There are many different kinds of massage oils and massage lotions you can use for a massage, whether a Zeel Massage or a self-massage. You might even have some of them in your kitchen. Keep in mind that non-professional grade massage oils may stain your massage sheets. If you use a set of dedicated sheets (like the ones that come with the premium Massage Zeelot member set), then oil away!
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is super-popular, not just for Paleo eating, but for skin care and hair care as well. So it’s natural that you might want to use coconut oil as a massage oil. Coconut oil smells great (if you like the smell of coconut) and it’s solid at room temperature. That makes coconut oil less messy but a little stickier to work with.
Olive oil
Olive oil is one of the most popular cooking oils. It’s also a great oil to use for body treatments. Olive oil is very moisturizing and has a fruity smell that most people find pleasant. It can stain if your massage therapist isn’t careful . Olive oil is best for people with dry skin – if your skin is already oily, it can cause breakouts. (Remember to save some for the pasta!)
Safflower oil
You may have a bottle of safflower oil in your kitchen as a neutral, flavorless oil. The qualities that make safflower oil a good cooking oil for a variety of dishes also make it a great carrier oil for massages. A carrier oil is a neutral oil that absorbs well and can “carry” the benefits of other oils –so, for example, you may choose to infuse your safflower oil with some of the Vitamin E or tea tree oil you bought at Trader Joe’s. Vitamin E is good for healing, lavender oil is calming, and tea tree oil is great for to a massage to soothe breakout-prone skin. Just remember not to use your infused oil to fry up your eggs in the morning.
Most Zeel Massage Therapists will use a hypo-allergenic, non-staining massage lotion, unless you request something else (or have another lotion or oil available at home). Experiment with massage oils and have fun!

Marcy is the SVP of People and Communications at Zeel. In addition to overseeing the humans of Zeel, Marcy has written about workplace topics for more than 20 years both at Zeel and as VP of Content for Vault.com, a career information web site and publisher.