Massage oil. Do you really need it for a good massage? The short answer is: yes, you do.
Oil is what will make your massage exceptional.
With the right consistency oil will help make your hands feel delicious, allowing you to effortlessly contour along your partners muscles helping you find knots and areas of tension using long flowing strokes. Massage oil will make your massage exceptional – the way professional practitioners make it feel so good!
Incorporating massage oil into your back rubs feels amazing for both massagee and massager.
Not to mention, it’s nourishing and conditions your skin. Used correctly it’ll will help foster a deep connection between the two of you.
Here’s everything you need to know before you buy a massage oil.
Oil, Not Lotion.
We use massage oil because lotion absorbs too quickly into the skin. A high grade massage oil, on the other hand, will take longer to sink into your partner’s skin, meaning more hands-on time with them and less mucking around with going back to the bottle.
Lotion is a good option for a small area of the body – for example a hand massage or foot massage are great areas to use a lovely lotion if you have no oil around.
And don’t even think about getting that lube-meets massage oil hybrid that you see on the drugstore shelves. It feels terrible leaving a dry sticky residue on your skin and does nothing for your massage techniques. Ick, ick, ick. Just nope.
Which Massage Oils to Buy
Sweet Almond is Denis’ favourite (the creator of Melt Massage for Couples – read about us). Cold pressed is a must, do not buy if its not cold pressed – this method of extraction retains the nutrients within the oil. Your skin absorbs oil, we want all those nutrients.
Oil is so important to us here at Melt, that Denis has created his own. View Melt’s Naked Oil Here.
We call it our Naked Oil – nothing but 100% Sweet Almond Oil, and ya – it’s cold pressed, no preservatives and no additives.
Denis’ Oil comes with a Free Massage Course – read more about his “Fix Your Massage Mistakes” course here. The beginning of your massage is so important to establish a connection with your partner, it will literally make or break your experience. There’s no need to get it wrong – sign up to his free course to learn how to get it right on your first time.
If You’re Allergic to Nuts
Sweet almond oil shouldn’t irritate the skin, and can be used on all parts of the body. But for some people with nut allergies, it’s recommended to use an alternative.
In this case, we recommend a cold pressed grapeseed oil or apricot oil. This may be a bit harder to find, but again your health food store should have it.
Where to Buy
It’s on Amazon, with over 723 reviews!
Our oil bottle is a MASSIVE 16oz, and it’s cheaper than most 8oz bottle on Amazon
RRP 16oz: $18.95 – sometimes we run a sale:
click here to check if we’re on sale
Included in the price:
- Bonus 4oz bottle – this is empty. Fill this little guy up and take him with you on your cheeky weekends away. Or at home. Store the big bottle in the fridge for extra shelf life! You’ll need it, 16oz is a lot for couples and will take over a year for you to consume.
- 3 caps – options. We all need options… A pump, quick access, and no leak travel cap.
- Fix Your Massage Mistakes Course… This is where all the value is – it’s free. It’s totally important.
Essential Oils
Sweet Almond Oil is a carrier oil. A neutral base to use on any skin, with no added scents or essential oils.
Some companies sell pre-blended massage oils, which are essentially a carrier oil – or a combination of a few carrier oils – with a few drops of essential oil thrown in there. Read the bottle, many of these have preservatives and additives that you don’t want on your body.
Essential oils are wonderful additions to massage oils, each with their own unique properties.
You can make your own scented oil by adding a few drops of any pure essential oil to your bottle of carrier oil. Be careful, pure essential oils are potent and can irritate some skins. The smell can also either attract or repulse you, depending on personal preferences.
Make sure both you and your partner are happy with the smell before you start mixing it or massaging with it. Also patch test some of your finalised blend on your skin to make sure it doesn’t irritate.
Quite honestly, we prefer non-scented oils when we’re massaging each other. Plus, that way there’s no essential oils to get in the way if your massage turns into a little somethin’-somethin’ later on (wink, wink)
Some ideal scents for getting you in a romantic massage mood are: sandalwood (woody, exotic, soothing), rose (the quintessential romance fragrance), vanilla (smells good enough to eat, is an aphrodisiac to boot) or ylang ylang (used a lot due to it’s strong aphrodisiac properties but I personally find it really cloying. Thought I’d include it anyway).
How to Store Massage Oil
Your massage oil will last a long time if stored correctly – store in a cool, dark place away from direct light or heat. Dark or opaque containers are also a great idea for storing massage oils.
You’ll know when your oil has gone off – you can smell it immediately. Fresh base / carrier oil has almost no smell.
If you buy Melt’s 16oz Oils – fill up the baby bottle and store the large 16oz bottle in the fridge for longer shelf life. Top up the baby bottle as needed. Clever huh! The best of both worlds – the convenience of a small bottle with the value of bulk oil.
Buy it on Amazon here
Dry Massage
It’s doable, on small surface areas. Such as specific knots, or a head massage.
You wont be able to do long sweeping strokes that feel amazingly relaxing. It takes a lot of practice to make dry massages work in a pleasing way. Denis will only ever do a dry massage if he’s treating a problem for a very short amount of time. 99.9% of his practice incorporates oil.
Massage through clothes follows the dry massage principle. It’s better than nothing, but it will strip away any intimacy and fun that comes with an oil based massage.