From Lotion to Music: My Massage Favorites

I am always reading reviews and looking at blogs for help in making decisions to purchase or use a product so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things with you so that you can enjoy these as much as I do!

Quality is important to me, so is a naturally-made product. While plain, cold-pressed oil is still the best choice for massage, it's not always practical when it comes to trying to get the product washed out of hair, clothes, and sheets. The best lotion I've used so far is Soothing Touch Ayurveda Massage Lotion. It's free of parabens, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, TEA, DEA & PEG, phthalates, and synthetic fragrance. It is also gluten-free. 
It contains coconut, castor, and mustard oils and produces a very faint tingle. I enjoy smelling it, and I can pick out the mustard and coconut when I sniff it. The glide is perfect too!

I usually order mine from Massage Warehouse: http://www.massagewarehouse.com/products/soothing-touch-ayurveda-massage-lotion/

I have a client who loves lavender and usually comes in for a massage just to relax. I adore the boost and mellow affects even I benefit from when I use a few drops of Young Living lavender oil in my client's massage. The smell is absolutely wonderful. You can order here: 
http://on.fb.me/VIWiNP

Three other essential oils I use regularly in my massage are copaiba, Aroma-Siez, and spearmint. 

Copaiba is an anti-inflammatory and useful for muscle stiffness.

Aroma-Siez helps muscle spasms, aids circulation, loosens muscles, relaxes, and relieves pain. It also has an uplifting and refreshing smell. 

Spearmint is what I use for the end of the massage on the scalp. It enlivens and awakens after the deep relaxation affects of the massage. 

Here's the link again for the oils: http://on.fb.me/VIWiNP

Another important aspect of massage is music. Have you grown tired of Midi flutes and fake bird sounds? Me too! It's hard to find good albums out there that are conducive to relaxation and a snobby musical ear. A couple of albums I've been using recently that I've enjoyed are Breathe In, by Dustin O'Halloran, and Avalon Sutra by Harold Budd. 


Breathe In is contemplative and relaxing with a bit of an ambient sound, woven together with beautiful piano and violin phrases. 

  
Avalon Sutra, by Harold Budd, is a dreamy, melancholy, and enigmatic album with contemporary classical and ambient flavors. Piano, synth pads, violin, saxophone, and electronic instruments combine to make this a unique and eclectic treat. 

 

I use Spotify (https://www.spotify.com/us/), a digital music service, which is $10 a month. It allows me to stream and download unlimited music, which I play via Bluetooth through a wireless speaker.