Lelo flickering touch massage candle by LELO - review by P'Gell

Lelo is considered one of the Top of the Line in "Luxury" High End sex toys. Their products are loved by many and are high quality. They are now venturing into lubricants and the newer "Massage Oil Candle" market.

The Lelo Flickering Touch Massage Candle is one of the newest in a new genre of sensual products by a traditional sex toy company. I, personally, welcome the entre of these companies into the Sensual Goods market.

One can set the mood in the bedroom, the bath, any living space where one wants a sensual gentle firelight experience followed by a warm oil/wax massage.

This candle can be used before or after making love, before or after a bath, or in a quiet moment with a loved one or alone, to relax and pamper oneself.

The ingredients are few and simple; Soy wax, Shea Butter, Apricot Kernel Oil and perfume. (Which "perfume" used in the wax is not specified.) Anyone with allergies to any of the above, (apricot kernel is considered a "tree nut" so those people allergic to tree nuts should be careful or avoid this product, and soy is an allergen for some) should probably choose an other product to avoid allergic reaction.

I personally, have many allergies, some concerning "perfumes" and I was not bothered by this scent at all.

The directions on the box recommend not to use this wax/oil as a sexual lubricant. Lelo and many other companies make products specifically for this purpose.

Lelo makes their massage oil candles in three fragrances; Vanilla & Crème de Cacao, Snow Pear and Cedarwood and Black Pepper & Pomegranate.

This review tests the Snow Pear and Cedarwood scent.

The directions do not specify how long to burn the candle before use, but as a user of other brands of candles (and making mistakes by burning candles too short of a time and ending up with a "well" in the center of the candle which then needs to be remedied so the candle can be used properly.)

I first lit the candle and burned it, while enjoying the smokeless bright light and fragrance for about 30 minutes before checking on the wax pool. When using massage candles, most take about 45 minutes of burn time to properly liquefy the wax/oil and create a uniform pool of wax on top of the candle, without creating a "well" in the center. A "well" could ruin the wick and cause the candle to become unusable without "surgery" to it's wax and integrity. This is not something wanted, especially in the "Luxury Candle Market" in products that are often quite expensive.

After a 30 minute burn time, the first burn, there was very little liquefied wax, and all was in a "well" in the center. I burned it for an additional 15 minutes (45 minutes total time) and the well was still evident and I did not feel there was enough wax to use and I did not want to pour it out and ruin my candle. After 1 1/2 of burning of the candle, there was a significant amount of oil/wax, yet there was not a uniform "flat surface" of oil, and there was still some resemblance of a "well" in the center of the candle. The liquefied wax had not yet reached the edges of the beautiful, black glass container, so I gently pushed some of the edges into the pool of wax and in a small amount of time, I felt there was enough of the resulting liquefied oil to use for massage.

This resulting wax/oil was a bit oily, although not what I would call "greasy" and did not leave the wax residue I found desirable in the winter on my hands or on My Man's body while I massaged his back, shoulders and legs or after.

It was slicker than I expected and although had very good glide properties, with no "grittiness" or greasiness than one finds with inferior massage oils, did not seem to assert enough texture, once liquefied to tightly grasp individual muscles easily. I find this ability desirable in a massage oil. However, despite this, the wax/oil from this candle performed admirably well. I found I could grab onto each individual muscle, but as the oil was quite slick, it was a little more work.

For a full massage of My Mans back, shoulders and thighs, I use about 2 to 4 tablespoons of this massage wax/oil. This took about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour of burning time per massage.

I found it was necessary to wipe off both My Man's back and legs and my hands on a clean cotton cloth after the massage to avoid getting the resulting oil on sheets or clothing. As I was not fond of the scent of this particular product, I found I had to wash my hands in hot water and soap twice and could still smell the aroma. Even after this effort, however, my hands were still fairly moisturized and felt softened. This candle did not leave the skin feeling sticky at all.

The product did not seem to stain either sheets or clothing, but I am careful to wipe and/or wash the residue off of the body and hands after a sensual massage to avoid staining of cloth.

This candle is meant for external use only and is not to be eaten.

I am a big fan of woody scents. Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, I love them all. However, this candle seemed much more heavy on the "Snow Pear" than the cedar. The Apricot Kernel Oil also asserted itself very aggressively, both when the candle was burned, while the wax was liquefying and during use of the wax/oil as a massage oil. The Snow Pear is not a sweet smell, but the candle is also not as "woody" or "earthy" scented as I had imagined or had desired.

The aroma is a bit aggressive (it probably would not have appeared so if I had liked the aroma better) and took several washings to remove from my hands completely.

