As the name suggests, massage stone therapy is achieved with the use of stones that massage various areas of the body. Modern day versions of stone therapy include facials, neck massages, manicures, pedicures, as well as full body massages. However, not many people know exactly what takes place. Usually, they see pictures of someone lying on a massage bed with a line of stones running down the spine. However, there are some very important aspects of the process that may be beneficial for you to learn prior to venturing out into massage stone therapy.
Take a look at the following steps that are involved in massage stone therapy, specifically hot stone massages:
1.Right before your arrival to therapy, your masseuse or therapist should go through a process of sanitizing the stones because they are reused for every client. Typically, stones are heated in water that reaches temperatures of 150 degrees. As a note, stones for hot stone therapy are usually basalt, which is a volcanic rock that does a good job at retaining heat.
2.Once you arrive, the masseuse or therapist will put your body through a traditional massage, which is typically a Swedish massage. This is what is commonly referred to as a standard massage, where oils are used as the therapist uses hands and fingers to massage or rub various areas of your body. This is all being done while a therapist is holding a heated stone. Once the stone cools, it is simply replaced by another heated stone so the procedure can continue without interruption.
3.In many hot stone massages, therapists often leave a line of heated stones at specific points along your spine, which helps to improve the flow of energy throughout your entire body. In between your fingers and toes are also good points for stones to be placed in order to improve the flow of energy. As a point to note, there are basalt and marble stones of various shapes and sizes, depending on which areas of the body they are being placed at, as well as the type of massage stone therapy is being employed.
The entire process goes on for just about an hour, depending on the type of massage service you are getting done. A typical hot stone massage can run anywhere from $150 to $200, depending on the spa or parlor you visit. What is important, however, is that you identify a well trained therapist to perform your stone massage therapy, because as with regular Swedish massages, injury can result if the massage is not done properly. Communication with your therapist is important so they can know whether or not you are feeling any kind of discomfort as a result of the stone massage therapy.
Now that you have a general idea of the procedure that your body goes through with a hot stone massage, you should feel very comfortable with knowing that once you identify a therapist trained in massage stone therapy, you can look forward to excellent results once your therapy is complete. Massage stone therapy produces unparalleled results as far as your muscle soreness and tension issues are concerned.
Sara Ryan regularly writes for TIR Massage Stone, the leading stone massage supplies provider. They provide hot stone massage kit and many other accessories in the massage industry.
