Are you a first-time massage patient?
If you’ve never had a massage before and you’re not entirely sure how to book, you’ve come to the right place!
At Tara Massage, we try to make our massage services easy to understand and easy to access. This month on our blog, we’ll be taking a look at aromatherapy massage and how it differs from some of the other popular massage styles. Then we’ll take you through our top three benefits of aromatherapy – check it out below!
What is aromatherapy massage?
Aromatherapy massage simply means using scented essential oils on the body and/or in a diffuser during a massage treatment. For the patient, this means you can reap the calming mental benefits of essential oil for anxiety relief and the restorative physical benefits of essential oils penetrating the skin.
In an aromatherapy massage treatment, a few drops of essential oil blends are diluted in a special aromatherapy massage oil. This is then applied to the body in long, flowing motions for the duration of the massage, and then gently removed with a warm, damp towel at the end. It’s designed to leave you feeling relaxed, restored, and refreshed all over.
How is it different from other styles of massage?
There are different styles for different needs, and that’s why we offer nine different styles of massage at Tara Massage.
Remedial massage is best for people with a specific injury or muscle problem. Maintenance massage concentrates on the back, neck, and shoulders to alleviate tightness. Deep tissue massage uses firm pressure on the whole body and is great for people with chronic muscle pain. Sports massage is designed for athletes, and pregnancy massage is designed for expectant parents.
Relaxation massage is a very gentle approach to massage, using long flowing strokes to reduce stress. Reflexology massage uses pressure points in the feet to realign the body. In traditional Thai massage, the massage therapist uses a centuries-old technique with their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to loosen up stiff muscles. Finally, Thai aromatherapy massage draws on a similar method but incorporates the use of calming, restorative essential oils.
What are the main benefits of aromatherapy massage?
- Decrease anxiety
During an aromatherapy massage, your massage therapist will often use essential oils in a diffuser or oil burner. This allows the beautiful scent to spread throughout the room, and helps signal to the brain that it’s time to relax. Certain mood-boosting essential oils like lavender, chamomile, rose, vetiver, ylang ylang, frankincense and bergamot can promote a sense of calmness and decrease anxiety – contributing to better wellbeing overall. If you receive regular massages, the scent of essential oils will soon become a trigger for relaxation and stress relief – ideal!
- Boost your mood
Inhaling essential oils for anxiety relief can also boost your mood. Combatting fatigue and depressive feelings requires joyful, uplifting scents – so we suggest peppermint, rosemary, lemon, neroli, orange or grapefruit. Some essential oils can interact with the limbic system by promoting the production of dopamine and serotonin. Plus, a massage in and of itself is bound to be a mood boost. There’s nothing like some time to really treat yourself, and we believe a massage is the best way to do it.
- Manage pain
Finally, aromatherapy massage can help to manage some forms of pain. This is not to say essential oils for anxiety relief can solve painful ailments – that can only be done through the guidance of a clinician. However, pain management with aromatherapy massage has demonstrated some potential, especially when it comes to period cramps, headaches and muscle soreness. This is especially true for pain that ‘radiates’ from one problem area to other parts of the body.
How do I book in for an aromatherapy massage?
With all that being said, we’re sure you’re really craving a massage right about now! If you’d like to book in for an aromatherapy massage, reach out to the team at Tara. We offer aromatherapy massage from 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM Monday to Saturday, and 9.30 AM to 5 PM on Sundays. Plus, we’re located conveniently in the Perth CBD – so you can drop by any day after work!