"BODIES…The Exhibition," which features preserved human body specimens, will open next month at Ala Moana Center, next to Nordstrom.

The exhibition features whole and partial human body specimens, giving individuals the opportunity to view the complexity of their own organs and systems. Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the exhibit, which opens June 14..

The exhibition provides an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body. Many of the whole body specimens are dissected in vivid athletic poses, allowing the visitor to relate to everyday activities. In addition, authentic human specimens illustrate the damage caused to organs by over-eating and lack of exercise. A healthy lung is featured next to a black lung ravaged by smoking in a vivid comparison more powerful than any textbook image.

The exhibition will "change the way people see themselves," Roy Glover, chief medical director of Premier Exhibitions, Inc., said in a news release. "It is designed to enlighten, empower, fascinate, and inspire. Your body is the only thing that you carry with you from the moment you are born until your last breath. Yet we know surprising little about ourselves. For centuries, this world has been off-limits to the public — open only to doctors and medical professionals."

The specimens in the exhibition are preserved through a technique called polymer preservation. In this process, human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened. The end result is a rubberized specimen, preserved to the cellular level, showcasing the complexity of the body's bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs. The full-body specimens can take more than a year to prepare.

Tickets may obtained starting tomorrow at www.BodiesTickets.com. Adults, $26; seniors, $24; children $18; and student/military with valid ID $19; discounted prices are available to groups. Exhibit hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. For additional information, go to www.bodiestheexhibition.com.