Dona massage candle - body massage candle discontinued by System JO - review by Jul!a

Insert brief overview here:

Massage candles have a low melting point, which makes them great for temperature play because the wax isn't going to burn you as it makes contact with your skin. You can always use them just as scented ambiance, maybe during a relaxing bath, and then use the melted wax to moisturize your skin after you get out of the water.

So what's in it?

The tin I have lists the ingredients as glycine soja wax, hydrogenated vegetable oil, vitis vinifera (grape) oil, laminaria digitata (algae) extract, lycium barbarium (goji berry) fruit powder, and fragrance. For the most part, all of these have benefits for the skin; softening and moisturizing. "Fragrance" can be a very open ended thing though, so if you have overly sensitive skin you may want to enjoy this more for the scent.

Fair enough. How am I supposed to use this? What's cleanup like? How long will it last me?

Good questions! Your first step is obviously to light the candle. You'll need to let it sit for a while to really get a good pool of wax going. After about 10 minutes, I had a nice divot in the wax but not enough to really do anything with. It seems to take about 45 minutes to really get a decent amount going, although a little does go a long way.

Once you've got your desired amount of wax melted it's time to pour it. You should definitely extinguish the flame first because if you don't, you're going to burn the side of the tin as well as some of the wax near the edges. If you want more wax after the initial application, simply relight the candle. The wax is a bit on the runnier side, so if you're pouring it directly onto yourself or a partner you should probable have an extra sheet or towel down to keep it from spilling onto whatever else you're laying on. If you're looking more for a massage than the feeling of the wax hitting your skin, you can pour it into your hand before applying it. During use it feel very luxurious, and almost creamy rather than oily.

Clean up might be a bit trickier, but isn't anything major. You may feel like it leaves a slight waxy film on the skin when you're done, but a quick wipe down with a wash cloth will take care of that. Getting it out of fabric may be a bit trickier and require a few runs through the wash. How long it lasts you will depend on what you're using it for. You'll get fewer full body rubdowns out of it than you will simple shoulder massages.

What does it smell like?

This candle was available in multiple scents, and I have the goji berry one. To me, it has an overly floral scent that I'm not that big a fan of; almost like artificial roses but not quite as intense. When the candle is lit it will fill a smaller room with fragrance, and it will linger on the skin but not as strongly as some perfumes. You can smell it on my skin if you get up close, but not from more than a few feet away.

Anything else I should know about?

The base wax is a soy wax, so if you have allergies to soy you might want to skip this one.

Because of the low melting point, this and similar candles may end up a bit mushier in the warmer months. This one in particular has been through a number of summers without air conditioning inside my house and still kept a nice even appearance across the top.

How did you like it?

Aside from the scent and how long it takes to get going, I really did like this candle a lot. The temperature is just about perfect as it hits the skin and it leaves me feeling wonderfully moisturized after all is said and done.