Photograph by George Sakkestad
Karen Lane, owner of The Package Is You in downtown Los Gatos, turns one of her aromatherapy sprays
on herself. Lane makes up "prescription" sprays for her customers, based on what's going on in their lives.
By Shari Kaplan
Why do the appetizing aroma of baking cookies, the sultry scent of roses and the dolorous odor of antiseptic conjure up such strong feelings? According to aromatherapists, the sense of smell is closely tied to one's mental state, in part because odor particles in the nose directly stimulate nerve endings that travel a short path straight to the brain.
Many smells seem to have a universal effect on people. This is the aromatherapist's key.
Karen Lane, owner of The Package Is You in downtown Los Gatos, uses aromatherapy as well as flower essences to unlock the mysteries of her clients' emotions. Just as aromas affect the body via the nose, she says, flower essences, taken internally in small drops, affect the body via absorption through the digestive tract.
When customers come in for a hair treatment, facial, appearance consultation or any other body or beauty service, Lane begins by "prescribing" the appropriate aromatherapy.
"I kind of check in with them regarding what's going on in their lives," Lane says. She adds drops of one or more essential oils to bowls filled with hot water, which act as diffusers while she is spending time with the customer.
"Essential oils are very volatile," Lane says. "By the time the water's cool, you've gotten the full benefit."
Lavender, which Lane calls "the aromatherapy aspirin," is a popular choice because of its relaxing properties. Citrus oils, such as bergamot and mandarin orange, have a cheering effect, while people "swoon" over rose.
As for the lesser-known flower essences, she says, they are a potable form of "energy medicine" that improve one's emotional outlook, which in turn may improve physical health.
"It's a very subtle form of therapy," adds Lane, a certified flower essence practitioner. "Most people see and feel definite differences, although they might not realize it themselves. As time goes on, people will see the connection between mind, body and emotions."
Some popular essences include quince, for its mental balancing effect, impatiens, which alleviates frustration and irritability and larch, a self-confidence booster.
At the Pure Path salon, owner Lisa Lischka and her employees also offer the unique sensations of scent. Customers may select an essential oil, whose fragrance is diffused throughout the salon.
Aromatic treatments can also be massaged into the hair, scalp and skin, which goes beyond aromatherapy to what some people call sensory therapy, as it involves more of the body and enters one's system through millions of pores in the skin.
"It's not just about, 'Come in and get your hair done,'" Lischka says. "My goal is to take people out of their [current] state of mind and relax them.
"When you open the senses to natural sources," she adds, "you become more in tune with what's in front of you. The moment someone walks in the door, we know how they feel."
"Aromatherapy is important for healing of the mind, body and soul. It affects how we think and feel," says C.C. Alba, an apprentice to Lischka and a certified massage therapist. "We offer the scents to bring our clients into a [better] state of mind. We feel it's the most beneficial treatment we offer."
Now in its first year of mail-order business, Body Chemistry carries a large line of single and custom-blended essential oils for the do-it-yourself aromatherapist. Carla Newsom, a business partner with Diane Richardson and Jane Alexander, sees aromatherapy as an alternative to pharmaceutical products. Although it is not a medicinal cure-all, she says, "it's definitely a comforting feeling."
"Out of 10 people, probably eight would find it a very positive experience," says Newsom, who bases her opinion on customers' frequent comments and repeat business for certain essential oils and products containing the oils, including body cream, massage oil and bath crystals.
Among the most popular formulas are those for energizing, stimulating, soothing, stress reduction and migraine headaches. The uplifting "scent-ual" aphrodisiac formula is also well-received, Newsom says.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 20, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved