Aromatherapy and teasing your senses

Spas always capture people’s curiosity. Beautifully shaped bowls containing floating flower petals are eye-catching and inviting objects in any spa. The glorious scent in the room feeds your senses tickling with anticipation. A special kind of aroma transcends in the area. Massage beds are usually decorated with flower petals as well to make the room appear calm and relaxing. Aidah Nagingo, a massage therapist at Soul Spa at the Manor Hotel, said that flower petals in water bowls enhance the scent in the room. “The scent of flowers is part of the treatment given with the different kinds of massage conducted in a spa. Sometimes, clients could order for specific scents of their choice,” Nagingo explains. Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being. The inhaled aroma from flowers is widely believed to stimulate brain function. Essential scents can also be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. The nostrils are attached to a part of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system controls emotions and influences the nervous system and hormones. When one inhales essential oil molecules during aromatherapy, messages are transmitted to the limbic system and affect heart rate, stress level, blood pressure, breathing, memory, digestion and the immune system. Clinical research indicates that the colours and aroma of fresh flowers have a therapeutic effect. Not only do flowers help people connect on a personal level; but they also positively impact the overall health, happiness, creativity and life satisfaction. Flowers are nature’s best aroma therapy secrets. Aromatherapy can be employed to boost the benefits of massage or various healing bodywork. Massage therapists and healers aim at getting their patient into the calmest state possible, thus forming optimal surroundings. Aromatherapy treatment also helps in wellness and stress relief. At an average fee of Rwf30,000 to Rwf 40,000, anyone can experience a sense-tantalizing aromatherapy experience in any spa in Kigali. If you cannot afford to go to a spa, do not hesitate to include flowers in your interior house décor—they change the aura of any living space. Dorau20@yahoo.co.uk