Most guests choose their oil in about four seconds, by sniffing two bottles and pointing at the nicer one. That is a perfectly good method. But there is a slightly better one, and it takes about thirty seconds of thought before you walk in.
An aromatherapy massage is a gentle, flowing full-body oil massage, blended with essential oils and worked at a slower, more rhythmic tempo than our firmer styles. It is the treatment we recommend most for stress, anxious weeks, sore-but-not-injured backs, poor sleep and period pain. It runs 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes at both the Viaduct and St Heliers.
Why the scent matters more than you would think
Smell is the only sense with a direct line into the limbic system — the part of the brain that deals in emotion and memory — without being filtered through the reasoning parts first. It is why a scent can drop your shoulders before you have decided anything. During a massage, that head start is useful: the scent begins the work, the hands finish it.
This is not a claim that a particular oil treats a particular illness. Cleveland Clinic's overview of aromatherapy describes the evidence as mixed, with possible benefits for anxiety and sleep quality. What we see on the table is simpler: the right scent makes it easier for you to stop bracing, and a body that has stopped bracing is far easier to work on.
A simple way to choose
If you want to switch off
Lavender, chamomile, sandalwood. Soft, sweet, slightly powdery. The classic evening choice — pick these if you have been running hot for weeks, if your sleep has gone thin, or if you are booking a massage specifically to stop thinking.
If you want to feel lifted
Sweet orange, lemongrass, grapefruit, bergamot. Bright and clean. Better for a mid-morning or lunchtime booking, or for the flat, grey stretch of a wet Auckland winter. Choose citrus if you have to go back to work afterwards and would rather not float out the door.
If you are congested or foggy
Eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree. Sharp and cooling in the sinuses. Guests reach for these when they are at the tail end of a cold, or when a stuffy office has left them with a heavy head. Not the one to pick if strong menthol scents bother you.
If you are sore rather than stressed
Warming, spicier notes — ginger, black pepper, rosemary. These pair well with slightly firmer work. If you are genuinely sore rather than tense, though, consider whether deep tissue or the Thai herbal compress is the better booking, and keep aromatherapy for the week after.
"Tell us what kind of week you have had, not which oil you want. We will get you to the right bottle faster than the shelf will."
Siri therapist team
What the massage itself is like
Long, slow, connected strokes with generous oil, worked over the back, shoulders, neck, arms and legs, with the pressure kept in the light-to-medium range. It is not a treatment about breaking down knots — it is about persuading a whole nervous system to change gear.
Sixty minutes covers the body properly. Thirty is a focused top-half session — good in a lunch break, but do not expect it to reach everything. Ninety or 120 minutes is where the treatment stops being a service and starts being an experience, and it is the length many regulars settle on.
Aromatherapy or Swedish massage: which should you book?
This is the choice most people are really making when they read our menu. Both are full-body oil massages, and they cost exactly the same — $115 for an hour at the Viaduct, $105 at St Heliers — so the decision is about what the session is for, not the budget.
Aromatherapy works in the light-to-medium range with blended essential oils, and the slow tempo is deliberate. It is aimed at your nervous system: the week that will not switch off, the sleep that has gone thin, the shoulders that are tight because you have been braced rather than because you lifted something heavy.
Swedish massage is firmer and brisker. It blends western and Thai technique with sweet almond oil, and it suits muscles that have actually been used — a run of gym sessions, a weekend in the garden, a job on your feet. Most people walk out feeling awake rather than sleepy. One practical note: sweet almond oil comes from a nut, so mention any nut allergy when you book.
A simple rule: if you want to feel calmer, book aromatherapy. If you want to feel looser and more energised, book Swedish. If you honestly cannot tell, start with aromatherapy — it is the easier of the two to enjoy on a first visit, and you can go firmer next time.
The honest limitation
Aromatherapy massage will not fix a badly locked shoulder in one session, and if you have a specific mechanical problem — a joint that will not move, a nerve pain, an old injury — a spa massage is not the right first stop. See a physiotherapist, then come to us for the maintenance. And if you have a fragrance sensitivity, asthma triggered by scent, or you are pregnant, tell us when booking. Healthify's guide to essential oils notes that some oils can interfere with conditions such as asthma, and advises talking to your midwife or healthcare provider before using any essential oils in pregnancy. Ask us about an unscented option, or consider a warm coconut oil massage instead.
Prices
- Viaduct, Auckland CBD — 30 mins $65 · 60 mins $115 · 90 mins $165 · 120 mins $220
- St Heliers — 30 mins $60 · 60 mins $105 · 90 mins $145 · 120 mins $195
Aromatherapy is also the massage inside every one of our spa packages. Package A at the Viaduct pairs a 30-minute aromatherapy massage with a full body scrub for $245, and at St Heliers the packages run from $225 for scrub and massage to $280 with either the infrared sauna or a mini facial added.
Want the scent to follow you home? Our guide to aromatherapy at home covers the simple, non-precious ways to use essential oils between visits.
Common questions
Yes. Tell your therapist what kind of week you have had and they will suggest a blend — relaxing, uplifting, clearing or warming — and you can smell it before it goes anywhere near you.
At the Viaduct: $65 for 30 minutes, $115 for 60, $165 for 90 and $220 for 120. At St Heliers: $60, $105, $145 and $195 for the same durations.
Some essential oils are not recommended in pregnancy, so please tell us when you book and check with your midwife or doctor first. We do not have a dedicated prenatal treatment on our menu — phone the branch and we will talk you through what is suitable.
Aromatherapy if you want to be soothed and lightened; hot stone if your stress has settled into physically tight muscles and you want heat to reach it.
