guys and aroma therpy?

[Foramenmagnus]

I was reading this thread in aroma therapy section and wanted some guys opinion.


1. I think we want simple smells
2. most guys want the envigorating smells
3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides
4. as a client we will accept almost any aroma if the therapist is female (our need to please reponse)
5. earth smells like chamomile not flower smells (yes i know chamomile is a flower,but the smell is earthy)
6. food smells, baked bread would be a great massage smell


post what you think, aroma therapy is anouther area that is ussually geared to women, the responses men have to some of the traditional essencial oils is different in men I think, mayby not lemmie know what you think.

[shivashiva]

I know I'm not a guy, but....

3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides

=vetiver. Which is usually recommended as a guy-type smell. I also happen to love it, especially when blended well. Not blended into oblivion, just nicely balanced. I have a vetiver/lime body oil that is wonderful and I imagine it'd be appealing to some men.

Some people think vetiver smells like dirt. It really depends on the batch you get, and I suppose what area of the world it comes from.

[Breathe]

I was reading this thread in aroma therapy section and wanted some guys opinion.


1. I think we want simple smells
2. most guys want the envigorating smells
3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides
4. as a client we will accept almost any aroma if the therapist is female (our need to please reponse)
5. earth smells like chamomile not flower smells (yes i know chamomile is a flower,but the smell is earthy)
6. food smells, baked bread would be a great massage smell


post what you think, aroma therapy is anouther area that is ussually geared to women, the responses men have to some of the traditional essencial oils is different in men I think, mayby not lemmie know what you think.

I think this is a HUGE generalization, and as such, very biased and inaccurate.

My office mate is a male therapist, has been in practice for over a year, and specializes by his own choice and preference in spa therapies and aromatherapy. I suspect he would have something to say about your generalizations that would mostly run along the lines of: "Um, no." :?

Particularly, I'm a little disturbed at your point #4. I'm not sure what the insinuation is, but to my eyes it reads a little like you believe that men will take any smell as long as a woman is rubbing him. It's very difficult not to read something suggestive into that statement.

I know there are a few men on here who are experts (or avid students) of aromatherapy, hopefully they will chime in.

[NaplesLMT]

I worked at a fancy resort/spa. We had 3 different blended oils that we had to offer the guests. Each sample was in a decorative vessel with a wide mouth. We uncorked the bottle and offered the guest to smell each and choose. In my experience, about 3/4 of the people would smell the oils. The other 1/4 said "whatever you recommend" and wanted to get on the table. Of the 3/4 that cooperated, I would say that only 10% of the men and 25% of the women actually seemed interested/enthusiastic. I feel the rest were either being polite, couldn't smell a difference, or maybe none of the blends impressed them. All in all it was a show to impress the guest. After about a year we stopped offering and just recommended a particular (our favorite ) blend to the guest.
1) most guests didn't really seem to care or have a preference. I think this was just playing along/being polite.
2) it became the therapist's preference
This was my experience.

We also offered a raindrop type therapy that used 15 different essential oils in a heavy dose. It was sold as restorative/therapeutic/detoxifying. The guest booked this in advance just like a modality. So, these folks really wanted an aromatherapy experience. I'd say 90% were really impressed. But because we were a revolving door for clients, it's hard to say if they would have rebooked the same treatment if they were coming in on a regular schedule.

As a male therapist, my experience was that most people will go along out of politeness irregardless of the therapist's gender. We all had conversations in our break room about client's reaction to the choice of oils. No different for male or female therapist.

[AngEngland]

Particularly, I'm a little disturbed at your point #4. I'm not sure what the insinuation is, but to my eyes it reads a little like you believe that men will take any smell as long as a woman is rubbing him. It's very difficult not to read something suggestive into that statement.

I didn't take it this way at all. I took this as cultural gender roles where a woman shouldn't be "Talked back to". Both my husband and my father tend towards this way of old-fashioned thinking. If a woman said something very rude to them they would walk around. If a man said the same thing to them they would punch them. :-)

So in regards to using a scented lotion - my father would be much more confortable saying "I don't like that" to a man and much more tolerant towards a woman therapist even if he didn't like the scent. He would just let it go.

Nothing sexual or sensual AT ALL. Just a old fashioned "good ole boy" way of thinking. And desire to prevent confrontation or rocking the boat in any way. :-)

Angela <><

[JasonE]

Due to the growing problems of chemical and/or odor-sensitivity, we do not offer scented oils/lotions/creams. We also decline to retail scented products. Of course, aromatherapy is not practiced at our business.

While we may be missing some opportunities to make money, our clients have not complained. Those that have commented on the "scent-free" policy all seemed relieved and were very complementary regarding the decision.

The minority of people that are genuinely interested in aromatherapy will seek it out. The rest just don't seem to care.

[BlackSwanMassage]

Due to the growing problems of chemical and/or odor-sensitivity, we do not offer scented oils/lotions/creams. We also decline to retail scented products. Of course, aromatherapy is not practiced at our business.

While we may be missing some opportunities to make money, our clients have not complained. Those that have commented on the "scent-free" policy all seemed relieved and were very complementary regarding the decision.

The minority of people that are genuinely interested in aromatherapy will seek it out. The rest just don't seem to care.

I'm in your corner on this one, Jason. I don't believe I've ever had a client get off my table and say, "You know what, that was a great massage, but you know what would have made it even better? LAVENDER!"

[AngEngland]

The only "scents" I use routinely is my peppermint/rosemary foot spritzer followed by a hot towel. My clients enjoy it and if I forget they mention it. :-)

But other than that clients who WANT an aromatherapy massage ask for it. It's in my brochure/fliers - they ask if they want it - otherwise I always use unscented lotion and oils. ALWAYS. I custom blend any aromatherapy massage so the unscented is my base.

I HAVE had clients ask for specific fragrances. I also have clients who come in and say "I'm feeling floral today - what floral fragrances can we do today?" and have a blast sniffing and selecting what they want. My client from California (no - she didn't fly out to OK JUST to see me - I'm a perk of visiting mom. hehehe) always has a very clear direction for me with the aromatherapy massages. Last time I added sandalwood to a blend at her request and ended up falling in love with the blend!

As with so many other things related to massage each client's needs and desires can be so personal.

[Foramenmagnus]

Exellent response, I will so very much have to seek out VETIVER, Shiva, thank you. As to my "#4" I meant nothing suggestive about it other than a male client would probibly accept and scent suggested by a woman as a "need to please" response. Generalities? YES they where simply my very general thoughts on the subject. I'm very glad for the posts though thank you all. Naples thoughts also helped to answer my questions that spawned the post. I pray you where not angered just disagreed with my post shiva:)

[NaplesLMT]

Glad my experience helped. I would like to add that I have read many posts in many different areas of this forum. To me there seems to be a big difference of experiences of spa vs private pratice vs chiropractic. It has opened my eyes to why there are sometimes widely varying opinions as not too many of us have experienced all three types of bodywork in our careers. This has helped me to often learn from differing opinions and experiences. Some issues can be very black and white but most have many shades of grey!!

[jeffh]

When I started my practice, I used essential oils.

I stopped for the following reasons-

-after reading professional level aromatherapy texts I realised that it was something to be done individually after extensive medical history consideration rather than just an add on to my massage.

- the room smelled of the essental oils used in one massage for the rest of the day regardless of what I wanted for the next client.

-I wanted the focus of the session to be on quality of touch not the use of a product.

-I did not want myself exposed to random essential oils all day

so I have not used aromatherapy for years now and do not miss it

Jeff

[AnastasiaB]

Asked my sweet baboo about aromatherapy. His reply: "If you think I need it, use it. If you don't, don't. Otherwise I could give a crap."

Asked several male clients the same question: "What do you think of massage w/ aromatherapy?" Basically got the same answer my sweet baboo gave - if ya need it great, if not, okay too.

None of them thought my gender would influence their decision about it - only the perceived need for its use to assist in their wellness.

[Highlander]

I use aromatherapy because I believe in the healing proprties of essential oils. I don't use them all the time and only for customers who are interested in them.

Most female clients (the vast majority of my clients) are at least intersted in their use. For some I will mix custom blends that are used just for their appointments, for others they simply ask for a familiar scent (lavender, of course, is popular) or request something pleasant. I will suggest oils that might help their physical situation.

Now, a few observations:

When I mention aromatherapy to potential female clients, it catches their attention. I believe aromatherapy is a valuable selling point that will help set my practice apart from others.

The few male clients I work on are pretty much neutral on the subject of aromatherapy. Although I do notice that the few males who have sampled my essential oils do seem to prefer food-like scents. Vanilla is a favorite. One client told me it smelled like cookies.

As for food scents like baking bread or hickory, I use only pure essential oils. I'm not sure how one could get those smells without using artificial scents. I would never use artificial chemicals just to get a certain smell in my massage room.

No generalizations just my limited observations.

