About Aromatherapy Associates
We have been sharing the therapeutic powers of essential oils for over 30 years. Starting out as therapists in the early 1970s, our founders, Geraldine Howard and Sue Beechey, connected with the emerging practice of aromatherapy.
Training under renowned aromatherapist Micheline Arcier, who had herself studied aromatherapy with its original pioneers Marguerite Maury and Jean ValnetM.D, they experienced first-hand the powerfully positive effects of essential oils on our physical and emotional wellbeing.
It began a love affair with aromatherapy.
In 1985, Geraldine and Sue’s passion for teaching, practicing and blending oils spilled into a desire to share the benefits of aromatherapy with a wider audience. Aromatherapy Associates was born with a small range of therapeutic-grade products and treatments.
Fast forward to the 21st century. We continue to celebrate and share the wonders and benefits of essential oils with an ever-growing range of award-winning products and transformative treatments that can be found all over the world.
Keeper of our founder’s vision and the legacy of the brand, our Master Blender hand-crafts and individually tailors each new formula in our London laboratory, to create ground breaking blends. Insisting on the highest concentrations of natural ingredients ensures that our formulations are the gold standard of essential oil blends, and a truly exceptional sensorial experience.
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the power of “aroma”, through essential oils to improve your wellbeing “therapy”. Used in ancient cultures for thousands of years, the term aromatherapy was coined by a French perfumer and chemist René-Maurice Gattefosséin 1937.
Essential oils are the life of the plant, highly volatile fragrant chemical compounds.
Our sense of smell is established to be 10,000 times more acute than other senses. Scent travels faster to the brain than both sight or sound, and registers even faster than pain. The sense of smell is linked directly to the power and the deepest parts of the brain and the mind.
Essential oils are incredibly volatile meaning they become gases and spread quickly, going directly to the ‘limbic system’ in the brain, this system is our primary response unconsciously controlling elements such as our breathing, here the aroma alters out brain chemistry.
Before you have even registered the aroma in your conscious brain, a cascade of reactions has already happened, both physical and hormonal such as releasing endorphins to boost your mood or relaxing the central nervous system to instil calm, having a holistic effect on your wellbeing.
Book Online Now
Book your treatments online by using our new, simple booking system. Pick your treatments, choose your day and time, sit back and relax. We look forward to welcoming you to the Reading Room Day Spa soon.
