Aromatherapy massage is a scent of success

Aromatherapy massage is a scent of success - I like smellies as much as the next girl, but I don’t believe that bath oils and overpriced candles with hippy names such as Inspiration and Bliss can possibly have any real effect on my health or mood.

But as with many things in life, it appears I have been wrong.

On a recent weekend away, at the divine Vidago hotel, near Porto in Portugal, I booked an eighty-minute aromatherapy massage — Aromatherapy Associates Real Aromatherapy Experience — a treatment that has been loved by everyone from Princess Diana to Ava Gardner.

Reviving: An aromatherapy massage can give you a physical and emotional boost

It was a revelation. My therapist explained that when essential oils (the distilled essence of plants) are absorbed into the skin, they have real physical effects — helping clear sinuses, easing aches and pains — while the smell has an effect on our emotions.

I told her I wanted to be relaxed yet revived and, whatever combination of oils she used, worked.

Using a special massage technique that works on certain pressure points along the spine, the usual ache across my shoulders vanished. By the end of the treatment I felt uplifted, rather than exhausted, which is how I usually leave a massage.

Since then, I have been using two of these Aromatherapy Associates oils every day: the Revive oil which I rub into my skin in the morning and which is said to have brilliant effects on circulation and can even help with hangovers; and the Deep Relax oil at night, which does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s safe to say I’m an aromatherapy convert. ( dailymail.co.uk )

Enter your email address :

---