Massage

[Carron]

Hi

I'm working on my treatment menu for starting up

At college our beauty class was put in with the sports therapy class. I can do massage but feel its a bit basic and our class was more sports massage not relaxing salon massage. i want to know how i can jazz it up on my menu and when i come to doing one.

All I have on my menu is full body massage and back massage.

So far I have jazzed it up with a body scrub.

I've not done aromatherapy but can I use different oils to have it more relaxing?

 

[hippy-chick]

If you havent done aromatherapy then you shouldn't mix your own essential oils as it could invalidate your insurance.
I'm not sure if you can use pre-blends or not, you'd have to check with your insurers.

 

[Brandywine]

I am not aromatherapy trained, but I'm able to use good quality pre-blended oils. Best to check with your insurance.

 

[Carron]

what is the difference between a normal massage and an aromatherapy massage? feel i missed out a bit with my massage training.

 

[Martin Duffy]

To be honest there is no such thing as an "aromatherapy massage", aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to have an affect on a person, massage is simply a vehicle by which to deliver the oils into the body. Essential oils may equally be administered by compress, baths, vapourisers & internally (which is a contentious subject here in the UK!).

Why not offer a relaxing massage & say you are using an oil containing a relaxing blend of essential oils - just don't call it aromatherapy, because in all reality the use of pre-blended oils is not aromatherapy proper!

 

[gillian w]

If you want to have a proper understanding of aromatherapy and the power of it and also the importance of being properly trained in it may i suggest two books The fragrant pharmacy and the fragrant mind by Valerie ann Worwood.
You can probably use pre blended massage oils for your massage but you really shouldnt be blending yourself.You can buy blends that are for relaxing,invigorating,detoxing etc.
If you do really like massage then aromatherapy is a lovely and rewarding treament to learn and do properly but be prepared there is lots to learn its not about just putting a few nice smells together.

 

[Martin Duffy]

Agreed - my aromatherapy training was very in-depth & to be honest has continued over the last 12 years! Fortunately there have been some fantastic books on advanced aromatherapy in the last few years that have taken it to a whole new level.

 

[Carron]

hi

thanks for your reply

it felt like a silly question i was asking but i keep seeing people advertising aromatherpy massage and some i know they haven't done any aromatherapy courses so i was getting quite confused about it espcially when i dont know anything about it

would using a scented/relaxing massage oil and calling it a relaxing massage do? and miss out some of the hacking and pounding moves and add in more relaxing moves

 

[gillian w]

hi

thanks for your reply

it felt like a silly question i was asking but i keep seeing people advertising aromatherpy massage and some i know they haven't done any aromatherapy courses so i was getting quite confused about it espcially when i dont know anything about it

would using a scented/relaxing massage oil and calling it a relaxing massage do? and miss out some of the hacking and pounding moves and add in more relaxing moves

You probably learnt what is termed a swedish massage.
Go and have some different massagesfor yourself thats always a good way to get different ideas and then practise them on a willing honest friend to get some feed back about how a movement feels.Most people will say to you ooh that was lovely but very few people can actually give a really good massage and you want to be one of them so make sure people tell you the truth ,is it firm enough, is it too jerky do you dig your fingers in and hurt them, you need to know.
Have a look on you tube there are loads of people demonstrating different massages on there.
You will find that with experience you will develop your own way of massaging, your own routine, your own techniques.
If your massage is good you could be doing it with lard and you will still get repeat business i wouldnt worry too much about the smells at the mo or putting too much emphasis on naming different massages.

 

[Brandywine]

I am not aromatherapy trained, but I'm able to use good quality pre-blended oils. Best to check with your insurance.

I give my clients a choice of three pre-blended oils and use the same massage strokes that I would have used on them anyway (all depends on what they like and need).

I just refer to it as an aroma massage as I'm not aromatherapy trained and wouldn't like to misguide people (I also tell them). It gives clients another option, until I can do a long qualification and mix them myself.

 

[pure]

I'm not a trained aromatherapist, but I have got qualifications in both Swedish and pre blend Armoatherapy massage and the way we were taught they are very different in their techniques. The aromatherapy massage that I was taught was much gentler than Swedish and involved more lymph drainage and a much lighter touch with many different moves not included in the Swedish.

Now in the salon, my massage tends to be a complete mix of the two, and with a little IHM thrown in for good measure too! But to advertie the 2 differently will require different styles of massage.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I'm not a trained aromatherapist, but I have got qualifications in both Swedish and pre blend Armoatherapy massage and the way we were taught they are very different in their techniques. The aromatherapy massage that I was taught was much gentler than Swedish and involved more lymph drainage and a much lighter touch with many different moves not included in the Swedish.

Although this is the perceived difference between the two it doesn't have to be true. If I were using essential oils for a muscular problem my blend would use oils intended to that effect and the massage would be a lot deeper & more remedial.

Unfortunately because aromatherapy has somehow become fixed in the popular mind as being a 'relaxing' treatment it is assumed the massage must be the same. However, massage is simply one medium of many to apply the essential oils & may be light/firm, fast/slow, full-body/localised etc.

 

[pure]

Although this is the perceived difference between the two it doesn't have to be true. If I were using essential oils for a muscular problem my blend would use oils intended to that effect and the massage would be a lot deeper & more remedial.

Unfortunately because aromatherapy has somehow become fixed in the popular mind as being a 'relaxing' treatment it is assumed the massage must be the same. However, massage is simply one medium of many to apply the essential oils & may be light/firm, fast/slow, full-body/localised etc.

I agree, but the way it is taught in colleges (certainly the one I attended) it is taught as being very different to Swedish, although it was stressed that massage techniques should be adapted to the needs of the client which we all do. Which is why I only have full body massage, back massage, and IHM noted on my treatment menu, rather than defining the type of massage before even seeing the client and assessing their needs.

 

[Carron]

i want to add the option of full body massage and scrub. how would i go about doing a scrub?

i've asked this before on here and i've searched through pages and pages but cant find it.

i've done a scrub before i do a fake bake lotion tan. would it just be similar to that them do the massage?

thanks :Grope:

 

[gillian w]

i want to add the option of full body massage and scrub. how would i go about doing a scrub?

i've asked this before on here and i've searched through pages and pages but cant find it.

i've done a scrub before i do a fake bake lotion tan. would it just be similar to that them do the massage?

thanks :Grope:

What compliments massage more before, would be dry skin brushing.

 

[Carron]

hi gillian

that sounds good. how would you go about doing that?