Most people don’t like to think about what happens to people’s bodies after they die. Victoria Bilstein is an exception.

“I’ve actually wanted to be an embalmer since I was 10 years old!” says the funeral director, embalmer and author based in the midwest. As a child, Bilstein had two leg surgeries that incorporated bones from two deceased donors. After that, she wondered about the people who had helped save her life and the families who had lost them.

She saw this work as an opportunity to help grieving families. “I wanted to be able to do postmortem reconstruction on donors so their families had the option for a viewing,” she says. “It felt like such an amazing way to honor my donors.” In her six years in the industry, she estimates she’s worked on at least a thousand embalmings.

Most people who are planning burials and viewings for loved ones choose to have them embalmed.

But fewer and fewer American families are choosing burials. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the burial rate in 2025 was 31.6%, while the cremation rate was 63.4%. By 2045, the NFDA expects the cremation rate to reach 82.3%.

Part of the reason is price. According to the life insurance company Unity Financial, the average cost of a simple cremation is between $1,000 and $3,000, while the average cost of a full funeral service with embalming, visitation, a casket and a ceremony is between $10,000 and $15,000.

Some clients fear that embalming is a “very cold and detached process”, says Bilstein. She does her best to disabuse them of this.

“I view embalming as something that’s very dignified and respectful, and an act of caregiving,” she says. “As the embalmer, you get to wash someone’s hair for the final time, clean their nails. You have the opportunity to restore them to their original appearance and you’re always prioritizing honoring their dignity as human beings and honoring a life well lived.”

What is embalming?

Embalming is the process of sanitizing, preserving, and restoring a human body after death, Bilstein explains.

It is one of the most common options for temporarily preserving bodies after death, often with the goal of making the body suitable for “public viewing, long-distance transportation, or for medical or science purposes, such as anatomical research”, as per the Funeral Consumers Alliance.

When is embalming required?

“Many people think embalming is legally required for every funeral, or that it preserves a body permanently,” says Dr Camelia L Clarke, NFDA spokesperson and president at Paradise Memorial Funerary Corporation. “Neither is true.”

Embalming temporarily slows natural changes, she explains, and its purpose is to “give a family time to gather and, if they wish, to see their loved one”.

Embalming is not the only technique that can be used if families wish to view the deceased. Refrigeration is also an option, says Brad, a funeral service educator and creator of Fun Funeral Facts, who asked that his last name be withheld – this is less invasive and involves fewer chemicals, meaning it can be seen as a more environmentally friendly option.

But because it preserves the body for longer, Bilstein explains that embalming is often required for public viewings, transporting a body across state lines, international flights, and viewings of remains that are considered infectious (such as those with Covid or influenza).

What does embalming entail?

Paperwork
When a deceased person arrives at a funeral home, the first steps are bureaucratic, explains Clarke.

“We confirm their identity, review the information we’ve received, and assess their condition,” she says. Funeral directors must also obtain authorization from the family before embalming.

Sanitizing
The deceased is then transferred to an embalming table, undressed and washed with disinfectant soap, says Brad. Clothing and jewelry is set aside and catalogued to be returned to the family.

During cleaning, an embalmer covers the deceased appropriately. “Dignity and respect is our primary concern,” says Bilstein.

Feature setting
Once a body has been embalmed, it becomes more difficult to move facial features, Bilstein says. So an embalmer does what is called feature setting beforehand – making sure the eyes and mouth are closed, and arranging the face and body so they look peaceful.

The body is positioned as it would be in the casket, Brad says – legs straightened, and hands crossed over the abdomen. A block is usually placed under the head to keep the head and neck in place.

Setting the face is more involved, explains Bilstein. To keep the eyes closed, embalmers may use glue or plastic eye caps – silicone discs with small spikes on their surface that hold the eyelid in place. The mouth is usually sutured closed with string or wire.

If instructed by the family, the embalmer will shave any facial hair. “Embalmers also like to remove any downy hair on the face because it helps makeup sit more naturally later,” Bilstein says.

Arterial embalming
There are two primary components to the process, says Bilstein: arterial embalming and cavity embalming.

A chemical solution is mixed in an embalming machine – a device that pumps chemicals through the body.

Embalming fluid is generally made up of formaldehyde, water and a variety of other chemicals. The industry’s use of formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable gas known to be carcinogenic to humans, has long been controversial, but so far, no alternative has been found that is equally effective or affordable. To protect themselves, embalmers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and work in rooms with multiple ventilation systems.

In arterial embalming, Brad says, an embalmer selects one of the deceased’s major arteries (usually the common carotid artery in the neck) to introduce the solution, and a vein (usually the internal jugular vein in the neck) to drain blood from the body. A tube connected to the embalming machine is inserted into the artery, and embalming solution is pumped through the body’s vascular system. This solution displaces blood, which is emptied through the selected vein.

The process is finished once tissue is firm and evenly colored, Brad says.

Cavity embalming
For cavity embalming, a sharp, pen-shaped instrument called a trocar is inserted into the abdomen, pelvic and chest cavities, and attached to a device that sucks out fluids. Then the trocar is used to inject a highly concentrated form of embalming fluid into the same cavities. Holes from the trocar are plugged with a trocar button, made of plastic.

Finishing touches
To complete the process, all incisions are sutured closed, hair is washed and brushed, and the body is disinfected again with soap and water. The deceased is transferred from the embalming table, dressed in a hospital gown and covered with a sheet, Bilstein says. Embalmers often apply moisturizer to the decedent’s face and hands because the embalming process is so dehydrating, says Bilstein.

Finally, the embalmer cleans and disinfects the area, and writes a report. All in all, the process usually takes about one and a half to three hours depending on the condition of the deceased, though complicated cases can last much longer.

Can every body be embalmed?

“Embalming has its limitations,” says Bilstein.

She often compares the procedure to surgery. A standard case, without complications, is like a minor surgical procedure. A case involving major physical trauma is more like a major surgical procedure – the work is more invasive and involves more steps.

For instance, Bilstein says, if facial bones need to be rebuilt, this may involve reconstructive work with glue, wood or plastic.

Sometimes, damage makes arterial embalming and viewing impossible. “I had to have that tough conversation with a family,” Bilstein says. Bilstein sees much of her role as protecting families as they grieve, which means being realistic with them about what she can accomplish.

But there have been instances where she’s seemingly made the impossible possible.

“I’ve had cases where the family didn’t think a viewing would be possible, and I spent hours and hours on the case, and they were able to view and have an open casket,” she says. “Those are really rewarding cases, when you can give a family that opportunity to see their loved one.”