Massage and Cologne | An Easy Drift Toward Rest

In Massage & Cologne, Marco and Amanda settle into a softly meandering conversation about relaxation, scent, and the small rituals that help us unwind. They begin by reflecting on their favourite types of massages — from pressure preferences to those little details that transform a simple appointment into a truly calming experience. The discussion lingers on soothing environments, ambient music, and the subtle scents that can enhance a moment of rest.
As the episode drifts along, Marco shares a lighthearted massage mishap, adding a touch of gentle humour without disturbing the tranquil tone. The conversation then glides naturally into the world of cologne, perfumes, and eau de toilette — exploring favourite fragrances, memorable bottles, and the curious power of scent to evoke memories and moods.
Like every episode of this calming podcast, the pace is unhurried and companionable, offering a relaxing conversation designed to help you fall asleep, ease anxiety, or quiet racing thoughts. It’s perfect for background listening at bedtime or during a middle-of-the-night wake-up — soft voices, familiar topics, and a steady drift toward rest.

​Massage & Cologne
(Original airdate: October 11, 2023)

Marco:  Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a calm conversation about very calm topics to help you, the insomniac or the person who's feeling a little bit out of sorts. Relax and chill, and who knows, maybe even find your way to sleep. Thank you for joining us. I'm your host, Marco Timpano.

Amanda:  I'm almost asleep myself. I'm Amanda Barker.

Marco:  Amanda, um, I wanted to talk to you about massages.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  Uh, are you the type of person who enjoys massage?

Amanda:  I do.

Marco:  So tell me, what is your.

Amanda:  Are there people that don't enjoy it?

Marco:  Oh, I'm sure there are people who don't. But, you know, massage is a very relaxing thing one can do. And, you know, there's different types of massages out there. Uh, there's some that are a bit more aggressive than others, some that are more calm. Let me ask you, where's the most picturesque massage you've ever had?

Amanda:  Oh, um, the one that comes to mind is you and I in the treetops.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda:  Um, in, uh, a spa, uh, just outside of Ottawa that is on the other side of the border to Quebec,

Marco:  which one of our listeners told us to go check out.

Amanda:  Chelsea, Quebec. Yeah. And it was. They do. It's a Huge spa water park, uh, called the Nordic Spa. Uh, and they offer massages in the treetops. So they have maybe, I don't know, four or five. Yeah, I would say, so treetop cabins that you can go into, and then they massage you. Now, that said, when you're face down on a table, you could kind of be anywhere because you're in a little cabin. So it could be a cabin in the woods or on a treetop or inside of a office somewhere.

Marco:  Right. Have you ever been massaged on a beach with the sunset or with the sun? Um.

Amanda:  Um, I've been massaged near a beach. I don't love getting. Well, I don't know. I don't think I've ever gotten a massage where the person comes up to you as you're laying in the heat or in the sand. But I've been in a hut that's looking at the beach.

Marco:  Oh, that's cool.

Amanda:  In Thailand and got a massage that way, which was lovely.

Marco:  Okay, so when it comes to massages, uh, is there any kind of massage? Like, do you prefer a scrub? Do you like certain smelling oils? Do you like to just be left alone? Do you like when they talk to you?

Amanda:  Well, I. I'm chatty, and it's just in my nature to connect with people.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda:  I think it's in everyone's nature, but I do that through talking. And, um, so sometimes what ends up happening, especially if I don't know the person, um, they'll see on my form that I've written that my occupation is actor. So then they just have to ask me, what have I seen you in? Or, uh, you know, so that can end up being an entire massage you kind of hit. There's like, a point of no return in a massage, don't you find?

Marco:  Yes.

Marco:  Like, I always sort of set the tone of my massage and my dental work because I don't like to chat with. With people who are doing that kind of work on. On me, on my body, let's say on my teeth or whatnot. So I'll always say, is it okay if I listen to a podcast or music?

Amanda:  It's a great way to get out of it.

