Essential oils are used in a category of aromatherapy, which has been used for over 5,000 years by many different cultures for relaxation, beauty care, home cleaning and most often used as natural medicine. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have recommended a daily aromatic bath and scented massage for good health. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to promote healing and a feeling of well-being and relaxation.

Essential oils are extracted directly from the bark, flower, fruit, leaf, seed, or root of a plant or tree and contain all the properties of the plants themselves. They are typically created through the process of distillation, which separates the oil and water-based compounds of a plant by steaming.

Aromatherapy works on the basis that the smell of the essential oil triggers our limbic system: the part of the brain linked with emotions and long-term memory. Anytime we smell something, we’re stimulating the deepest parts of our brains, and our emotions aren’t far behind. Current research shows that much of how we feel about a scent is programmed into us by our history, meaning that aromatherapy can become a very personal thing.

The most common way to use essential oils during a massage is to add a few drops to your massage cream or oil. This will disperse the oil over the body for absorption. Individual responses to scents are highly personal, but a scent can affect your mood, metabolism, and stress levels. To narrow down your preferred blend, consider which scent resonates with you. You can choose something that is relaxing, balancing, or invigorating, based on how you want to feel. Each oil will have specific benefits, and each person is different. So, an oil that works well to calm you down may help someone else perk up.

Some of our favorite essential oils here at Perpetuity Skin + Spa in Boise:

Eucalyptus: Opens air ways, improves respiratory issues like bronchitis, sinusitis and allergies, eases chest and sinus congestion. Also invigorating and purifies the body.

Grapefruit: Supports metabolism, reduces cellulite (when applied topically), invigorating, immune boosting, boosts circulation, helps fight colds, banishes oily skin, and combats feelings of depression or fatigue, but avoid the sun right after.

Lavender: Helps with relaxation, improves mood and heals burns and cuts, can improve mood and lessen anxiety.

Peppermint: Supports digestion, boosts energy, fever reducer, headache and muscle pain relief, helps to provide mental sharpness, a treat for tired feet, cooling for athletes or hot flashes, stimulating for the mind, helpful for breathing and focusing.

Any of our massages here at Perpetuity Skin + Spa in Boise use essential oils. Which one is for you? Come find out for yourself!

I need a massage but that’ll be when I get married. I don’t trust these masseuse