Jessica Turner The Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience pulse point massage at the Sheraton on the Park hotel in Sydney was a turning point for me.
A purveyor of pure luxury, its On the Park Rejuvenation Day Spa is located on Level 22. The reception area and treatment rooms are impressive yet cosy. Expansive windows from its rooftop pool offer a bird’s eye view of the CBD.
Warm vibes radiate from my therapist, Suzana, who preps me on the treatment I’m having and the products she’ll be using.
Aromatherapy Associates, launched in the UK in 1985 and championed from the beginning by the likes of dear-departed Princess Diana, boasts an extensive product range made with 100 percent natural ingredients.
The brand has also perfected a unique massage style performed by Aromatherapy Associates-educated therapists in prestigious spas around the world.
“You’ll select one of our 11 therapeutic oil blends,” Suzana explains. “I’ll work on five key areas that include not only the musculature but the lymphatic, nervous and endocrine systems.
“The massage and oil combine as a sensory experience that helps your specific concern by balancing emotions and hormones.”
I’m presented with a chart where I choose three points of pain. My selection indicates stress, so the distinct fragrances I inhale in the “smell test” that follows target this.
One scent from three instantly resonates: I’ll be treated using The Supersensitive Massage and Body Oil from the Support collection. Its blend of geranium, frankincense and rose is designed to “lift spirits during challenging times”.
Gently Does It
And challenging times they were. In the weeks prior to my Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience, my ever-present niggling neck pain had hit new notes of nuisance.
I’d seen other professionals in an effort to fix the problem, but most manipulation of the sore spot only seemed to aggravate the pain. In fact, the trouble spot was still aggravated from a physiotherapy session two days earlier.
I explain my predicament to Suzana but was confidently reassured: “This is very different to a typical massage. We use pulse points to ensure the oils are absorbed by the bloodstream. It will work on circulation and detoxification to enhance your mood rather than treat the sore spot.”
Face down, my is head cocooned in heated pillows. The earthy scent of frankincense fills the room as the soles of my feet and legs are rubbed with warm Supersensitive Support Oil.
Each move is slow, gentle and mindful. Culminating with a scalp massage, I fall asleep several times over the hour.
Power Oils
At the end of my treatment with Suzana, I’m gifted with an Aromatherapy Associates purse.
Among its generous contents is a small bottle of the award winning, best-selling Deep Relax Bath and Shower Oil. The blend is a mix of vetivert, sandalwood and chamomile essential oils. I’m hypnotised.
I’ve since purchased the scent in almost every incarnation – the roller ball, a large-sized bath and shower oil, and pulse point balm. My latest addition is the home fragrance dispensed by my electric oil atomiser.
While this cocktail is recommended as a tranquility-inducing night-time blend, I keep the rollerball version on me at all times – the equivalent of smelling salts for the stress-prone!
Emotional Impact
As I leave my treatment, the neck pain is gone. I’m enamoured yet vaguely perplexed – Suzana barely touched the specific point of pain but I still spend the next few days feeling great.
When the pain gradually returns I consider heading straight back to The Sheraton for an instant “fix” but instead I seek the advice of a doctor.
The doctor informs me my problem cannot be healed with massage so I’m left wondering why Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience had rendered me so “zen”?
This is my theory: My neck stressed me physically and emotionally. It was a vicious cycle, broken only by this special massage that worked to balance the emotional upset the pain was causing, rather than needling its exact co-ordinates on my body.
I know exactly where I’ll head for relaxation and rebalance after my neck issues are resolved.
