How our massage oils are blended

Every room at Sampige has a small shelf of oil bottles, and each bottle lists what is in it. Guests often ask where the oils come from. They are blended in Mysuru, in small batches, with Vaidya Shreedhar, who has prepared oils in his Chamarajapuram workshop for over 30 years.

The base oils come first. Our abhyanga oil uses cold-pressed sesame, because it spreads well, warms evenly and is the traditional choice in Karnataka and Kerala. For guests who prefer something lighter, we use coconut oil from the Malnad, which suits a hot afternoon in April. Both are bought from small mills and used within three months of pressing.

The herbs are slowly cooked into the oil. For our main blend, Vaidya Shreedhar simmers the sesame oil with a decoction of herbs such as ashwagandha root, bala and manjishta, stirring for most of a day over a low fire, until the water has cooked off and the oil has taken their colour and smell. He tests it by dropping a little on a fire; a clean crackle and no hiss means no water remains.

We make about 20 litres at a time, every five to six weeks, and date every bottle. The oil is warmed in a water bath before each treatment, never on a direct flame. If you have allergies or sensitive skin, tell us when you book; we keep plain cold-pressed sesame and coconut oils without herbs, and your therapist will use one of those.