The image is chaotic: you’re rushing to work or an urgent appointment, half a piece of burnt toast hanging between your teeth, you’re dodging foot and car traffic, meanwhile, your smart phone is beeping nonstop. You’ve just received three emails about the project due tomorrow morning. 5 o’clock and still, sitting in traffic, there’s still so much to do. What’s for dinner? What do you need to do for that project? Pause. Wait, take a deep breath, and relax. Can’t? Go to a spa when you have a moment of free time. And why not? The spa industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s booming, and with good reason.

At the spa, relaxation is achieved through many techniques. One of the most commonly utilised is massage, using the sense of  touch. By coaxing stress from our bodies with massages, facials and even hydrotherapy, we can take the load off our shoulders, at least for a little while. These practices however are seldom alone. More often than not, they’re accompanied by an increasingly popular but ancient practice of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy utilises our sense of smell and touch, which has a great effect on our physical and emotional well-being. This practice uses essential oils such as sandal wood, lavender, jasmine, rose and eucalyptus to ease stress. It is often paired with other holistic techniques such as acupuncture, or therapeutic massages in which the essential oils are massaged into the skin and lightly dabbed under the nose for maximum effect. The oils applied to our skin are absorbed into our bloodstream and brings multitudes of benefits to the body.

Each individual responds differently to the effects triggered by aromatherapy. There may be a physical response or an emotional one, or perhaps even both. Our sense of smell has such a strong connection to our memories. Imagine, your favourite, freshly baked cake, just the way Grandma used to make. The drool you’re wiping off your chin is the physical, while the nostalgia is the emotional. Powerful stuff isn’t it? It’s no wonder that aromatherapy is one of the most common forms of eradicating stress and by doing so, promotes balance and wellbeing.

Aromatherapy is a great way to keep anxieties at bay and create a relaxing environment. And if you are really too busy, you don’t have to go to an expensive spa to get the experience. A few hours of free time and some scented candles or essential oils diffusing on a vaporiser do the trick, and voila, you have just created your own personal spa.