Hot stone massage therapy is the practice of using heated stones to provide additional warmth and relaxation to the patient's body during the course of a massage. The use of stones in massage has been known for thousands of years, however this practice has been combined with massage and metaphysics in recent years to create a popular form of massage treatment that is widely available in the U.S. On occasion, cold stones are added to further enhance the stone massage experience.
Special Stones
Although most hot stone massage therapy sessions are done with heated pieces of smoothed basalt stones, Mary Nelson, a Tucson, Arizona massage therapist credited with bring hot stone to modern America, uses basalt, jade and petosky stones for hot stone therapy and marble, jade and sardonyx stones for cold stone therapy. Basalt is preferred by many therapists for its superior heat holding capabilities. Other therapists focus on the metaphysical properties of the stones and select them according to their energetic properties.
Conventional Massage
The Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, Michigan, offers several types of massage including hot stone massage because the direct application of heat relaxes muscles and permits manipulation of a greater intensity than with regular massage. At this facility, hot stone massage is used as an adjunct to conventional types of massage such as Swedish or deep tissue work, much like small hot packs, to warm and soften tense muscles to facilitate more effective massage.
How Stones Are Incorporated
Most massage therapists who use hot stones in the course of their massage have received specific training in their use. They often place a series of the heated stones down the back along the spine, on arms and hands and occasionally between the patient's toes. Sometimes the therapist will also hold one of the heated stones and use its surface to massage the patient. Occasionally, cold stones are placed on particular spots to cool specific areas of the body.
Unique Benefits
There are several different perceptions of the benefits of hot stone massage therapy. In keeping with the Western view of massage related to form and function, the stones are perceived to function as miniature hot packs, which help to increase circulation to very precise areas of the body and facilitate relaxation of specific muscles.
The Oriental view of massage focuses on the stones as elements to affect the energy chakras of the body. A more metaphysical view, which is the basis of the newly emerging American application of hot stone massage, includes a perception of the healing properties of the stones themselves in addition to the effects of their temperature.
How to Find a Hot Stone Massage Therapist?
Due to the increasing popularity of hot stone massage, therapists who have had this training are widely available. Consult your local phone book advertising pages for massage therapist listings to see if this specialty is noted there. Many spas and health clubs provide massage services and hot stone massage therapy has become very popular in this setting. Ask the therapist how they perceive the hot stone therapy to work if you wish to locate someone who emphasizes a particular methodology.
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