by Irini Kotroni

Created on: March 23, 2010   Last Updated: March 25, 2010

Going out?  Men apply their aftershave, ladies dab on their perfume.  Why do we do it? It makes us smell nice and we feel good because the aromas from our perfume and aftershave stimulate our senses with feelings of relaxation and pleasure.

Scents, smells, aromas, call them what you will, are in our everyday lives.  Go out in a morning and breathe in the fresh air of a new day or stoop down and smell a rose, take a walk in the yard after the grass has been cut and instant memories of summer come to mind.  The list is endless; each one of us will have a special, uplifting aromatic memory.

Aromatherapy massage has been around for over 4,000 years.  The ancient Romans, Greeks, Chinese and Egyptians used it for healing purposes, to keep the mind and body in optimum health.  The specially blended oils help boost the systems of the body.  The oils are absorbed down the shafts of the delicate hairs on our body.

You have booked your aromatherapy massage.  Somebody said they’d enjoyed it so you thought you’d try one.  Your mind is open and you are not sure what to expect. 

Your therapist greets you and already pleasant aromas are emanating from her clinic.  Background soothing music is being played, the room is warm, unlike sports or remedial massage, everything about this massage is relaxing.  Gentle long strokes will be used on legs, neck, back and arms; soft, small circular movements will be applied to the face, in particular to the sinus areas where toxins tend to accumulate. You may even fall asleep. It will not matter; it is ‘your’ time.

In you go and the therapist starts to ask you about your current state of health and mind.  Are you on any medication, do you suffer from any medical conditions such as epilepsy?  If you are a newcomer to massage you may be wondering why all this information is needed. 

Don’t worry they are building up a picture of you; already they are eliminating some oils from the wide range available and in the case of epilepsy for example, the oils that have a convulsant effect.  Rosemary, sage, camphor and spike lavender oils contain camphor and fall into this category.

Try to have some idea of how you want to feel after your massage; calm, relaxed or alert.  Do you have far to travel to your destination?  Will you be driving in heavy traffic?  Your answers may have some bearing on the choice of oils.

You will be asked

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