Marco:  Y of 10 times. They're like, yes, or 10 out of 10 times. I don't think anyone's ever said, no, don't. But I'll put them in. Put it in my ears. I'll put on my music. I'll put on whatever I want to listen to, and then that's what becomes my focus. I had one. One chiropractor Someone who was really, like, chatty. And I was like, I just can't continue a conversation while this is going on. So that's when I put on my. My headphones and I just chilled and relaxed. But I did have a massage once that ended up being a very, um, awkward moment in Prince George, bc. Oh, I was at this clinic that does massages. And it was a nice clinic. You remember, it was near the mall or whatever, behind the mall. I can't remember exactly. And, uh, I was on. You know how they had these kind of wooden tables, massage tables, and they kind of look like IKEA wood, for lack of a better word. So not solid wood, but pressed wood. Pressed wood, pressed board. And so it looked like a standard massage table table. And I had. I had been going there for a. A few times because we were. We were doing a show in. In. In that town. And as I was lying on, um, the massage table, I could hear creaking. And it was an odd sound. And I remember I checked in with the masseuse, uh, and I said, do you hear that creaking? And they said, no. And, like, I hear, like, creaking. And they just continued massaging. And after a certain part, I could feel listing. So it was creaking. And I started to list, and I was like, this isn't. Something feels weird. But, you know, sometimes when you get a massage, you can be in a different place. Like, you don't. You kind of almost get disassociated, and things around you either sound louder or less. And so I said to them, I said, I really feel like I hear creaking. And a moment later, the massage table started to list and fall forward, and I could feel that it was about to fall and hit the ground. So I kind of jumped off it as it cracked and snapped and broke right in half.

Amanda:  Oh, my God. Yeah.

Marco:  So I had broken the table, and I was like, I think I was

Amanda:  on that same table earlier that day, and as I got on it, something weird had shifted and happened, because I remember saying to you, yeah, the table. There's an issue with that table or something, Right?

Marco:  Well, that table was no more once I was up. Yeah.

Amanda:  It was really so dangerous.

Marco:  Yeah. And I was. I was a little bit embarrassed, too.

Amanda:  But were you naked when you jumped up?

Marco:  No, no, I was. I was in my underwear.

Amanda:  See, I'm often naked.

Marco:  That would have been a surprise for me.

Amanda:  A challenge.

Marco:  Yeah.

Amanda:  So, I mean, it wouldn't have been a surprise because that's the thing. So I always Say, like, what are you? And they always say it's to your comfort. And generally speaking, for me, sometimes I leave my door on, sometimes I don'. Um, but that's it. I'll just have my underwear on. And they just. They're very discreet. They're always, you know, they hold the blanket and you shimmy down when you flip and all that. But, um, it's always an interesting thing because you're like, all right, now you're on the leg. You're gonna figure it out. I don't have any undies on.

Marco:  Yeah, I'm not a fan of that. That's not. No. But, um, I do like massage oils that have, like, essential oil smells.

Amanda:  What's your favorite?

Marco:  I like lavender. I don't mind eucalyptus. I don't anything. I don't. I don't love anything too floral, so. M a jasmine is not gonna work for me.

Amanda:  Right. Yeah. Uh, right. My favorite is lemongrass.

Marco:  Oh, yeah, I know that about you.

Amanda:  Yeah, I love lemongrass.

Marco:  Why is that?

Amanda:  Uh, I love it. I don't know.

Marco:  Because we don't really cook with lemongrass.

Amanda:  No, we don't. I mean, maybe that's why. Maybe my first time smelling lemongrass, maybe it was that beach in Thailand, you know?

Marco:  Do you like the smell of fresh cut grass?

Amanda:  I hate it.

Marco:  Oh.

Amanda:  Yeah. Apparently it's a thing people love. I can't stand it.

Marco:  I didn't know that.

Amanda:  Yeah, I don't like it at all, I think, because I associate it with work.

Marco:  Oh, that's fair.

Amanda:  I associate it with, uh. One of my parents was mowed. Now I have to go rake up all the lawn clippings and put them into piles and do all that work.

Marco:  Correct me if I'm wrong. I remember there was a cologne or something called grass that smelled like fresh cut cut grass.

Amanda:  Really?

Marco:  I think so. Maybe.

Amanda:  Maybe it's just avoid that person at all costs. Oh, um. How about you? What's your favorite locale for a massage?

Marco:  Um,

Marco:  you know, I don't mind. I. I don't really care. I have been massaged on a beach, and I don't love that.

Amanda:  Why?

Marco:  Because people can see you.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  And I'm kind of like, you know what? I don't feel the privacy that I want. And I don't need to be in a tent or in a cabin in the sky or whatever it was that we did in the tree cabin or whatever it.

Amanda:  Again, I wouldn't bother with that. I think I just do one of the regular massage rooms because I think we paid Extra for that experience. It was cool though.

Marco:  I do like sort of a spa setting.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  So if I'm walking to where I'm gonna get massage, there's a little waterfall and towels that are rolled up and little rocks that are on heating pads. I don't even know why I care about that, but there's something about that that I really love. Yeah, um, I love that. And then once I'm in there, as long as it's like, you know, a nice temperature and I don't have to talk, I'm good. But I'm not. I'm also not someone who like, you know, is a massage enthusiast.

Amanda:  Oh, really?

