Oil Massage

One of the most well-known and loved forms of massage is the oil massage.  Although we call it oil massage, it could also be called Swedish massage.  This type of massage is the West's contribution to the world's massage repository, taking its place alongside modalities such as tuina, shiatsu, Thai, lomi-lomi, and other eastern massage traditions.  Although massage has come a long way and has, in this century, diversified to include energy work such as cranio-sacral and other systems, Swedish massage still forms the foundation of most massage school curriculums and serves as most students' introduction to the world of healing touch.  Oil massage is great because it involves a lot of physical contact, as opposed to acupressure-oriented types of massage where we tend to apply pressure more to specific acupressure points on the body.  In this way, students learn to feel the body at the most basic level and also can feel how even simple strokes can do a lot of relieve tension and comfort.  And even though oil is mainly used as a lubricant so that the therapist can manipulate body tissue using smooth, flowing, and continuous strokes (body cream is also used for this purpose), the oil can also have benefits for the skin or other systems of the body.

If you're going to get a typical oil massage, you can expect a very relaxing treatment.  The aim of oil massage (as in Swedish massage) is to get the blood circulating to all the tissue of the body, helping to get rid of tension that builds up and can lead to the formation of "knots", those hard spots in tissue which can cause us pain and other discomfort.  Because Swedish massage uses long, smooth strokes, clients often find themselves relaxing deeply as the therapist goes about the treatment.  Many people actually fall asleep during such massages. But Swedish massage is not all about relaxation, it can also be very therapeutic and it doesn't have to be done with light pressure, either.  The therapist will find a pressure to suit the client based on what they feel and on client feedback.  If ever in a massage you feel that something the therapist is doing is painful, you can and should ask them to stop.  Most therapists appreciate it when clients let them know something is not feeling right.
Another benefit of the oil massage is that not only your muscles and tissue, but also your skin, will feel great afterwards.  The massage really does a good job of working the oil into your skin, leaving it feeling supple and soft.  All in all, oil massage can be a great way to relax and take care of your health.

There are actually many different kinds of oils used for massage.  Besides the oils that are specifically manufactured for use in massage and marketed for massage therapists, there are also all the oils that are usually used for other purposes, derived from both mineral and vegetable sources.  Although you could probably do baby oil massages, this is a product derived from petroleum distillates and we will want to avoid such synthetically produced oils as natural products are usually better for the skin.  With the huge variety of oils derived from these natural sources, you should never need to buy a synthetic oil.  It is also possible to save by buying massage oils wholesale.   
While some massage therapy oils, such as coconut oil, are fairly well-known for being nice to use on human skin, people are often surprised at some of the other oils that can be used for giving an oil massage.  These include common cooking oils such as olive oil, grapeseed oil, and even canola oil.  Each oil has its own unique characteristics besides being just "oily".  For this reason, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that there are as many different oils and oil blends as there are massage therapists.  And the blends are many- a therapist might choose to combine a more expensive oil like jojoba with a cheaper one like canola to make the oil more cost-dffective, for instance.  Some like olive oil because it is nice and thick and is absorbed nicely by skin, while others dislike it for massage because they find the odor of olive oil to be too strong.  Perhaps these therapists, like many of us, associate the smell with food.  Some also like grapeseed oil where others have thought that it made their skin dry. 
In other cases, essential oils may also be added to the oil to give it a scent plus any of the therapeutic benefits associated with a specific essential oil.  It's all up to the therapist, and also the client.  One patient may like the scented oil while another may detest it, so it's good to ask first and maybe give it a try before adding some kind of essential oil to all of your massage oils. 
Some good choices of massage therapy oil which are often used by therapists are coconut, jojoba, and sunflower oils.  Some other oils which are used, but may be more rare, include sesame (used extensively in Ayurveda), avocado, and grapeseed.  These rarer varieties tend to be more expensive and are may not be available as wholesale massage oil.  Many therapists also use massage creams like those made by Biotone.