Organic aromatherapy in the Mont Blanc area

 We use organic essential oils as well as organic vegetable oils in our massages.  Enjoy our aromatherapy treatment in Chamonix, and dicover our massages with essential oils. 

The aromatic oils in flowers, leaves and trees contain the vital life force or essence of the plant. Aromatherapy harnesses the inherent healing properties in these oils and uses them to bring relief to physical and emotional ailments.
Aromatherapy alleviates stress, releases tension and eliminates toxins held in the body. It can induce a state of deep relaxation, increase well-being, and renew energy and vigour. Specific essential oils can help with particular ailments including muscle aches, skin problems, indigestion, asthma, insomnia, anxiety and depression.

History
Aromatherapy has roots in antiquity with the use of aromatic oils. However, as currently defined, aromatherapy involves the use of distilled plant volatiles, a twentieth century innovation. The word "aromatherapy" was first used in the 1920s by French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after an accident in his perfume laboratory. In the accident, he set his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to be a vat of lavender oil. Immediately he noticed surprising pain relief, and this burn healed remarkably quickly, with minimal discomfort and no scarring.

Modes of application
The modes of application of aromatherapy include:
* Aerial diffusion: for environmental fragrancing or aerial disinfection
* Direct inhalation: for respiratory disinfection, decongestion, expectoration as well as psychological effects
* Topical applications: for general massage, baths, compresses, therapeutic skin care

Materials
Some of the materials employed include:
* Essential oils: Fragrant oils extracted from plants chiefly through steam distillation (e.g. eucalyptus oil) or expression (grapefruit oil). However, the term is also occasionally used to describe fragrant oils extracted from plant material by any solvent extraction.
* Absolutes: Fragrant oils extracted primarily from flowers or delicate plant tissues through solvent or supercritical fluid extraction (e.g. rose absolute). The term is also used to describe oils extracted from fragrant butters, concretes, and enfleurage pommades using ethanol.
* Phytoncides: Various volatile organic compounds from plants that kill microbes. Many terpene-based fragrant oils and sulfuric compounds from plants in the genus "Allium" are phytoncides, though the latter are likely less commonly used in aromatherapy due to their disagreeable odors.
* Herbal distillates or hydrosols: The aqueous by-products of the distillation process (e.g. rosewater). There are many herbs that make herbal distillates and they have culinary uses, medicinal uses and skin care uses. Common herbal distillates are rose, lemon balm and chamomile.
* Infusions: Aqueous extracts of various plant material (e.g. infusion of chamomile)
* Carrier oils: Typically oily plant base triacylglycerides that dilute essential oils for use on the skin (e.g. sweet almond oil.