Marco:  Yeah, it's never my, like my go to. You're more inclined to use massages than I am. Yeah, I wanted to go back, you know, I miss it. I mentioned, uh, perfume and cologne is when you get cologne or perfume as a gift. What strikes you the most or what are things that you like about getting cologne?

Amanda:  I usually ask for the cologne I want. So it's not like people get me smells that I haven't already designated.

Marco:  How important is the shape or look of the bottle?

Amanda:  Um, not very. Okay, I like that Jo Malone, we're talking about cologne.

Marco:  Yeah, let's talk about cologne.

Amanda:  Cologne shift. Um, I like that, um, I had more to talk about with massage.

Marco:  Oh, so you're going back to massage?

Amanda:  No, it's okay. We can talk about cologne. I like that Jo Malone has little ones.

Marco:  We'll get back to massage.

Amanda:  Um, that I can travel with. And they actually, I like that they're smaller because then I like a smaller cologne because it doesn't go off, which I'm told some colognes can, I guess. Um, and they're all, um, essential, uh, oil based.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  Um, so they're a little bit of a different kind of smell. Uh, but I love them. And the thing about them is, um, you actually can use them up. So I like a cologne. If you're asking me about the bottle, I like a cologne. I actually can think, okay, I'm going to use this for a year. At the end of that year, I won't have it anymore. Fair versus sometimes with those bigger ones, which are beautiful and they're a lovely gift. And I certainly have. I got into one Terry Mugler fragrance and then got into another Terry Mugler and there's only three, luckily. So I have the three fragrances. Um, and I have travel sizes of two of the three fragrances sitting in my closet.

Marco:  And those are cool bottles.

Amanda:  They're very Cool. The Terry Mugler bottles are really cool. Um, and, uh, I first got Aura, and then I got Alien, and then. No. And then I got angel, and then I got Alien.

Marco:  Right.

Amanda:  Of the three, I like all three, I think. Depends on what mood I'm in. But I think angel is my favorite.

Marco:  Yeah, I like angel and Aura. Uh, what's interesting is Terry, uh, M. Mugler has more than just those three, but those are the three, I guess, signature. And then there's versions of each.

Amanda:  Well, there's always. I mean, that's the thing that's confusing about cologne. There's the cologne and the eau de parfum and this spray and the eau de toilette. I don't really know the difference of all that. I'm sure there is.

Marco:  I believe that there is concentration, I think.

Amanda:  Sure. Um, Angel I like, because I wore it when we were in. I believe I wore it anyway when we were in, um, the Middle East.

Marco:  I see.

Amanda:  And so it reminds me of Turkey and Bahrain and Israel, and it just. There's the beautiful scents, the smells, the energy of those, and they're very different. Three very different countries. But I loved the. What. That when we first landed in Bahrain and being in that hotel, and there was a perfume in those, and it was reminiscent of Angel. There was a musky kind of quality that I just absolutely love. So, um, Yeah, I like those perfumes. I find these days I'm not as adamant to spray them. I'm always wary of people's allergies.

Marco:  Sure. Of course.

Amanda:  So I'm always conscious of that. And I do find that the Jo Malone ones, um, I think in their makeup, they're a little less allergeny.

Marco:  Okay. Um, I'll even wear cologne around the house when it's just you and me, because I like this. I like to wear cologne. It's something I enjoy wearing. Uh, and for me, the bottle can play a decent role in at least gravitating towards checking that scent, um, out, really.

Amanda:  So what's your favorite cologne bottle that you've had or had?

Marco:  Oh, that's a great question. Um, I liked. Yeah, there's a few. I almost. So we have this pretty neat thing that you can do that Amanda has done for me. Uh, a couple of Christmases where you go and you buy this kind of package that gives you a sampler of, like, six different. Six or seven different little bottles, and then you pick the bottle you want and you go back to that drugstore.

Amanda:  I think it's eight. Is it not eight?

Marco:  Yeah, it could be.

Amanda:  I think it's eight.

Marco:  Yeah, there's, uh, quite a few little bottles and, um, little travel bottles. Little travel bottles. Thank you. Probably the size of your thumb kind of thing. Or a little slightly bigger than your thumb and. No, like maybe the size of your thumb bigger.

Amanda:  They're like the travel bottles you get, but you get a lot of wear out of one.

Marco:  Yeah, they're like, they're like two and a half inches tall. Yeah. Uh, and you do get a lot out of it. And so when you select the cologne you like, you then bring the certificate that's in the box to the drugstore and they will give you a full bottle of one of them.

