Aaaaaaaah, Hot Stone Massage Therapy!
Melt Away the Day
Imagine laying on a massage table, letting your stress and anxieties melt away as your muscles are therapeutically manipulated with comfortably hot stones. A regular massage is incredibly relaxing, but the addition of hot stones takes your massage to the next level. In a matter of moments, the respiratory system works slower as emollients are massaged into the skin. The therapist uses hot stones to help massage and heal the body. While holding the heated stones in their palms, they steadily slides the stones all over the highpoint lines.
Hot stone massage is an age-old healing therapy with history reaching back to ancient Egyptians. Native American cultures have long used hot stones during “sweat lodge” ceremonies as a way to facilitate cleansing both the physical body and spirit. In Hawaii, hot molten lava rocks called pohaku are used. A type of hot stone massage is also used in the traditional Ayurveda, a natural alternative healing medicine practiced in India.
Introduced to North American massage therapists in the early 1990s, hot stone massage follows the same principles of a regular Swedish massage but with the addition of heated stones, which are believed to better open the body’s energy pathways. Hot stone massage is a form of “thermotherapy” in which hot stones are positioned on specific areas of the client’s body and allow for greater deep tissue manipulation. Massaging oils are used to allow the therapist to work with the muscles easier.
The stones used for a hot stone massage are usually basalt stones, which are chalky grey in color but turn dark once oil is applied to them. The stones are heated and the therapist gently rubs the stone into muscles and tissues on both sides of the body; the firmness of the stone couples with the heat, enhance the therapeutic benefits of the massage.
Basalt stones were formed millions of years ago during volcanic eruptions that took place mainly near coastal areas. Basalt stones are used in hot stone massage because they contain magnetic or titanic iron which retains heat.
(Be sure to speak up if the stones are too warm or the pressure too intense. And you can always ask them to stop using the stones if you don’t like how it feels).
Hot stone massage performed by a qualified therapist can help relax the body’s muscles and soft tissues, alleviate pain, improve circulation and help rid the body of toxins. This type of massage treatment can also reduce stress, promote calmness and increase relaxation. Many hot stone massage enthusiasts even claim they experience a sense of enlightenment, inner peace and renewed spirituality after a hot stone massage session.
Heat Therapy is ideal for Muscular aches, Back pain, Stress and anxiety, Poor circulation, Rheumatic and arthritic conditions, and Fibromyalgia
