Why I Love Essential Oils in Massage.
How scent, memory and essential oils in massage can change the whole experience for me
Whenever I book a massage for myself, if aromatherapy is offered, I will almost always choose it. For me, essential oils in massage change the whole experience.
Massage already gives us permission to stop for a while. To put the phone down, stop doing, stop thinking about what needs to happen next and simply be looked after. But add scent into that experience and something else happens for me. A fragrance can take me somewhere.
It might take me back to a garden I knew as a child, into the warmth of a long summer afternoon, somewhere ancient and mysterious, or simply somewhere that feels very far away from ordinary life. And perhaps that is one of the reasons I have loved essential oils for so long.
I started exploring them as a teenager, and over the years certain oils have become almost like old friends. I know their scents intimately, but more importantly, I know the places they take me. What I find particularly fascinating is how often my own instinctive relationship with an oil seems to echo the qualities it has traditionally been associated with in aromatherapy. Whether that comes from the fragrance itself, memory, personal association or some mixture of all three, I find that connection really interesting.
Lavender
Lavender will probably always remind me of my grandmother. Her garden and her home were places where I could completely relax. There was something incredibly safe, soft and feminine about them, and lavender still takes me straight back there.
To me, it is warm afternoons, flowers spilling through garden beds and that wonderful feeling of being somewhere I don’t need to hurry.
Lavender has traditionally been used in aromatherapy for relaxation, rest and a sense of calm.
Sweet Orange
Sweet orange feels like warmth. There is something especially gorgeous about catching citrus or orange blossom in the air as you walk through a garden on a sunny day. To me, it feels like a warm hug, the sort of scent that makes me want to stretch out like a cat in a patch of sun and stay there for a while.
Aromatherapists have traditionally used sweet orange for its bright, gently uplifting character.
Vetiver
Vetiver was one of the first oils I really explored as a teenager. I loved it almost immediately: deep, earthy and a little mysterious.
When life felt particularly heavy, vetiver became one of those scents I would retreat into. I used to think of it as having the ability to change the channel for a while. Not to make whatever was happening disappear, but to give me somewhere else to be for a moment.
Vetiver is traditionally associated in aromatherapy with grounding, settling and a sense of steadiness.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is completely different. It feels lively to me, fresh, bright and awake. There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about its scent.
It reminds me of sunlight, open windows and that moment when everything begins to feel a little lighter again.
Grapefruit is often used in aromatherapy for its fresh, uplifting and vibrant aromatic character.
Bergamot
Bergamot somehow makes me think of those long Australian summer holidays of childhood. Fresh fruit eaten outside on a sunny verandah, the cat stretched out nearby, nowhere particularly important to be and a whole day ahead of you.
Perhaps that is why it has always smelled like joy to me. It has that brightness of citrus, but with something softer and more interesting underneath.
Bergamot is traditionally associated with uplift, ease and emotional balance, and is often used in aromatherapy when a blend needs to feel both bright and settling.
Geranium
Geranium takes me back to my grandmother’s garden again. It has that slightly old world scent that seems particularly noticeable on a warm spring day, and I love the brightness of the flowers too.
I have always admired how hardy geraniums can be. They keep going, flowering again and again, but they still need water, sunlight and care. There is a little reminder in there that I quite like: we can be resilient and still need rest.
Geranium is traditionally associated in aromatherapy with balance, centring and emotional steadiness.
Rosewood
Rosewood makes me think of beautiful old furniture, polished timber, old houses and objects that have survived long enough to have stories embedded in them. Its scent feels elegant to me, almost like stepping back into another time.
There is softness to it, but it is not bland. It has warmth and depth, which is why I love using it when I want a blend to feel refined, gentle and a little luxurious.
Rosewood has traditionally been valued in aromatherapy for its soft, calming and centring aromatic qualities.
Frankincense
Frankincense feels sacred to me. There is something about its aroma that seems to shift an ordinary room slightly out of the everyday.
It makes me think of ritual, stillness, old temples and spiritual spaces, of the part of life that perhaps cannot quite be explained but can sometimes be felt.
Frankincense has a long history of use alongside meditation, contemplation and ritual, and is often associated with stillness and reflection.
Ylang Ylang
Ylang ylang has always felt mysterious to me, but there is also a sweetness to it that makes me feel curious and a little playful.
It makes me think of the mysteries of the East, beautiful old rituals, unfamiliar places, sensuality and traditions far removed from my everyday world. There is something rich and almost otherworldly about the scent, but it does not feel solemn in the way frankincense does. It has a warmer, more indulgent quality, almost an invitation to enjoy yourself and be curious about where the scent might take you.
Ylang ylang is traditionally used in aromatherapy for relaxation and is also associated with sensuality, pleasure and its rich, exotic floral character.
More Than a Physical Treatment
Perhaps all of this is why I love using essential oils in massage so much. Our sense of smell is deeply personal. The same fragrance that takes me straight back to my grandmother’s garden might remind someone else of a holiday, a childhood home, someone they once knew, or somewhere they have never visited but somehow imagine.
You do not necessarily need to understand why you are drawn to a particular scent. Sometimes you simply are. And during a massage, that scent can become part of the experience, helping to create a little separation from emails, appointments, dinner, work, family and the thousand small things waiting outside the treatment room.
Maybe lavender takes you back to your grandmother’s garden. Perhaps rosewood carries you somewhere older and more elegant. Frankincense might give the room a sense of ritual, while ylang ylang could send your imagination somewhere much further away.
For me, that is when massage becomes more than simply a physical treatment. Scent has the ability to transport us, even if only for a moment. Perhaps to another place, another time, a memory, a dream, or simply a version of ourselves that is not thinking about what needs to be done next.
Sometimes that small feeling of stepping outside ordinary life is just what we need to finally let go and enjoy being still.
A Little Something for Spring
This spring I have brought some of these favourite oils together into three blends to complement Equilibrium Massage, my most popular treatment at The Awen Room.
Unwind combines vetiver, sweet orange and lavender for something deep, earthy and comforting.
Refresh brings together grapefruit, bergamot and geranium for a brighter, fresher experience.
Soften, with rosewood, frankincense and ylang ylang, is warmer, softer and a little more enveloping.
For the rest of spring, these blends are being offered as a complimentary addition to Equilibrium Massage. When you arrive, you can take a little time to smell each one and choose whichever you are most drawn to that day.
There is absolutely no need to know anything about essential oils or to choose according to what an oil is supposedly “for”. Your own nose, memories and associations are part of the experience.
I have to admit, this one is a treat for me too. I genuinely love working with essential oils, blending them, watching people smell them for the first time and hearing the memories or feelings a particular scent brings up. It is one of those lovely parts of my work where something I have adored since I was a teenager still gets to come into the treatment room with me all these years later.
I hope you enjoy exploring them as much as I do. 🌿
Blessed be
Angela x
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