by Laurie Boris

Created on: April 13, 2009

Follow your nose...and enjoy the sensual pleasures of one of the oldest types of massage therapy. Aromatherapy massage introduces the powerful aromas of essential oils into massage therapy treatments to achieve relaxation, a sense of calm, invigoration, clarity and any number of physical, mental or spiritual benefits. All through your sense of smell!

Used in India in 3000 B.C. as a healing tool, in ancient Greece to prepare for athletic competition and beautify women's complexions, and in Roman baths as a relaxation treatment, aromatherapy still enjoys a healthy following today. The positive effects of scent on the body have even left the arena of alternative treatments and gone mainstream - catch nearly any television program and watch commercials for cleaning products and room fresheners touched with enticing scents like lavender, lemon and gardenia, all borrowed from the realm of aromatherapy. Want to learn more about aromatherapy massage? Here's a whiff of a sampler:

1. What are essential oils?

Essential oils are the aromatic essences of plants. They are highly concentrated, and extracted from all different parts of the plant - the flower, fruit, leaf, or even from tree barks or wood.

2. How does aromatherapy work?

Have you ever noticed that if you come home and smell something wonderful cooking on the stove, your mood automatically changes? Or have you ever gotten a hint of an aroma that instantly transported your mind into the past, like a child's box of crayons or perfume that reminded you of a loved one? Then you know that our sense of smell is an extremely powerful window into our emotions. Different types of aromas have been shown to elicit different effects. It was only natural that many civilizations started used the power of scent in healing arts like massage.

3. How is scent used in aromatherapy massage?

- Essential oils can be diluted in skin care oils (such as sweet almond, jojoba, and grapeseed) and rubbed into the skin during a massage. (Note: most essential oils should never be applied at full-strength directly to the skin.)

- Essential oils can be diffused into the environment during your massage. Simple oil diffusers can be nothing more than a glass bottle containing diluted essential oil(s), with bamboo sticks that release the scent into the air. The more sticks in the bottle, the more scent is released.

- And oils can be floated over the waters of hydrotherapy baths for a delicious and soothing experience as the heat diffuses the scent.

4. What

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