How hard is it to review a massage oil? It must be hard, as I have been procrastinating writing this review for quite some time. And it finally occurred to me today: I become lost when a product does not function by coming into contact with my genitalia! Yes, that must be it. Massage oil is so tame, so average, so… suburban. It’s what boring couples use to “spice things up.”
Despite that offensive statement, I love, love, love massages. I demand them from my boyfriend with alarming frequency. Usually on my feet, while we watch The Daily Show or a political documentary, but also on my back (more difficult to procure). So now I have Shunga Massage Oil, in the scent of “Excitation” (a.k.a. orange). I’ve never bought or used massage oil in my life. Massages are way better now, right?
On my back, yes. Undoubtedly. The oil allows for his hands to glide across my skin with delicious ease. The oil enhances his squeezing of my shoulder blades, his knuckling of my back, his inevitable slip toward my boobs. It isn’t a warming oil, but it doesn’t stay cool for long after applied to the skin. Best of all, it soaks into my skin afterward, leaving no trace of stickiness. The massage artist will probably want to wash it off his/her hands, but the massagee is free to lay there in a satisfied pile.
On my feet, no. However, the oil has an unfair disadvantage from the start, because I tend to demand that my boyfriend use Burt’s Bees coconut foot creme during foot massages. The foot creme is rich and thick, lusciously scented, and allows him to really dig into my feet. It does leave my feet covered in an oily film, of course, but I don’t mind it. The point is, the Shunga Massage Oil is too thin to have much of an impact on a foot massage. It makes it easier for one to maneuver one’s hands around feet, but that’s about it.
My biggest complaint about this oil is the scent of it. Citrus scents are my favorite, but this one just fails. It smells like orange household cleaner — straight up. We used to have some all-purpose spray that smelled just like this stuff, so getting a massage with it reminds me of cleaning the apartment. Not the greatest association, but it’s not the worst scent ever. There are several other scents in this massage oil line, so if you’re going to buy Shunga Massage Oil, try not “Excitation.”
