Nothing says relax like warm oil!

The Shunga massage candle is good for burning to create a romantic mood, and once it has been burning long enough, the wax can be used as massage oil. This product is great for anyone who would like to start experimenting with temperature or warm wax play, or for anyone that would like an alternative to standard massage oil. The ingredients listed for this candle include Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (used instead of paraffin wax so the melting point is lower), Coco Nucifera Oil(coconut oil), Fragrance, Prunus Dulcis Oil (almond oil), Carthamus Tinctorius Oil (safflower seed oil), Persa Americana Oil (avocado oil), Sesamum Indicum Oil (sesame seed oil), Vitis Vinifera Oil (grape seed oil), and Tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E). The items listed in the ingredients list are commonly used to improve the condition of skin and are mild for most people , however, you should always check how your skin reacts to these ingredients. It is relevant to mention that the oil from this candle is not intended to be used as a sexual lubricant.

The texture of the candle before it is lit is solid, but after you've left the candle burning for about 20 minutes, you have a modest puddle of melted oils. The melted oil has a texture that reminds me of a thick bath oil. It is a little thicker than a massage oil you would buy in a bottle, but not so thick that it doesn't spread easily over the skin like an oil should. It can be poured directly on the skin, the oil in this candle has a much lower melting point than a regular candle, as long as the person having it poured on them is comfortable with the temperature (test it first!). The candle comes with a small, plastic spoon that fits inside the tin and you can dip the spoon into the wax and drip it somewhere on your body to test the temperature. At first the oil is slick and smooth and it relaxes the skin because of its warmth. As time goes on, it absorbs well into the skin. Something that I noticed, was that if the oil cools and then more warm oil is spread over the same area, like the back or shoulders, in layers it tends to start feeling waxy as the newer layers cool. In most scenarios it will take two hands to use this product, one to hold the candle or pour the oil, and the other hand to guide the oil to the intended patch of skin. If the spoon is used, we found it helpful to hold the spoon in one hand and keep the other hand cupped underneath it to help keep oil from dripping somewhere you don't want it to fall. There are no spouts to help you pour the oil in a small trickle, but it is still easy for us to pour it where we want.

I chose the lavender scent available, and was slightly crestfallen. The lavender in my candle smelled synthetic. It wasn't a earthy, herbal smell that real lavender oil can have, but rather a slightly fake smell. The smell isn't bad, it does smell like a lavender scent you would find in a much less natural product, and is pleasant. When the candle isn't lit, you can smell it when you are very near to the candle, but it still isn't very strong. After you light the candle, the smell is a little more intense, traveling farther in the room, but still not strong, maybe a 3 or 4 foot radius. When the oil is massaged into skin, it leaves a very, very light sent of lavender that dissipates quickly. The scent from the oil is very faint, so it might be ideal for you if strong smells make your head hurt or your stomach queasy. Please don't taste this product, it is after all, a candle. Get all of your licking done pre-massage.

The candle has lasted us a very long time. Our burn time hasn't been measured to the second, but it has lasted several hours (approximately 6-10 hours) and isn't anywhere near the halfway point. The candle is supposed to have a total burn time of 45 hours. As long as you wait until the entire top layer of the wax is melted, your candle will burn evenly to the bottom, and that can help increase your burn time. When the wax becomes oil and you are massaging it into skin, it stays slick and smooth for about 5 minutes. As mentioned before, if you start layering the oil on thickly, it can start to feel waxy, but only slightly. We never wash the oil off, because we both like the way our skin feels afterward, but if you wanted to wash it off, you would need soap and water. The oil has never stained our clothes or sheets, or left any residue on them. The feel of the oil on your skin is light (as long as its not layered) and smells pleasant and light, though not like real lavender. One of the only things that we found bothersome about this candle is the waxy feel the oil can have when you add more oil on top of the cooled oil on your skin, but the affects are so minor that it doesn't warrant disregarding the product.

The candle comes in a beautifully decorated tin depicting mildly erotic Japanese art. Mildly erotic art, here having the meaning of, you can see a little of a man's thigh while he and a woman are in a suggestive position. The candle tin is pretty, but probably not something you would want to give at a family function. Perhaps for a bachelorette gift (but not necessarily a gag gift) or a gift to a lover the art would be better appreciated. Instructions are included on the gift tin, in multiple languages, as well as a short note of caution and the ingredients. The tin is 2 1/8 inches tall with the lid on and 3 1/16 inch across. The tin has a volume of 6.75 fl.oz. and a total weight of 10 oz. The Shunga massage candle would travel very easily, as the candle comes with a tin lid, and you can even tuck the plastic spoon inside the candle and take it along as well. It would travel better than most massage oils because it wouldn't leak all over your stuff, and it would be a great way to scent wherever you are planning to stay. If you are worried about someone knowing what it is, the packaging isn't overtly sexual or explicit, but if someone read the tin or looked at it very closely, they would know what it was for.

Since the oil is warm when you pour it, either onto you hand or onto your massage recipient's body, it has an extra relaxing affect. The warm oil makes the massage that much more enjoyable and relaxing and that is a definite plus.

Even though the scent is light, and is more synthetic than natural lavender oil, it is still very nice. I personally feel that the lavender scent would be best for relaxing massage more than sensual, but that is only my opinion. This candle is great for the price, and the fact that it isn't full of parabens makes me and my skin smile.

Lucky me, I am the recipient of the massages from this candle, and I have to say that I really do like it a lot. The list of mostly natural ingredients is a huge bonus for me, and the feeling it gives to my skin, even if we layer it on, is great. My skin feels silky soft and smooth the whole next day and has a nice healthy glow.