After the first burn, the candle seemed to liquefy slightly more quickly, but still took longer than I was used to, and still left a well in the center of the candle, which had to be fixed by pushing softened, but not thoroughly melted wax toward the center (while avoiding the wick) to cause the candle to burn more uniformly. The biggest problem with this massage candle is it's tendency to not burn evenly, and it is difficult, even when used correctly to avoid forming a "well" in the center of the candle. Also, if the wax is pushed too far to the center, the wick may be covered up and the candle will become useless. This candle seems to require a little care in usage.

The candle is then extinguished, and the wax can be poured directly on the body or poured into the hand, and the massage may then begin. Massage candles, as well as any other, should never have their wax used while the candle is lit and burning. Although these soy based candles have a lower temperature than regular paraffin based candles, burns or fire could result.

This candle does not have a pour spout or a brush or a spoon to apply the product, so one must be careful not to make a mess when pouring and using it. The cylindrical container is tall, has a solid base and heavy so spilling the candle is not easy. It is still easy to get the product on the outside of the candle, pour too much or spill if not careful.

It is difficult not to compare this candle to the JimmyJane Afterglow Massage Candle, as they are similar. (And I have had the privilege to test both brands. The JimmyJane did seem to burn more uniformly; see my review of this product for more details.) This wax/oil does give a nice, yet somewhat oily massage.

My Man has fallen asleep every time I have used this massage oil on him, so I have yet to have my own massage from it. He seems to enjoy the product and has requested either this or the JimmyJane massage candle for massage.

Each fragrance of Lelo Massage Candle comes in a cylindrical container, contains 5.3 oz (150 g) of product and is rated for 36 hours of burn time.

The candle has a beautiful presentation. It comes in a stark black box, with a green semi circle on it, along with the Lelo name. In the box, the candle is contained in a high quality glass black cylinder. There is a foam cap, with a bit of ribbon, in order to remove the foam protector without digging into the candle. On top of this, Lelo gave us a metal ring, centered in the cap. The Snow Pear and Cedarwood ring is green, the ring on the Black Pepper and Pomegranate is red and so on. I found the green a bit incongruous and felt a neutral color would go with more decors. The ring is nice for removing the cap and echos the cylinder of the candle holder and the circle of the cap.

I like the foam circle that rests on top of the candle, under the metal cap. It keeps the candle from attracting dirt, hair and lint and preserves the fragrance. The ribbon, attached to one side of the circle causes removing the foam insert easy.

The candle should be completely cool before returning the foam insert and the cap to the candle. The candle is a bit firmer than some other massage candles at room temperature and returns to a semi-solid state within about 30 to 45 minutes after use.

A small paper insert is included in the box, containing the standard precautions for candle and wax usage. The directions, however, do not tell us how long to burn the candle for optimal use.

A pour spout, spoon, spatula or brush would have been good to include, as the candle can become messy when a number of pouring occur during usage. Although the cylindrical shape is very pretty, it is not as useful as a square or a shape with a spout, as the product is to be used as a liquid.

The candle looks pretty on my dresser, although I am not fond of the plastic green circular handle as I said before. A clear or black plastic handle would have matched more decors in a better way.

Although I was not fond of the aroma of this product (and altered it, after testing several times in it's original state) My Man said neither the scent nor the texture "bothered him." From this Man, this is a compliment. (He did not like the Dark Vanilla Scent from the Jimmy Jane Massage Candle and has asked me not to use this particular one on him. Although he has requested many of the other scents.) He liked this Lelo candle and has requested it a few times. He liked the way it glided and promptly feel asleep with every massage he was given with this candle's resulting oil/wax.

One night he had a terrible thigh cramp, while making love, and I massaged it with this oil and he was complimenting how good he felt afterward. He commented that his cramp was gone, finished his job and promptly went to sleep.

Although, I am not sure if I should recommend it, I did add some additional Cedarwood essential oil, after several testings of this candle in it's original state. I prefer the candle with more "woody" scent, but I do find I have to reapply the essential oil, after the candle is extinguished, but while there is still a good amount of oil/wax in the container, to keep the candle smelling less "Apricot Kernel-like" and more Cedarwood like.

However, this is a personal preference. My Man seemed to "not be bothered" by the aroma, and the main issue I had with this candle was it's seeming inability to burn evenly and it's messiness when pouring and while re-hardening.

It is still a very good product. I would certainly continue to use it, and would like to try some of the other fragrances to see if they perform the same or slightly differently. I have found that even from the same company, different fragrances of massage candles seem to burn, liquefy, re-harden at different rates and some form uniform puddles of wax more quickly and easily than other fragrances.