Aromatherapy Degree and Training
A degree in aromatherapy teaches you how to blend and use fragrances in order to promote clients' health and well-being. As a successful aromatherapist, you use essential oils to bring about positive health effects in clients by applying these oils directly to the skin and utilizing inhalation techniques or diffusion to provide beneficial effects from the aromas. Many aromatherapy degree graduates use their education as a complement to another, full-time practice, such as allopathy or chiropractics.
Growing Your Aromatherapy Career
In addition to becoming an aromatherapist, there are a number of career paths available to the aromatherapy training graduate, including:
- Massage Therapy
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Intuitive Healing
- Yoga
- Medicine
Common courses in an aromatherapy degree program include anatomy, physiology, essential oil extraction, botany, and chemistry, with some programs including a clinical or practical component.
Graduates of aromatherapy degree programs often work as aromatherapists, aromatherapy retailers, or massage therapists. Some aromatherapists work in spas, teach classes, start their own schools, write for publications, or teach at massage schools and clinics.
Aromatherapy Salary and Career Outlook
The demand for aromatherapists is expected to grow, especially as interest in green living and alternative health options continues to thrive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), aromatherapy retailers earned between $7 and $13 per hour in 2006, and massage therapists earned a median wage of $16.78 per hour in 2008.