but pulled me out right before the recitals because she thought I wasn’t any good. I guess she was right, I was THAT bad. I’ve forgotten about this childhood trauma because of Samadhi Hawaii.
I came to them just with the goal of trying something new. I thought heh, at least I’ll have a nice story to tell my friends about how I fell flat on my face or got tangled up on the silks. I was the kind of girl who couldn’t climb 2 flights of stairs without getting winded. Unless I happen to be wearing a watch, I still confuse my right and left. I hate heights — I’m already afraid at the top of that long escalator at Ala Moana. Little did I know that although I thought I was going to die after that first class, I’d be hooked for life!
It’s been around 3 years since I’ve started going there. I can now climb the 15″ silks to the top of their studio… UPSIDE DOWN! Ha! I can touch my foot to the top of my head going backwards. I still scream internally whenever I do a drop, but at least I can fake it like I’m working it (I think).
I don’t have a dance or fitness background. I suck at working out. What makes Samadhi different? I think it’s the people. Each and every instructor is a miracle worker. Like, I can’t tell you what a mess I was when I started, but I never felt stupid or weak or like I wasn’t good enough to be there. Everyone is so patient and so giving of their time and advice. But what I loved the most is that you can really feel their passion, and their passion to share their passion. All the students I’ve met are cool people too. It’s kind of hip to hang out there, chillin’ in your booty shorts worn over your tights. Oh yeah, aerialist fashion… it’s gonna be big one day!
And you know what else… I’ve been in every recital since the first year I was there. Take that, Mom! Ahaha! :D

Freakin’ amazing. I hired Samadhi Hawaii for a Unilocal party awhile back and it was just the WOW factor we needed to make it 5-​stars! Sensual, powerful, beautiful, mesmerizing, graceful, are just a handful of words I’ll use to describe their performances. There is nothing like having someone dangling 30 feet off the ground from fabric to get the crowd buzzing! If you’re doing an event that has the space (vertical and horizontal) and the budget, your guests are going to love, love, love Samadhi. The acrobats can bring their own apparatus to hang from OR if you have sturdy trees, they can hang from those as well! You’ll enjoy working with Andrea and these good hearted people who are in AMAZING shape!

Samadhi just installed more silk/​trapeze stations so classes can scale from 2 up to I believe 8 stations!

I can’t due a pull up to save my life, but still tried this out. I went to the aerial conditioning class and it was just as Akiko described, but I still went to try it out. So for all you other people who want to try this out but is thinking to yourself that your arms are sad excuses for limbs, don’t fret. That was me, but I had no shame for once. We can’t all be george of the jungle, that’s why you’re taking the class! I’d say more, but my arms are just not having it.

Remember when you were a little kid playing in the park… hanging on monkey bars and all that? Well, I did not realize hanging and trying to get my feet up was so difficult… until I went to an aerial conditioning class at Samadhi Hawaii.
Fitness savvy co-​worker introduced me to this «conditioning» class. OMG. My hands were like «the claw» after gripping the trapeze bar and the silk (they call it tissu) fabric for an hour… my forearms and bi-​/​tri-​ceps were non-​functional after the 1hr 15min class!
We work out in «stations» and each of us do a given number of movements at each station. One station, for example, would be hanging on the trapeze bar using arm/​core strength and flipping yourself upside-​down, another station would be to climb up and come down the tissue «elegantly,» and the last station would be pull-​ups with a knee-​tuck at the top.
Nicole Young, the instructor and a performer at Samadhi Hawaii, makes it look SO easy and yet when I actually go to do it, I CAN’T!!! WHY???
This has helped me increase core stability and arm/​back strength. I hate myself for having such jello-​like arms at the end of each class, but I have SO MUCH FUN during class! …Just like back in the days when I was at the park.
Great workout at such a reasonable fee. They offer keiki clases, too!