Amanda:  You pick the one. So it's a hundred dollar gift usually, or maybe just over 100 now. But, um, it's $100 gift. So you're like, oh, well, for 100 bucks I'm getting him eight samples of cologne. But you get to pick the one after wearing them and kind of working in them, living in them. You can take a month and kind of explore them and then, yeah, you can go back and you have their certificate in the box and pick the one that you like the most. I really love it.

Marco:  Yeah, it's a wonderful gift if you don't know what to get someone and

Amanda:  if they like, uh, colon colognes and are open to that.

Marco:  So one of the bottles, I think was Jean Paul Gaultier, had a really fascinating looking bottle. And I wanted to like that cologne because of the bottle, but it wasn't my favorite of the eight. And then Versace always has really interesting bottles. And I used to, many years ago have their blue jean cologne, it was called, and it had an interesting bottle. It looked kind of like a Coke bottle. It had that shape to it and whatnot. But, um, and there was a cologne many years ago that I didn't love, but it was very popular at the time. And it looked, it was called Pino Silvestri.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  And it looked like a pine cone.

Amanda:  Oh, that's cool.

Marco:  Yeah. So the glass bottle looked like a pine cone and the top looked like was. So it was green, this dark green. And then the top was brown, but it smelt, you smelled like pine trees. So it always made me feel like a car air freshener. So that was never my cologne. And then one time, I don't know if you know this about me, but one Father's Day, I got hired through a friend's aunt to work in a department store spraying cologne.

Amanda:  You were that guy.

Marco:  I was that horrible guy. And I hated every minute of it. And not only did I hate it, it was a particular cologne that I hated. And the end of the day I smelled like Dracoir Noir. Is that what it was? It was Draco Noir and I couldn't. I couldn't stand that smell. It was just not a scent for me. If you like it, more power to you. But it was not a scent for me. And I didn't like it when I started. But after those two days of doing it, I cannot go near that scent. It just, it's just too much. But yeah, I do like a nice bottle. Um, the nicest bottle. I did remember when, um, Calvin Klein had Obsession. Yeah, that bottle was kind of neat.

Amanda:  The one I remember of Calvin Klein. That really rocked everybody's world. And we all were wearing it and loving it.

Marco:  I want to know what rocked everybody's world.

Amanda:  CK1. Do you remember CK1?

Marco:  Wasn't that when men and women could wear it?

Amanda:  Yeah, I think that's why it was the first sort of gender neutral or

Marco:  at least one of the first unisex kind of.

Amanda:  Yeah, that was in like 1992. And my friend Wade, I remember he always wore CK1. We all wore it. We just thought it was the best. Prior to that, though, I'm actually remembering and I would love to smell it again. Um, the first perfume I ever wore, um, that I actually bought the bottle and wore it on a regular basis. I don't remember buying the bottle at all, but I do remember being a big part of my life and a lot of people loved it was a perfume. I don't know who made it, but it was a perfume called Exclamation.

Marco:  I love this.

Amanda:  Do you remember it?

Marco:  Kind of.

Amanda:  Do you remember the ad for it? No, I remember it and I remember hearing the ad. I lived in New Brunswick at that point, so I remember hearing the ad in French a lot.

Marco:  This reminds me of getting, getting in shape. Girl doll that, you know, it's similar actually.

Amanda:  It had a similar energy. It was like a lot of women in like, well, like girl, girl women, you know, like 16 year old girls in like, um, Blossom outfits.

Marco:  Young woman. Young women.

Amanda:  Yeah. So like polka dot frilly skirts and bolero hats.

Marco:  Amazing.

Amanda:  And this, the year would have been 1989 and M. I don't remember much about the ad, but it was like exclamation, Exclamation. Yeah.

Marco:  A bilingual ad, no less.

Amanda:  Well, that's what I'm saying. It was in because I watched a lot of French TV at the time because I was living in a bilingual province and, um, every. I remember wearing it, and everybody would be like, are you wearing exclamation? But like, you got it at the drugstore for like 20, 30 bucks. Like, it wasn't. It was not a high end product.

Marco:  It wasn't Oscar de la Renta or one of those.

Amanda:  Well, even CK1. I mean, looking back, it feels kind of pedestrian, but it felt very like CK1. Like we loved it. Right? Like, it felt very designer.

Marco:  Now I wear a cologne that isn't my favorite, but I wear it because I know you love the scent of it.

Amanda:  I was going to tell you about the exclamation bottle.

Marco:  Oh, sure. Yeah, tell me.

Amanda:  Can I just tell you about it? So it was an exclamation mark. So it was a black. The part that you lifted up to reveal the perfum. Yeah, I think the Elisheva perfume was like an exclamation mark. And then there was a. It was a white circle bottle with a big black dot in the middle of it. So there you go. Sorry, what were you saying about the.

