Phyllis Look Claimed

Phyllis Look is Hawaiʻi's first certified forest therapy guide. She founded Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi in 2018 while training with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. She has since facilitated more than 460 walks, arguably an ANFT record.

Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi has been recommended by The New York Times, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and United Airlines. Treehugger named our walks one of 2021ʻs best green travel experiences; Forbes "one of the top five travel experiences in the world."

Based in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu, she now guides in-person at the Kahaluʻu Gallery and Gardens, Camp Pālehua, and remotely/online. Her early career was spent in the professional theatre, then in management positions in marketing communications. She continues to find joy and purpose in connecting people with each other, with themselves, and with the natural world.

She has guided visitors to and residents of Hawaiʻi, families with young children, as well as seniors; for workplace retreats; in rain forests, at the beach, in community gardens and in a tiny plant store. She is a consultant for the global network Wellbeing Inspired by Nature to bring a holistic approach to workplace wellness through nature connection.

Recently, she was instrumental in introducing relational forest therapy to the neighboring island of Maui as a response to the traumatic fires of 2023. Through the Healing Trees project, she not only facilitated forest bathing experiences for fire survivors and the general population, but raised funds to provide for partial scholarships for a number of Maui residents to train as forest therapy guides in order to provide ongoing service to their community as it recovers and rebuilds.

She is currently offering a series of free one-hour forest bathing sessions in Kapiʻolani Park in Waikīkī, her small contribution to address some of the anxiety, exhaustion, and disorientation of these times. More here.

Phyllis is certified in Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and is a certified forest therapy trail consultant.