Gift hunting for the tree hugger in your life isn’t as easy as one might think. You’re searching for something beautiful, useful, and made from natural materials. Not so practical as to be mundane, but not so extravagant it gets tucked into a secret drawer and forgotten until next year. Bonus points if it’s a small-batch item made with love and recyclable packaging. The Warming Massage Oil with Juniper Berry and Ginger from Stony Creek Aromatics? Check, check, aaaaand check.
Our Founder, Jessica Flora, is a certified aromatherapist and she developed this invigorating oil to use with clients here at the spa. It makes an especially lovely wintertime gift because the high-quality plant extracts warm the body and rejuvenate sore muscles, tendons, and joints – something an oil with synthetic fragrances will never do.
Why They’ll Love this Warming Massage Oil
Soothes sore, stiff muscles
Thanks to essential oils of marjoram (Origanum majorana) and ginger (Zingiber officinale), which have both been shown to have analgesic properties, this oil soothes sore muscles and helps ease stiffness. Juniper berries also have a long history of easing the occasional pain associated with sore, stiff joints.
“Marjoram tonifies and circulates Qi-energy, clears cold phlegm, and calms the mind,” writes Gabriel Mojay in Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit. “Marjoram oil’s Qi-moving action results in very distinct antispasmodic and analgesic properties. It may be applied in this respect for conditions such as muscular stiffness and pain, nervous spasm, intestinal colic, and osteoarthritis.”
Tones and decongests the lymphatic system
Juniper berry (Juniperus communis) shines here. From a Chinese medicine perspective, “Juniper is a powerful tonic of the body’s warming and stimulating yang energy, especially of the Kidney-yang,” writes Mojay. “It is both a diuretic and lymphatic decongestant. In respect of its action on the Kidney-yang and urinary system, juniper oil’s warming, invigorating effect benefits tiredness, cold hands and feet, lower backache, and oedema (fluid retention).”
Fosters health at the cellular level
Ginger, marjoram, and juniper berries all have antioxidant properties, neutralizing free radicals with a stabilizing electron.
Without an adequate supply of antioxidants, free radicals would steal electrons from other molecules, damaging cells and DNA in a process called oxidation. Juniper berry is especially noteworthy here. In a study with yeast cells, juniper berry essential oil was shown to block the oxidation process by increasing activity of various antioxidant enzymes.
And inflammation? Because oxidation triggers the body’s inflammatory response as part of the healing process, neutralizing free radicals also means less inflammation at the cellular level.
Promotes microbial balance
Research suggests that ginger, elemi, marjoram, and juniper berry can each help stop pathogenic bacteria from proliferating. Compounds in ginger called zingiberene and α-curcumene are believed to disrupt the cell membranes of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Elemi essential oil also showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
Studies have shown that marjoram is active against microbes, though researchers suggest further studies to validate results. Similarly, experiments with juniper berry essential oil have shown antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities.
Two Ways to Gift this Warming Massage Oil
1. Buy a bottle of the Warming Massage Oil here.
Looking for a set? Pair the oil with a long-burning beeswax candle for calming massage ambiance, and a bar of Meadowroot’s Red Clay & Lavender Soap for bath-to-body alchemy.
2. For Ann Arbor locals: We use this uplifting massage oil in many services at the spa.
- Organic Facial + Warming Ginger Body Oil
- Aromatherapy Massage
- Herbal Soak + Aromatherapy Massage
- Herbal Soak + Organic Facial with Warming Ginger Body Oil
Book an appointment through the links above or give your loved one a gift certificate for services at the spa.
A warming massage oil made with high-quality extracts from real plants will create an experience a synthetically-fragranced oil simply can’t imitate. Stony Creek Aromatics’ Warming Massage Oil with Juniper Berry & Ginger is sure to bring relaxation and delight to the grounded, earthy folk on your list, making it a perfect gift this holiday season.
Pssst. Are you an esthetician or spa owner who’s interested in carrying Stony Creek Aromatics’ Warming Massage Oil with Juniper Berry & Ginger as a wholesale product? Place your order here.