Marco:  No, I have a clone that you like the scent of. So I wear it because I know you like it.

Amanda:  Every time I like it.

Marco:  Yeah. Uh, now I like it because I know you like it and I just wear it and what is it again?

Amanda:  And I always say, what are you wearing? I like that. And you always answer the same thing and you always go, the one you like. And it always smells different and new to me.

Marco:  And what's funny is it's not even a, uh. What is it like?

Amanda:  Yeah, it's not one of the most high end.

Marco:  It's not like a Dolce and Gabbana that I could tell you off the top. It's like some.

Amanda:  Yeah, what is it? Um, now I'm only thinking Drakar Noir.

Marco:  No, it's not Drakar Noir. It's, uh.

Amanda:  You brought it up.

Marco:  I can't remember now. I'll remember.

Amanda:  I know there's a regular one I got you and then I got you blue.

Marco:  Yeah, I don't like the blue.

Amanda:  Does that have men in the title?

Marco:  No, look it up and I'll.

Amanda:  How do I look it up?

Marco:  Type Cologne. Blue.

Amanda:  Men's fragrance.

Marco:  Fragrance. Blue. Yeah.

Amanda:  All right.

Marco:  Uh, yeah. And that one there. The shape of the bottle is kind of neat because it's very, um, stout. It's very, like, stubby, but it feels nice in the hands. I, um, remember Moschino. Moschino cologne for women. Looked like olive oil.

Amanda:  Oh, wow.

Marco:  Yeah, it had like a really long neck with olive oils, kind of, um, pointed nose on the top of it. And that one was a cool looking bottle. And do you remember, um, Halston had a bottle that was really famous.

Amanda:  Very well know the Halston.

Marco:  And I think, um, Elsa Peretti, uh, designed the bottle and that's what made me.

Amanda:  Well, I found the cologne.

Marco:  Okay. I. Zarro Azarro.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  And what's the one I wear? I wear Zarro.

Amanda:  I looked up a Zarro Blue, but

Marco:  yeah, it's not blue. It's a. It's a. It's a Zaro Yana. And that's an. If you ever said to me, like, hey, here's all these colognes, which one do you think you'll pick? I would never pick Adzato as one of the colognes, but clearly it works on me.

Amanda:  Which one did I get you the most? Wanted. Is it called Wanted?

Marco:  No, Chrome.

Amanda:  That's the blue one. Is the chrome.

Marco:  Yeah. No, it's called, uh, Ozato Pour home. No, it's like a, you know, the bottle, it looks like a. It almost looks like the, the center part. Oh, yeah, here we go. Um, all of those are the wanted ones. While I look, you tell us the massage. The end of the massage story that you wanted to.

Amanda:  I didn't have it. I just wanted to talk about, uh. Because I thought you had talked about massages when you had Natasha Boomer on as a guest back in the day.

Marco:  I don't remember if I did.

Amanda:  Okay. All I was gonna say, she's a friend of mine who gives massages and I haven't been to her in a while, but every time I go to her, I end up talking the entire time. But that is part of the therapy for me because when you have a lot of mut. I enjoy the social part of it, that's all.

Marco:  Sure. Yeah.

Amanda:  Isn't it wanted that the cologne is.

Marco:  It might be wanted.

Amanda:  Yeah, I think it's.

Marco:  Yeah, I think it is Wanted. Yeah, I think it's. And once again, even that name, I would never buy a cologne that's called Wanted.

Amanda:  Well, it's not about the name, I

Marco:  guess for me, for me, I think it was like, you know, at one point it was like the bottle, the prestige behind it and, uh, whatnot. But, um, anyways, Amanda, that was massage and cologne.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  Eau de parfum. You do have, um, Chanel no. 5 and that bottle's really cool looking.

Amanda:  I do have Chanel no. 5 and I liked it. The thing about cologne is you can like it on a person, and then you buy it, but it doesn't smell the same on you.

Marco:  Sure. And there's colognes that, like, you know, that are very, very distinctive people. You know, like, for example, my grandmother used to wear opium and Elizabeth Taylor. One of her. One of her, I think poison were my grandmother scent. And, uh, when people wear that and they're around me, it immediately evokes memories of certain people in my life. And that one there reminds me of my grandmother. M. And that's the end of our episode. Amanda, amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on massages and colognes, uh, and perfumes and.

Amanda:  Yeah. Relaxing. And table massage. Table mishaps.

Marco:  Yeah. There you go. Until next time. We hope you enjoy this episode, and we hope you were able to listen and sleep.