Lastly, to use essential oils (as with every other modality) a massge therapist should have proper training and good references available.

[Ella Menneau]

I usually put a couple drops of eucalyptus on the face cradle cover to help with stuffiness and most of my clients have commented that it was a welcome touch, and thoughtful, to. I also occasionally will put a few drops of EO's on a lightbulb ring. People always comment on how good my office smells, and since my practice is 60-70% men, I would say they notice and like it.

[naturalrehabofvtca]

I like lavender, geranium, orange and several other essence oils.

Bryan

[Kusala Bodyworks]

I was reading this thread in aroma therapy section and wanted some guys opinion.


1. I think we want simple smells
2. most guys want the envigorating smells
3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides
4. as a client we will accept almost any aroma if the therapist is female (our need to please reponse)
5. earth smells like chamomile not flower smells (yes i know chamomile is a flower,but the smell is earthy)
6. food smells, baked bread would be a great massage smell


post what you think, aroma therapy is anouther area that is ussually geared to women, the responses men have to some of the traditional essencial oils is different in men I think, mayby not lemmie know what you think.

"3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides..." <- who'd want to smell like hickory and mesquite bbq chips?

[michiganMT]

I was reading this thread in aroma therapy section and wanted some guys opinion.


1. I think we want simple smells
2. most guys want the envigorating smells
3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides
4. as a client we will accept almost any aroma if the therapist is female (our need to please reponse)
5. earth smells like chamomile not flower smells (yes i know chamomile is a flower,but the smell is earthy)
6. food smells, baked bread would be a great massage smell


post what you think, aroma therapy is anouther area that is ussually geared to women, the responses men have to some of the traditional essencial oils is different in men I think, mayby not lemmie know what you think.

"3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides..." <- who'd want to smell like hickory and mesquite bbq chips?

if you ran a massage clinic/rib joint it could work out very... lucratively

[SJL900811]

sorry i cant help it but im a girl and would absolutely love fresh cut grass smell. its the smell of summer and nothing is better than sitting on a porch on a summer night and taking a deep breath and smelling fresh cut grass, except maybe beach smell.

[JLWmassage]

sorry i cant help it but im a girl and would absolutely love fresh cut grass smell. its the smell of summer and nothing is better than sitting on a porch on a summer night and taking a deep breath and smelling fresh cut grass, except maybe beach smell.

I love those smells also

[purpledandelion]

Hello to everyone here in BWOL. I'm a new LMT practicing in Florida. I'm gonna head to the intro section after this post but I need to write my thoughts down on this topic before I loose my train of thought. (Which unfortunately happens often with me )

OK, I know I haven't had much personal experience with massage as I have only been licensed since June '10 (about 8 months) but I do have more extensive knowledge and personal experience with aromatherapy. I've been studying and personally using essential oils to treat friends (including most of my high school football and volleyball team), family members and myself since high school (more than 7 years). I try to keep up on new research and I'm signed up to get certified this coming fall from Aromahead Institute in Sarasota, FL. [SOOO excited!! ]


The place I'm working now gives me all the freedom I need when it comes to treatment options for my clients. I don't get asked for aromatherapy often, but I always have at least my basic oils with me (lavander, peppermint, Roman chamomile, yarrow and rosemary). Sometimes I get the " " look when I even mention aromatherapy due to the increasing number of practitioners using them just willy-nilly. I take on the task of educating my client about the many therapeutic uses of essential oils (anti-inflammatory, sedative, cardiovascular stimulant) especially if that client is an athlete or has some other underlying condition ideal to treat with essential oils (like a sprained ankle).

I usually get the most " " from guys but when I explain it in a more scientific way and let them know that I posses knowledge in the subject they tend to respect it more.

Women still treat it as “Oooh, I want this one, and this one, and that one over there. I just can’t have enough, they all smell so good.” They just want me to mix all of them together and slather it on them. It really irks me.

3. hickory and mesquite smoke should be entered into the aroma therapy guides

If hickory and mesquite have any therapeutic uses, please state a reputable source; if not, they are better off just in your BBQ pit (or chips? lol).

6. food smells, baked bread would be a great massage smell

Same goes for the baked bread. The only way you’re gonna be able to recreate that other than using synthetics (which, btw, no one should ever, EVER do!) is to turn on your oven and bake the bread (or pumpkin pie or w/e you’re into) but it’s not gonna have much use other than remind someone about their grandma or something. Not much therapy there. Unless, maybe if you’re a psychotherapist? O_o
*cough*Scope of practice *cough* Lol