Tips for Massage Therapists: Essential Oils to Promote Energetic Balance

Massage is a fabulous way to promote health and well-being.  It is something that most people know is a helpful practice to incorporate into their lives, but as a massage therapist we often see people who will only get massage when they are in some sort of physical pain.  We often get so busy in our everyday lives, that we wait until our physical bodies scream at us to slow down and pay attention to our basic needs.

When clients show up, it is typically not just their physical body that is in need of attention. As massage therapists, we have that space and time to address their physical and emotional/energetic bodies. Essential oils can be of great value because it is our belief that anything affecting the physical body enters our energetic body first.  Essential oils can provide our clients with benefits that can be long lasting, especially for their energetic body.

So what essential oils do we choose?  The list of essential oils to use for aching joints and muscles and those that are known to be anti-inflammatory are quite exhaustive and they can be used in conjunction with essential oils to help our clients on the emotional/energetic level. It’s really important to keep in mind that if an essential oil is known to be therapeutically anti-inflammatory, it will also be anti-inflammatory on an energetic level. If our thoughts and emotions are “inflamed,” this is how “energy precedes matter” occurs on the physical level.

Spike Lavender

Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia) is a perfect example of an essential oil that is commonly used for muscular pain. Spike Lavender contains the chemical constituent, camphor, which is a ketone. Ketones are typically known to help move energy. Using Spike Lavender in a blend for massage can help the client feel less discomfort on a physical level and emotionally help move out old, stuck energy on a vibrational level.

Black Spruce

Black Spruce (Picea mariana) is another great addition to a blend for massage therapists to use with clients. It is high in the chemical family monoterpenes, which can also be anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Black Spruce is a huge conifer tree which energetically can helps us to feel more expansive. If an essential oil can help us to feel better physically as well as emotionally, then I would definitely want to use it in my practice.

Cape Chamomile

Cape Chamomile (Ericephalus punctulatus) is a fabulous essential oil to use for helping clients to find balance. Chamomiles usually come to mind to help with relaxation and stress. This particular chamomile is quite relaxing, without being overly sedative. Cape Chamomile has the ability to reduce anxiety and be uplifting at the same time.  

It is good to keep in mind that diffusing is another way that we can help our clients to feel better and have more energy. I will typically diffuse a citrus essential oil, as they can be uplifting and help people to feel more positive and better able to deal with the stress of everyday life. Massage therapy is one of the modalities that has been proven to help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and to help alleviate physical pain. Using essential oils in our practice will only enhance the massage experience on all these levels.