We had nearly used up our other massage candle and we needed a travel-friendly version for a recent trip we took. After doing a bit of research we settled on the Shunga massage candle.

It comes in a short, black tin with a Kama Sutra style picture on the side. The tin measures about two inches tall and the candle starts about a half an inch down from there. It's three inches in diameter (about the width of a regular can of vegetables). The lid slips on and off pretty easily, but is secure enough to tuck into a bag for a trip. I'd recommend a ziploc baggy just to be safe though. Inside the tin there is a small, white spoon that can be used to drizzle the melted wax onto your partner. It's about the size of a toy for a child's kitchen so you may just want to pour it straight from the tin onto your lover.

The candle wax is solid, but very soft and squishy to touch. To get it ready to use you simply light the wick and let it sit for about twenty minutes. You can let it burn longer if you plan to massage more of your partner's body or if both of you will be getting massages. I did notice that after a few uses the candle doesn't get as firm as it was initially, but that doesn't interfere with anything that I can tell. Also you'll find that the charred wick tends to flake off into the wax, similar to the way it does with normal candles which normally isn't an issue. It's a small issue with these though because you're rubbing this wax all over your body. I would guess you could get about twenty or more uses out of the candle. It says it will burn for about forty-two hours, but you have to account for the wax you're using up with each massage.

We picked up the vanilla scent because it's one of our favorites usually. I like to go with what I know when I can't smell it before I buy it. It smells much lighter in comparison to some of the other candles I've tried, though the sweet smell may be headache inducing to those with very sensitive noses. It smells a lot like vanilla cake frosting. I happen to love cake frosting so it's not usually a problem, but I have gotten a headache after being exposed to the scent for long periods of time.

Ingredients

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
Coco Nucifera Oil
Fragrance
Prunus Dulcis Oil
Carthamus Tinctorius Oil
Persa Americana Oil
Sesamum Indicum Oil
Vitis Vinifera Oil
Tocopherol

For me, the wax didn't absorb very well into my skin. There was a very slippery, thick residue left over after every massage. I hate the feeling of my skin being oily so I had to shower after the massage. This was also partially because I was paranoid about staining our sheets. I haven't noticed any staining, but we put down the Liberator Throe as a precaution now. It's not horrible during the massage, because it helps massage tools and my husband's hands glide smoothly over my back, but I can't really get past that greasy feeling.

When this candle came in the mail I peeled the plastic wrap off of it to smell it and then set it down on my desk. My daughter, who is currently my mini-me, saw me smell it and snatched it up when I wasn't looking. She took it behind one of our couches and tried to eat a spoonful. I'm sure the vanilla smell and the spoon made her think it would taste great. Fortunately there isn't anything toxic in it and she didn't consume enough to upset her stomach. I guess it's a reminder to put -everything- away.

Overall, we've enjoyed using this candle but I can't say that we'll replace it when it's gone. We may not even finish using it because of how greasy it feels. I may be a bit of a snob about massage products because of how frequently I get massages and how much crap we have specifically for them.

It hasn't held up over the months. The charred wick flaked off into the candle and I wasn't able to get it out. The wax still doesn't absorb well into the skin, leaving behind a greasy feeling. I've tried several other massage candles and other Shunga products since this one and I am far happier with other brands.