While we’re getting ready to open our London shop we’ve been experimenting with different oils and fragrances. We have an aromatherapist on our team so we’ve been busy blending, sniffing and testing to hunt down the optimal oil for a relaxing body massage. We’ve all worked before with pre-blended massage oils, but we wanted to see if we could create our own ‘Thai Kosai blend’. For a new massage business this is the kind of decision we need to get right!

First up we had to settle on a carrier oil (the oil we blend the essential oils with to create the final product). Texture is the priority for us: too thin and we end up constantly having to pause the massage to apply more oil as it gets absorbed; too thick and it feels greasy, and can be tricky to get enough traction to work certain pressure points. There is also quite a lot of variability between suppliers, even where the oil is supposed to be the same.

After trying almond, apricot and jojoba, we finally alighted on grapeseed oil. It’s perfect. Medium viscosity, smooth texture, and odourless (for those returning to work or heading out that can be important!). For face massage, we prefer a thinner oil – like jojoba or apricot – but we’ll stay focused on perfecting the body massage oil for now.

Next into the mix are the essential oils. In our experience the most popular aroma requested is ‘just something relaxing’ so we made relaxation our priority.

We experimented with a batch of the essential oils known for relaxing/sedative effects - our favourites among the ‘base/mid notes’ are Cedarwood, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Juniper and Lavender. The Myrrh was nice too, but we’re not made of money! As for the ‘top notes’ we really enjoyed the Lemongrass and Mandarin. We did also try a few of the ‘invigorating’ oils, so we plan to mix a really uplifting/energising oil blend too, and perhaps post about that in future.

To find the right combination we did some trial-and-error massages for lucky friends and family! So after all that our preferred body massage oil, tailored for maximum relaxation, is Grapeseed, Jasmine, Lavender and Lemongrass. It’s a sweet (not sickly) and warm, homely aroma, not overpowering at all. As for the exact proportions, we’ll keep that a trade secret 🙂

We sourced our oils from a handful of suppliers but worthy of special mention is Essential Oils Online. They were great, provided the best quality oils all beautifully bottled and packed, and we even got a free Tea Tree! We look forward to working with them in future.