The LELO Massage Candle is a soy-based massage candle that comes in three separate scents: Black Pepper and Pomegranate, Vanilla & Creme de Cacao, and Snow Pear and Cedarwood. I own the Snow Pear & Cedarwood candle. Each specific candle comes with different colored packaging depending on the scent. The candle comes with 5.3 ounces of massage oil solidified into a candle-like substance. The packaging does not state it, but I’ve seen this product advertised as having a lifespan of 36 hours before.
The packaging is very typical of LELO. The candle comes in a little box. Inside the box is a lot of extra cardboard that keeps the candle in one place and keeps the candle from tipping over or moving around during shipping. The packaging also includes another little extra instruction booklet that basically gives you the warnings, so you can’t sue them if you burn yourself on the candle. No explicit instructions are given though. The LELO candle comes with the LELO candle as well as a little metal lid for the candle. When you first open the candle, there is going to be a little piece of foam protecting the candle underneath the lid. It just needs to be removed.
The lid of the candle seems to be made from metal, and it seems like the jar of the candle is some sort of ceramic material. The lid, if left on top of the candle while it moves, will make a bit of a clanging noise. The candle’s outer material also does tend to get a bit warm if the candle is left to burn for a long amount of time. The instructions say to cover the candle with the lid when not in use. This is to prevent the candle’s surface from getting gross particles in it.
The candle smells nice. I have the Cedarwood and Snow Pear scent, and it smells very nature-y. It doesn’t smell feminine, but instead, it smells pretty gender neutral. It smells a bit like a nice, light flowery scent mixed in with the scent of a tree. It ends up smelling really nice. The candle’s scent fills a room really nicely, and if it’s burning for awhile, you’ll be able to smell the candle from across the room. The candle is supposed to have 36 hours worth of burn time, but I assume that’s if you don’t use any of the wax for massage purposes. If you do massage with it, it won’t last nearly as long.
READ: How to Use a Massage Candle
Pouring this one is a bit of an adventure – and it’s messy. The candle needs to burn for awhile before you can burn it. Ours was ready to pour after about ten minutes, but we let it burn for about a half-hour to see how evenly it burned. The candle doesn’t seem to burn evenly – it ends up making a deep crater in the center of the candle without evenly burning the top layer. The instructions say to blow out the candle, and let it sit for thirty seconds before pouring the wax. Pouring the wax is another story. I feel like this candle would have benefited greatly from having a pour spout of some sort. Instead, there’s really no way to “comfortably” pour the wax without having a lot of it run down the side of the candle when you are beginning/ending your pouring. It can easily end up making a huge mess on your hands and carpet if you aren’t careful.
During use, the oil ends up being really nice and slick, and it works great for lubricating the skin and allowing hands to glide really easily over the skin. I didn’t have to reapply the wax very much, and after about three minutes, all of the wax had resolidified, so you do have to make sure to apply all of the wax you want right in the beginning.
The candle massage oil ends up drying a bit waxy as well. It’s not horrible, but it is enough to make you want to shower or use a washcloth after you’ve used the oil. No, you won’t be feeling pieces of wax flick off your skin, but it will feel like a giant layer of film is on the surface of your skin. However, if you let that be for a couple hours, it does seem to absorb into the skin and make your skin really soft. (It also seems to make your skin soft if you just use a slightly damp washcloth to take off a bit of the waxy feeling. It seems to leave behind the moisturizer.) Of course, you also will end up smelling like the candle’s scent after having the oil on your skin as well.
We didn’t experience any rashes or skin irritation after use. It felt just like a bit of (waxy) lotion that worked great for a femdom foot massage.
For the Snow Pear and Cedarwood candle, the ingredients are: Soy wax, shea butter, apricot kernel oil, perfume (Linalool, hexylcinnamaldehyde)
This massage oil is meant for body-surface use only. It’s not meant to be used on the genitals since the perfume might irritate them.
The wax is pretty soft, so be sure to store this in a cool place during the summer or you may find yourself with a melted candle. After each use, replace the lid as well as trim down the wick to about 1/4 inch for best results.
I like the LELO Massage Candle. It’s not perfect, but LELO did a great job of presenting a gorgeous candle in a pretty way. If they ever choose to make more massage candles though, I do wish they’d add a pour spout and try to reduce the waxy build-up on the skin after use. LELO does seem to have done a great job with the scent and the 36-hour burn time. It feels sensual during use, and as long as you take a shower afterwards, it’s a completely pleasant massage experience. Other companies have done the “massage candle” better, but LELO didn’t entirely miss the mark.
