Marthica and Cheryl are massage therapists who took Aromatherapy as part of their educational requirements. Because of the therapeutic properties of essential oils used in Aromatherapy, we started making bath salts, massage balms, butters, and oils to use on our massage clients and as gifts for family and friends. Our joint cottage industry began three years ago when we found that everyone truly enjoyed the natural products we made and wanted to buy them. The handmade olive oil soap we were making for our personal use was added to our line of products and we also began making liquid/foaming soap after many customer requests.

Aromatherapy Shoppe products contain all natural ingredients and are not petroleum based. Our base products are ordered from reputable supply companies and we perform every step of production in our home studio in Virginia Beach using our own “recipes.” Base products include, to name a few, 100% pure essential oils (the main ingredient and the reason we have this business), beeswax, base oils of olive, apricot kernel, coconut, jojoba, and arnica, Shea butter, dead sea salt, Epsom salt, dried botanicals, herbs, and spices for natural colorant, goat’s milk, distilled water, soy wax, and fragrance. While we may offer the same type of each product, every batch is unique and not mass produced. Soap varieties will change with each season. We use a cold process soap recipe in which the soap making chemical of sodium hydroxide is blended with vegetable oils. Once the soap is made, put into molds, and cut, we let it cure and then test the pH balance before wrapping. For other products, we melt the beeswax and base oils/butter in a double boiler and then add essential oils and package the balm/butter in jars or lip balm tubes. Fragrant soy melts are made with soy wax and fragrance. We hand stir the salts together along with essential oils and possibly botanicals for additional relaxation. An essential oil is the fragrant soul of a plant and has specific therapeutic properties with an aroma that can set the mood or course for the day.

We hope you will enjoy our fine line of handcrafted products.

Thank you for your patronage.
Marthica and Cheryl