1. Sleep or Meditate After Therapy
All forms of massage increase lymph circulation in the body. Lymph is a clear, colorless extra-cellular fluid that surrounds every organ and permeates all tissues in the body. When lymph is stimulated through massage or exercise, the fluid can collect toxins in the body to move them out through the urinary tract. When you try to get right back to work after a massage, your body has to work harder while it is still trying to continue the detoxification process begun by the massage. Therefore, you are likely to feel tired, irritable or headachy and may attempt to compensate with coffee, other stimulants or even stress hormones that your body manufactures to get yourself going. To retain the maximum benefit from your stone massage, plan a nap or a few easy hours after the treatment, and up your water intake to hasten the detoxification.
2. Focus Therapy on Areas of Discomfort
Hot stone massage therapy uses heat as its primary tool to relax and soften areas of strain. Communicating with your therapist and telling her where you need the therapy most will afford you the most benefit. If you don't highlight an area that needs work, the therapist may attempt to intuit areas that are constricted and unyielding or may simply work the whole body in "relaxation" mode. If general relaxation is what you want, that is fine, but if you need to heal a specific area, it's important to let your healer know. Common areas of strain include the lower back, the sciatic nerve and the neck and shoulders. These areas also respond well to the soothing heat of hot stones and the slight pressure of the rocks, which activates pressure points on the body. Pressure points are areas where nerves cross, become pinched or are close to the surface of the skin. These points are the areas of greatest therapeutic value, as nerves radiate all throughout the body. For instance, a nerve in the foot can affect headaches, and certain nerves in the ears can affect pain in the legs and back.
3. Find and Keep a Therapist You Like
During massage, whether reflexology or any other type, you are lying on a table and in the hands of a trained professional. However, it is natural that you will need time to become accustomed to a new therapist and to allow yourself to feel comfortable. Therefore, if you continue to request the same hot stone massage therapist (once you find one that you feel really helps you relax and heal), you will relax faster and more deeply with each visit. When you call to schedule a massage, simply inquire about your therapist's schedule and whether he is available for you at your ideal time.
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