Aromatherapy Massage (ARM) is a holistic therapy, which means it’s designed to treat your overall needs, not just one symptom.
So your therapist will first take a full medical history and details of your lifestyle to ensure you get the right treatment.
Aromatherapy massage is massage therapy but with highly concentrated plant oils, called Essential Oils, added to the massage oil or lotion.
The nostrils are attached to a part of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system controls emotions and influences the nervous system and hormones.
When you inhale essential oil molecules, messages are transmitted to the limbic system and affect heart rate, stress level, blood pressure, breathing, memory, digestion, and the immune system. Essential oils are also believed to be absorbed through the skin.
Each essential oil has different healing properties. For example, some calm while others energize. Here are some widely used essential oils and their purported properties:
⦁ calming – chamomile, lavender, geranium
⦁ uplifting – ylang ylang, clary sage, rose, neroli
⦁ energizing – rosemary
⦁ cleansing – rosemary
⦁ decongesting – eucalyptus, pine, tea tree
Why do people get aromatherapy massage?
Aromatherapy massage is particularly suited to conditions involving stress or improving emotionally-related conditions.
⦁ Stress and stress-related conditions such as insomnia
⦁ Arthritis
⦁ Headache
⦁ Digestive disorders
⦁ Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
⦁ Back pain
Here are a few examples of the research that is being done on aromatherapy massage:
Self-massage significantly improved symptoms and wellbeing in people with lymphedema. It also slightly, but not significantly reduced limb volume. However, carefully chosen aromatherapy oils did not appear to be more effective than massage without aromatherapy oils.
Sixteen first-time mothers received a 30-minute aromatherapy massage two days after delivery, while 20 mothers received standard post-partum care. The aromatherapy massage group had significantly decreased ratings of post-partum blues and anxiety and had increased vigor and attachment to their babies.
What can I expect during an aromatherapy massage?
After the consultation, one or more essential oils are selected based on what you need and are mixed in with the massage oil or lotion. The subtle aroma of the essential oils fills the air around you during the massage. After the massage, the massage therapist may suggest a blend that you can use at home in between massage treatments.
Precautions
Massage is not recommended for certain people:
⦁ Infectious skin disease, rash, or open wounds
⦁ Immediately after surgery
⦁ Immediately after chemotherapy or radiation, unless recommended by your doctor
⦁ Prone to blood clots. There is a risk of blood clots being dislodged. If you have heart disease, check with your doctor before having a massage
⦁ Pregnant women should check with their doctor first if they are considering getting a massage. Massage in pregnant women should be done by massage therapists who are certified in pregnancy massage.
⦁ Massage should not be done directly over bruises, inflamed skin, unhealed wounds, tumors, abdominal hernia, or areas of recent fractures.
The benefits of aromatherapy massage
One of the main methods of aromatherapy to relieve physical nuisances and emotional stress is massage.
Various massage techniques in combination with the beneficial properties of essential oils make aromatherapy massage ideal for:
⦁ Pain relief,
⦁ Relaxation of tired and stressed muscles,
⦁ Improvement of blood and lymph circulation,
⦁ Control of blood pressure,
⦁ Relief of painful menstruation,
⦁ Toxin removal,
⦁ Cellulite prevention and/or removal and improvement of skin texture,
⦁ Relief of intestinal and digestive problems,
⦁ Strengthening the immune system,
⦁ Stress and anxiety control,
⦁ Strengthening the nervous system,
⦁ Combating negative feelings and
⦁ General physical and mental revitalization.
Usually the duration of a aromatherapy massage is approximately one hour. This is the time required for the essential oils to enter the body through the skin, activate the necessary chemical reactions and toxins to be removed through our breath, sweat and/or urine. As Valerie Ann Worwood mentions in her extremely interesting book “The Fragrant Mind”, studies show that after a massage with 2% lavender oil the main constituents – linalol and linalyl acetate – are detected in the blood after just five minutes, they reach their maximum concentration after twenty minutes and after ninety minutes most quantities have been eliminated from the blood.
As far as children and elderly are concerned, the duration and frequency of massage should adjust to their particular needs. Usually, more frequent sessions of shorter duration (20-30 minutes) are more suitable for these groups.
Aromatherapy massage has better effects when applied to the whole body. For example, even if only the muscles of one leg feel sore and stressed, massage at the specific leg will cause relief but it cannot not protect the rest of the body until the problem is totally solved It is not evident that in an effort to protect the sore leg the healthy leg will be burdened, as it will carry most of the body weight. This could cause a big burden to the pelvis area, the asymmetry could affect the spine and subsequently lead to numb arms and/or sore neck.. You should trust your body to a trustworthy person with positive energy and touch compatible to your preference (soft or intense).
After an aromatherapy massage you may experience various reactions, such as:
Intense thirst, more urine, with stronger odour than usually and intense colour, intestine activation, gas, sweat with stronger odour than usually, catarrh and mucus, light muscle pain, intense yawning, more energy, Talking mood.
The above mentioned reactions are completely normal and indicate that the organism has reacted to the massage, the essential oils have an effect and the detoxification and self-healing processes are active. After a massage session it is advisable to drink a glass of water in order to facilitate toxin excretion. You should definitely abstain from smoking and drinking alcohol for at least one day after a Massage session.
In some cases massage should be avoided.
Those are:
Persons suffering from phlebitis and/or thrombophlebitis, recently operated patients and persons with a heart condition, acute infections, feverish situations, areas with wounds, blisters, warts, rash, bruises and varicose veins, pregnant women with abortion history, cancer patients.
Caution is also required when massaging people suffering from osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes and epilepsy, especially when essential oils are used. A general rule is that if you have a health condition you should always consult your doctor prior to indulging to the pleasure of a massage.
When aromatherapy massage is applied to children and elderly people it should be gentle and soft, almost like a caress. The dosage of essential oils used for these groups is usually half of the drops given in the recipes.
Price: 1 /2 hr £25 – 1 hr £38
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