Aromatherapy Massage

Choose from invigorating and stimulating or relaxing and soothing oils to regain your balance with this aromatic Swedish massage.

Massage therapy is beneficial on its own; however when its used in conjunction with essential oils, these two therapies can be synergistically more beneficial than when they’re performed separately. Aromatherapy massage involves a massage treatment using essential oils. The essential oils which refers to oils that come from the essence of plants - are a little oily, very fragrant, and usually too concentrated to be used undiluted. For this reason essential oils are typically blended with a carrier oil - such as jojoba or grapeseed oil - in order to dilute them so they don’t harm the clients skin.

The essential oils used are determined by the massage therapist. They are chosen to therapeutically treat the emotional disorders of the client through the olfactory glands (through smell). Aromatherapy massage works when essential oils are inhaled by the client. When the fragrant oils are inhaled, a chemical message is sent to the brain which triggers a certain emotional response.

Oftentimes the oils chosen for aromatherapy massage are meant to tap into the clients memory. These can be smells that remind the client of a time when they felt happy, safe, relaxed, peaceful or energized. The combination of the senses - the emotion elicited by the scent of the essential oil and the sensation of touch - is how aromatherapy massage makes a client feel relaxed, stimulated, peaceful or euphoric, depending on their desired emotional response. This combination can also provide stress relief and pain relief, help aid a sleeping disorder or physical condition, or energize the mind and body.

Before your first aromatherapy massage session, your massage therapist will conduct an initial consultation with you to learn about your desired outcome. They might ask about the current state of your work life, home life, physical health and mental state to learn about what you need. Following the consultation, the massage therapist will select several essential oils specific to your mental and physical conditions, and blend them into a massage oil to be used during your first massage. At the end of the treatment, there is an opportunity to purchase the blend that was mixed for you as well as bath salts so you can use them at home together or separately to continue the Spa experience.

Tips

Whether you are a first timer to massage or the Spa experience, or someone who has regular massage/treatments, here are some things to keep in mind to enjoy your time:

• For any oil massage, you will have to undress and slip between the sheets on the massage table. It is your choice whether you undress completely or you’re your undergarments on. Depending on the temperature of the room, there will also be a blanket that will cover the sheets. Your practitioner will direct you as to whether be on your back or front. Once you are settled on the bed, make sure that the covers are up to your shoulders, covering your body. Your practitioner will give you enough time to settle and then knock on the door to see if you are ready or not. When you give the signal, then they will enter and get ready to start the massage.
• For non-oil treatments such as shiatsu and thai, you will either wear your own clothes if they are loose or use clothes provided. The treatment will be done over/through the clothes.
• Once the treatment begins, what experience you have is between you and your practitioner. You determine how it goes. If you want more or less pressure, then communicate this to the practitioner. If you want a particular area to have more attention, then communicate this. If the practitioner is good, they will continuously be asking you questions, to determine these. The clearer you are, the more personalized your treatment will be. If the practitioner is not open to you communicating your needs, then they are not worth continuing with.
• Many people ask how much they should talk in a treatment. The answer is that it is completely up to you. You are paying for the service. If you need to chat, then chat. If you wish to be silent and fall asleep, then go for it. The practitioner will respect this. Again, you are paying for the treatment.
• As the practitioner moves around to different areas of your body, they will be moving the covers on and off. They will doing this while keeping your private areas still covered. The technique of draping is taught in all the schools and is essential part of a treatment. The experience should always be a comfortable one for both you and the practitioner.

The length of time of the massage

Usually places will give options of 30/60/90/120 minutes. A 30 minute massage is considered a “teaser”. It is used if you have a specific area that you want worked on for a short period of time. A 60 minute massage is considered the standard minimal for a full body massage experience. Both 90 and 120 are better if want the full experience as well as concentrate on a specific area. These times mean that the practitioner can take their time to really focus on areas that need attention. For the specialty treatments such as: hot rocks, salt exfoliations and body wraps, 90 minutes is considered the minimum. 120 minutes is considered the standard. These treatments take time and need the extra to have the full experience. It is well worth the extra time!

Timing – our guarantee

Many spas will take 10 minutes off the massage time and use this as part of the preparation time. Therefore, a 60 minute massage, becomes a 50 minute and so on. At Nibbana Healing Spa, we believe that you get what you paid for and a full body massage is a full 60 minutes. Instead of the time taken off of the time taken for you to prepare, we absorb that time in our schedule. We want you to have the maximum benefit. So, you have an extra 10 minutes to enjoy.