Aromatherapy Massage ~ 1 hour - £45 or £50 with a bottle of lotion

Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Essential oils, the pure essence of a plant, have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly and safely. The roots of Aromatherapy can be traced back more than 3,500 years BC, to a time when the use of aromatics was first recorded in human history. In reality, the history of aromatherapy is inexorably linked to the development of aromatic medicine, which in the early days was itself combined with religion, mysticism and magic. This was a time when the ancient Egyptians first burned incense made from aromatic woods, herbs and spices in honour of their gods. They believed that as the smoke rose up to the heavens, it would carry their prayers and wishes directly to the deities. Eventually, the development of aromatics as medicines would create the foundations that aromatherapy was built upon. Hippocrates is said to have studied and documented over 200 different herbs during his lifetime. He believed that surgery should be used only as a last resort and was among the first to regard the entire body as an organism. Therefore we have Hippocrates to thank for a concept fundamental to true aromatherapy - that of holism.

What to expect:

An aromatherapy massage basically follows the same format as a regular Swedish massage (see the massage section) with the addition of essential oils in the massage blend. Generally an aromatherapy massage will only use the lighter and more relaxing hand movements, avoiding stimulating hand movements such as tapotement or petrissage. The oils that are selected to go into the massage blend are totally dependent on your needs and requirements. Aromatherapy can be particularity effective for emotional problems such as stress and anxiety as it helps to sooth the mind as well as the body. Another area where aromatherapy is a good holistic treatment is for skin problems such as eczema and dermatitis as these problems have both a physical and emotional element to them which may be relived by essential oils.

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