Courtesy of ABMP
What is Hot Stone Massage?
Jed Heneberry
Stone massage is a luxurious experience in which the massage therapist uses warmed, smooth stones to provide bodywork, warming muscle tissue to reduce muscle tension and stiffness, and eliciting physical healing, mental relaxation, and a spiritual connection to earth energy
Photos frequently incorrectly portray the treatment with massage clients relaxing on a towel with stones placed artfully along their naked spines.
In reality, two insulating layers, a sheet and a thick bath towel, will be placed on your skin, and the stones will be placed upon it. Your massage therapist will be using stones heated to 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Stones should never rest directly on your skin; they will only touch your skin if the therapist is holding them to apply strokes.
Should I Get One?
The heat of stone massage can be especially beneficial for certain populations and something to avoid for others. Specific chronic muscular conditions like frozen shoulder or low-back pain benefit as the heat helps tissues relax during massage work. And, while stone massage is lauded for the relaxation it promotes, therapists can use it for targeted trigger-point work and myofascial release as well.
Those who should avoid hot stone massage include people with diabetes, neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions covering large areas of the body, or local skin conditions such as sunburn, broken skin, localized swelling, or other soft-tissue injuries.
Following are some of the benefits associated with stone therapies:
o Reduces anxiety, pain, and stress.
o Promotes mental and physical relaxation.
o Creates a feeling of groundedness and balance.
o Enhances connection to earth energy.
o Promotes local circulation in the area where it is applied.
o Warms soft-tissue structures so they are ready for firm work more quickly.
Photos frequently incorrectly portray the treatment with massage clients relaxing on a towel with stones placed artfully along their naked spines.
In reality, two insulating layers, a sheet and a thick bath towel, will be placed on your skin, and the stones will be placed upon it. Your massage therapist will be using stones heated to 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Stones should never rest directly on your skin; they will only touch your skin if the therapist is holding them to apply strokes.
Should I Get One?
The heat of stone massage can be especially beneficial for certain populations and something to avoid for others. Specific chronic muscular conditions like frozen shoulder or low-back pain benefit as the heat helps tissues relax during massage work. And, while stone massage is lauded for the relaxation it promotes, therapists can use it for targeted trigger-point work and myofascial release as well.
Those who should avoid hot stone massage include people with diabetes, neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions covering large areas of the body, or local skin conditions such as sunburn, broken skin, localized swelling, or other soft-tissue injuries.
Following are some of the benefits associated with stone therapies:
o Reduces anxiety, pain, and stress.
o Promotes mental and physical relaxation.
o Creates a feeling of groundedness and balance.
o Enhances connection to earth energy.
o Promotes local circulation in the area where it is applied.
o Warms soft-tissue structures so they are ready for firm work more quickly.
Courtesy of ABMP
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Peace, Light and Love
HJM