Hot stone massage

What is Hot Stone Massage?

The therapeutic benefits of a hot stone massage have been around for centuries. Ancient cultures used this technique to improve overall mental, spiritual, and physical wellness. Native Americans used hot stones to detoxify and to find harmony and balance. In some European cultures, hot stones or bricks were wrapped in cloth and placed over a person’s injury for relief. In China, hot stone therapy was used as early as 1500 BC as a method for relieving muscle aches and tension. Today, hot stone therapy is used much in the same way as it was centuries ago and for the same benefits. One session can help you to relax, release, and rejuvenate.

Hot stone massage uses smooth, basalt stones (that have been heated in water) combined with massage strokes to create a deeply relaxing and healing treatment. The heat of the stones warms the skin allowing it to absorb moisturising oils while at the same time preparing the muscles of the body so that the therapist can work into the deeper muscle tissues.  The use of heated stones is extremely effective at relieving tense muscles because one stroke of a heated basalt stone is equivalent to five strokes of the therapist’s hand.  During the treatment, the therapist will use traditional Swedish massage strokes while holding a heated stone. As the stone cools, the therapist replaces it with another.

The therapist might also place heated stones in specific points along your spine, or in the palms of your hand, or even between your toes to improve the flow of energy in your body.

What can I expect from a treatment session?

On your first visit you will attend a short consultation that will provide your therapist with an understanding of your current state of health and lifestyle, including any relevant medical issues.  This will ensure that you receive an appropriate treatment tailored to your requirements.

The practical treatment will last for 50 minutes and will require you to be undressed to your underwear and lay down on the therapist’s couch.  Please be assured that apart from the part of the body being worked on, you will be covered with towels at all times. This will ensure that you are kept warm and relaxed without feeling exposed.

The therapist will begin by taking a couple of heated stones and using them to carry out a range of massage techniques.  Please note that your therapist will never place hot stones immediately onto your skin, but will absorb some of the initial heat with their hands and use this heat to distribute the oil over the part of the body being treated.  The stones will always be allowed to cool a little before being placed directly on the skin.  After the hot stones have relaxed the muscles, the massage therapist may put down the stones and use their hands to directly massage the skin. The hot stones may then be placed back on to the body (including between your toes or in the palm of your hand) and left for a short period of time.

Once the practical treatment is complete, you will be given a glass of water and provided with aftercare advice to maximise the benefits of the massage.