About the treatment

Aromatherapy massage is the type of Swedish massage that uses essential oils (highly concentrated plant oils).  Its main focus is relaxation and mindfulness. 

During an aromatherapy massage, you both inhale these essential oil molecules and absorb them through your skin.  Its main focus is relaxation and mindfulness. 
 

What exactly is an essential oil?

In general, the essential oils are made of plant extracts which capture the plant ‘essence’. After the extraction procedure, the essential oils are mixed with normal oils and made ready for use. It is believed that some essential oils have healing and cleansing properties on the body. There are few ways on how the body can interact with the essential oils. In aromatherapy, the most common ways of interaction are through the skin and inhalation. A therapist may be using an oil while applying a treatment and have another container of oil open for the scent.
 

What are the benefits of aromatherapy massage?

The main benefits of the aromatherapy massage are reduction of stress and anxiety, decrease in muscle tension and pain relieve. It also helps to reduce the symptoms of depression, control the inflammation and help with headaches. 

Moreover, it can help to manage the pain of many conditions such as fibromyalgia, which is a condition that causes increased sensitivity to pain all over the body, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic lower back pain, insomnia , which is a sleep disorder, and more. 

Each essential oil used in aromatherapy is said to have different properties. For example, some calm and make you feel relaxed while others energize. 

• Calming:

 Chamomile, lavender, and geranium oil

• Decongesting:

 Eucalyptus, pine, and tea tree oil

• Energizing:

 Rosemary oil

• Uplifting:

Ylang-ylang, clary sage, rose, and neroli oil
 

What happens during an Aromatherapy massage session?

Your therapist will conduct a medical history to determine the appropriate essential oil for you. A therapist will choose an oil depending on your needs and expectations. You need to let your massage therapist know if you have any allergy and smell preferences. 

The pressure during the treatment may vary from light to strong, but that depends on your reason for seeing a therapist. For example, if you are having difficulties relaxing or sleeping, light pressure is probably the way to go whereas, if you have muscle tension and some aches, deeper pressure should do the trick.
 

What are the best aromatherapy massage oils?

There are lots of different essential oils and with many properties. All depends on what you want to achieve with the essential oil massage. 

For example, if you will want to improve your sleep a therapist may recommend using a lavender oil as it is known for the ability to reduce the symptoms of insomnia. If you have a stressful daily routine and feeling anxious about anything at all, you may be offered to try rose, camomile or Bergamont orange oil. 

It appears that peppermint oil is one of the most popular choices when it comes to management of headaches and migraines. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, there are so many more oils which are widely used in the alternative practices and aromatherapy. Below you will find a list of several more oils which might interest you:

–    Sandalwood oil helps with focus and calm down nerves.

–    Tea Tree oil is used to fight infections and boost the immune system.

–    Lemon oil is mainly used to help with headaches, digestion and mood.

–    Jasmin oil is used to help with libido, childbirth and depression.

–    Wintergreen oil is used to help alleviate joint related pains and aches.

–    Marjoram and Balsam Fir oil is used to try and improve the muscle tone.
 

How often should you have an aromatherapy massage? 

It  depends on what you want to achieve with your treatment, sometimes it is recommended weekly or monthly but this varies for person to person. 
 

Is aromatherapy massage safe during pregnancy?

Maybe not.

Although a prenatal massage in itself is considered safe. If you’re looking for an aromatherapy massage while pregnant, speak to your doctor first about which oils may be safe. There is concern that essential oils can transfer over into the placenta and result in harm to the fetus. 

According to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, you should avoid the following essential oils if you’re pregnant:

• aniseed

• basil

• birch

• parsley

• pennyroyal

• sage

• tarragon

• wintergreen
  
  Is Aromatherapy massage safe?

There are generally few risks associated with aromatherapy massage. One consideration is possible sensitivity to the essential oils used during your massage. Your massage therapist should always dilute the oil with massage lotion before applying to the skin. 

Possible symptoms of an allergic reaction to essential oils include: rash, hive, redness, swelling or itchiness.

If you have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us 3 mins away from Angel station in Islington. If you like this blog, please share!

We are always happy to help.