Lubricants for Specialized Populations

by Brandi Schlossberg

Every client is bound to have slightly different needs and expectations when it comes to a bodywork session, but certain populations—infants, geriatric clients, pregnant women, oncology patients, athletes—demand a specific protocol when it comes to massage therapy. We spoke to the massage therapists who work with these populations, as well as massage-lubricant manufacturers, to find out what products are best for these specialized clients.

Infants

Susan Campbell is a certified infant massage instructor in Ventura, California, and CEO of the International Association of Infant Massage. Campbell uses edible, unscented oils—such as grapeseed or sunflower—with all her tiny clients.

“You want something edible because you can count on the babies always to be sticking their fingers and hands in their mouths during the massage,” she says.

The unscented part is also important in infant massage, where one of the main goals is bonding between parent and child.

“Part of the nurturing communication we help instill is smell, and we want that smell to be the smell of the babies’ parents,” Campbell says. “We want the babies to instantly recognize their parents’ scent to encourage bonding and communication.”

Pregnant women

Kate Jordan has been a massage therapist for more than 30 years. She specializes in working with pregnant women and clients with complex medical conditions at the La Jolla Clinic of Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, California. Jordan is also the developer of Bodywork for the Childbearing Year.

When it comes to massage lubrication for pregnant women, Jordan says she likes to use a combination of peanut oil, olive oil and lavender on her pregnant clients.

“Olive oil is a nutrient for the skin; peanut oil is a nutrient for the subcutaneous tissue; and lavender is both safe in pregnancy and has been shown in hospital studies to reduce stress levels,” Jordan says.

She also uses a lubricant specifically for the pregnant woman’s abdomen, in order to help prevent stretch marks.

“One of the most readily available products is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Belly Butter,” she says. “It contains most of the ingredients that have been shown

On her pregnant clients’ legs, Jordan likes to use a combination of grapeseed oil, geranium, lemon and mandarin to help reduce edema and relieve varicose veins.

Geriatric clients

Massage therapists who work with elderly clients must consider the fragility of their clients’ skin when choosing a lubricant. Jordan, who also works with geriatric clients, says she uses emu oil on areas of very dry skin on elderly client, and castor oil for joint pain. Jean Shea, founder and formulator of BIOTONE products, recommends Advanced Therapy Gel, Cream or Lotion.

“It has been sensitivity tested and proven safe at [the University of California at Los Angeles], and it contains no drying alcohol, mineral oil, nut oils or strong fragrance,” she says.

Oncology patients

Charlotte Versagi is the supervisor of medical massage for the Integrative Medicine Department, Oncology Services, at Beaumont Hospitals. She uses BIOTONE’s Herbal Select on all her clients with cancer.

“It’s smooth and not smelly—cancer patients can’t tolerate strong smells,” Versagi says. “We put it in ‘Jello-shot’ containers with caps so we have one dose per patient, as we have to be very careful of cross-contamination with this immunosuppressed population.”

Vitamin E is another lubricant Versagi and her staff employ with oncology patients.

“Most of our patients have severe scars, and we teach scar work to them,” she says. “We demonstrate on them by pricking open the vitamin E capsule and showing them how to do the work; then we send them home with a pretty little bag of 100 capsules to do their homework.”

Athletes

Pain-relieving lubricants are a popular choice for massage therapists who work on athletes. These clients typically visit the practitioner in search of relief from sore muscles or help recovering from an injury. Shea suggests using a product with Arnica for its natural analgesic effects. She also recommends Polar Cooling Massage Lotion for spot treatment on athletes who seek fast relief from sore muscles, arthritis and fatigue.

“The ingredients are naturally cooling, detoxifying, antiseptic and stimulating,” she says.

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