If it is on you, then it is in you!

The type of massage cream/wax/oil we use is very important.

Over the years Corina and I have used all sorts of creams, oils, rubs, potions, liniments and waxes. Some were sweet smelling, some horrible, some warming, some cooling, some slippery and some sticky. The cream, wax or oil that we apply to the skin to increase lubrication is known as a massage medium, it can be solid like a massage powder, liquid like an oil or in-between such as a cream or wax. After a day of massage we often found that we could be sweating out the massage medium for a couple of days.

Aromatherapy is based around the fact that we absorb chemicals through our skin. This is the same principle that allows a topical analgesic to work. Neither Corina or I are aromatherapists, but we do acknowledge that what is in the massage medium we use can have a profound effect on the client.

One time a client asked me to perform his massage with a well known over the counter ‘pain relieving gel’… the gel took the skin off the ends of my fingers after about half an hour… The next time he asked me to use the gel I told him that I would only do it wearing gloves. We got the same benefit with my usual massage wax without any of the nasty side-effects of the gel.

At The Wolf Studio we use Tui Wax, and we have used it for the last six or seven years. This is an organic bees wax from New Zealand, that is lightly scented using essential oils. It is a little more expensive than other products but is an excellent natural product that naturally moisturizes and gives excellent grip for massage. We have Tui Wax to sell in the studio, rose and sports wax, the cost is only $30 for a 100g tub.

If you know an aromatherapist in the San Diego area who may be interested in renting some space in our studio get them to give us a call, we would love to offer this service to our clients.