For aromatherapist Pat Hall, a career in aromatherapy is perfect.
"It gets me out of bed in the morning because I love everything about it," she says.
"I thoroughly enjoy creating essential oil blends for my clients and giving massage treatments, feeling the tension dissolve, their breathing improve, seeing color and warmth return to their body. I like the results I get when people with different ailments notice improvements in their physical health."
Another benefit is sharing her knowledge with other people. "I enjoy teaching, sharing what I have learned over the last 10 years, passing it on to others and watching their enthusiasm grow as they gain confidence in their abilities and successes," she says.
"It's a never-ending journey where I learn every day. The only downside is that the days are far too short for me to do all that I want to do. I doubt if I will ever get tired of aromatherapy. It's so versatile."
But what is an aromatherapy massage, and what can it do for a client? Hall is quick to explain. "An aromatherapy massage will soothe moderate anxiety and depression, headaches and muscular aches and pains," she says.
"Regular aromatherapy massage will enhance skin and muscle tone, increase flexibility in the joints and improve circulation. It's particularly helpful for women's problems, and it can also ease many of the health problems associated with aging."
And that's not all. "Its purifying and [reviving] action on the tissues helps to normalize the role of the organs while fostering the function of the immune system," says Hall.
Hall gives aromatherapy treatments at her own treatment facility and in a clinic with members of a medical team. She also teaches a 360-hour, four-month aromatherapy certification course to others looking for a career change. "I also have my own skin care line," she says. "All the products are prepared using essential oils and a natural preservative."
Hall has trained people from all types of educational backgrounds, from those who have never held a full-time job to those with a college degree. "All that's really required is that you like people and want to be of assistance to them, and have a willingness to study and work at it."
For anyone searching for an instructor in aromatherapy, Hall offers some excellent advice:
Find out how long the instructor has been in private practice. Where did they train and how long ago? Does the instructor continue to take courses to keep up to date? Is the instructor personally accessible to you?
Make sure you get along with the instructor.
Does the course include anatomy and physiology or is that extra? How many essential oils do you learn about and to what degree? Is this part of something you do on your own at home or is it covered in actual class time?
Do they teach the reflexology assessment techniques? Do they offer business instruction?
Patty Nyne, a massage therapist in northern California, began her career as a customer service manager for an essential oil company. Her education came from bath and body shop owners and a very tough boss.
"He wouldn't give me easy answers to my questions. He would say, 'Go look it up.' I appreciate that now. When you're selling over 100 different essential oils, you have to know what they do and how to use them safely."
Nyne chose to branch off into massage therapy, where she uses her aromatherapy knowledge part time. And after years in the industry, she's still learning.
"If you're new to aromatherapy, I would suggest you start in small bites," she says. "Get some good books and study up on the top 10 to 15 oils. Learn all you can about only those oils. Become a champion of a small number. You can expand your repertoire as you go, but the top 10 or so will get you through a lot."
Nyne feels that career choices in aromatherapy are fairly limited. "Most of the people in the industry do it out of passion for the oils, not to make it rich."
When Kal Kotecha was in college, he developed an interest in aromatherapy. Even after earning degrees in economics and psychology, he decided to go into aromatherapy full time, opening his own aromatherapy academy.
Students can take coursework at the facility or take courses by correspondence. Kotecha says the availability of jobs depends on the state. "There's more of a demand in the field than a supply," he says. And while there are very few men in the field, "it's wide open for men and for everyone."