What is aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy – the use of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils for healing and cosmetic purposes.

Aromatherapy massage is a specific type of massage that uses a blend of essential oils as part of the treatment. These essential oils, combined with the physical benefits of touch therapy, aim to provide psychology benefits and emotional healing.

Each essential oil has its own healing benefits and through the senses and absorption, clients can benefit from these healing properties.

What are the benefits?

Your therapist will have an initial discussion with you prior to treatment, to determine what blend of essential oils would benefit you the most depending on your current emotional state.

The combination of physical touch and the healing properties of the essential oils, derived from plant extracts, can provide a multitude of benefits:

• Reduces stress
• Alleviates anxiety
• Increases relaxation
• Eliminates muscle tension
• Reduces symptoms of depression
• Eases pain and/or discomfort from certain ailments
• Improves blood circulation
• Reduces inflammation
• Firms muscle tone
• Alleviates joint pain

Are there any disadvantages?

Due to the use of essential oils, you must make sure you’re not allergic to the products before you have the treatment. This doesn’t mean to say you can’t have aromatherapy all together, but you need to inform your therapist if you have an allergy to anything specific before you begin. That way, you can avoid having a reaction during or after your treatment.

Aromatherapy massage should only be performed by a trained therapist. Blending oils is a skill and if done incorrectly, can cause irritation and inflammation to the skin. You can purchase preblended aromatherapy oils if you would like to try them at home, but never try to blend pure essential oils if you are untrained and do not apply pure essential oils directly to your skin.

5 popular essential oils

1. Lavender – a soothing and relaxing scent that relieves stress and support better sleep
2. Ylang ylang – a calming sweet scent that alleviates anxiety and helps you feel relaxed
3. Bergamot – a popular scent that promotes emotional wellbeing and self-confidence
4. Peppermint – a refreshing and invigorating scent, it cools fatigued muscles and improves healthy gut function
5. Frankincense – a rich and inviting scent that provides a grounding feeling and a sense of tranquillity

Why should I try an aromatherapy massage?

Imagine a warm, inviting room. The lights are soft and low. Serene music plays gently in the background. The massage table is heated, with fresh, warm blankets and towels enveloping you. The therapist begins to massage your tired, aching muscles and the rich, relaxing scents of lavender, bergamot and ylang-ylang surround you as you drift off into pure peace.

An hour dedicated to you resting and unwinding, after long week, month or even a difficult year, provides more benefits to your mental health and wellbeing than you even realise.

If you’d like to try an aromatherapy massage, call 0118 978 1153 to book an appointment, or email enquiries@bijou-beauty.co.uk.