GET MERRY—AND MAKE MONEY—WITH HOLIDAY SPA TREATMENTS

The holiday season is here.

Department stores have replaced back-to-school displays with cozy sweaters and warm woolen mittens. Supermarkets advertise specials on turkeys and stuffing. Roadside stands overflow with pumpkins and apples. Along with the good feelings and celebrations comes a dose of stress. Travel, family get-togethers, shopping for presents and social gatherings can all contribute to feeling frazzled.

Massage therapists have the antidote for anxiety-inducing shopping trips and nonstop entertaining, at their fingertips. Seasonal hands-on treatments calm nerves, while offering seasonal retail items solves clients’ gift-giving dilemmas.

Scents of the Season

The holiday season is inextricably linked to certain scents. Cinnamon, pine, pumpkin, chocolate, clove, spruce and peppermint evoke memories of family gatherings, hot apple cider by the fireplace, and sledding with friends after a recent snowfall. By incorporating these aromas into massage products, a therapist can create a refreshing experience to welcome in the new season, according to Jean Shea, founder and CEO of BIOTONE Professional Massage and Spa Therapy Products, headquartered in San Diego, California (royal spa columbia)

“Aromatherapy essential oils can be added to most any oil, creme or lotion,” Shea said. A blend of orange, cedar, cinnamon and patchouli can relax the mind and match the woodsy, outdoor feel of winter, while “a milk-and-honey body butter is a comforting finishing product that can be incorporated with any spa wrap, or stand on its own as a delicate and lavish product that is similar to a fresh-baked cookie smell to help soothe the soul and welcome winter,” she added.

Shea recommended matching body butters and lotions with essential oils and essential oil blends to create your own signature holiday scent.

Regardless of treatment—massage, body wrap, scrub or facial massage— the addition of a scent, oil or lotion that complements the season will provide a stimulating and balanced experience for tired muscles and weary holiday nerves, said Jenny Hogan, media director for Marketing Solutions Inc., who spoke on behalf of Universal Companies, a massage-and-spa product supply company headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia. She suggested adding essential oils, such as eucalyptus, spruce, rosemary and cinnamon leaf, to the active ingredients in spa treatments.

“Create a hot spice tea scrub with cinnamon leaf essential oil, clove powder, grape seed oil and natural [sugar cane] exfoliant for a treatment as comforting as a cup of hot tea,” Hogan said.

While a basic massage treatment with a holiday scent-infused lotion, oil or cream can put clients into a cheery mood, using the same approach with an add-on can achieve similar results, and also benefit the therapist financially.

Hogan suggests offering a hand-and-foot treatment using heated mittens and booties as a luxurious supplement to massage. A 20-minute paraffin add-on can provide soothing warmth to a session, as can heated stones.

Aromatherapy misting sprays can set the stage for a holiday spa treatment. “Aromatherapy room mists are the fastest and easiest way to introduce your clients to holiday scents,” said Shea.