In current 안마 massage practice, a hot stone massage is a specialty massage in which smooth heated stones are used by a therapist, either placing the stones flat on or by rubbing them against the body. Although it is always combined with some form of traditional massage, some therapists choose to use the stones as extensions of their hands for deeper muscle massaging, without having to exert much pressure. In addition, the heat of the stones generally offers deeper penetration of a clients muscles compared with other forms of heat therapy.
The length of time that you will be using heated stones on your clients body is determined by the strength of your clients body when you are doing your massage treatment. Your massage therapist will always first hold a few warm ones before touching it on their body, ensuring that it is not too hot. As the stones cool, your massage therapist will pick different stones until your muscles are fully relaxed.
Your massage therapist will prepare a few hot, smooth stones by heating several warm rocks in a hot rock stove or crock pot. Your therapist will lay warm, smooth stones over your body, as well as keeping them hot during your entire session. Your therapist will place heated stones along the spine, but depending on what type of massage you request, they may also be used on your chest, arms, legs, feet, or face.
Hot, smooth stones held in the palms of the therapists hands are then used to provide extra pressure and heat. Alongside this technique, sometimes smooth stones are held and massaged in muscles by a therapist acting as an extension of their hands, applying oils or lotions on the body, allowing the warm stones to slide smoothly over the muscles. The heat and weight of the localized smooth heat and massaging the muscles warms up and relaxes them, which allows the massage therapists to put deeper pressure into particular points of the body without causing discomfort.
The heat relaxes your body within a short period, allowing the massage therapist to focus on a deeper work on your tissues using both the hot stones and the hands. As mentioned earlier, massage and use of hot stones may encourage the release of muscles and joints of your body, relieving both pain and cramping.
The heat of hot stones combined with the technique of massage helps relax these muscles, making it easier and more comfortable to move joints. This type of massage allows for a deeper relaxation as your therapist works to release pain and muscle tension. The positioning allows the therapist to reach deep into your muscles without much more pressure, helping the client to relax even further.
At this time, oils are rubbed onto the back, and the therapist will also start massaging using longer strokes using hot stones, paying special attention to the acupressure points. Using massage oil and long sliding strokes, the therapist will massage the neck, back, arms, and legs, both with and without a stone. Once each limb has been massaged extensively and warmed up to the bones, the therapist moves to working on the neck, shoulders, and face muscles.
The stones are then removed between the fingers, above the heart, belly, below the neck and spine, and the person receiving treatment is turned face-down on the therapy table. To finish the face-up part of the massage, pleasant hot stone scents are applied to flat faces using essential oils.
Warm stones are also held in your palms to enhance a feeling of deep warmth as you move through the final part of the session. Water helps stones conduct heat internally, so they continue radiating warmth throughout the entire session. Our massage experts immerse stones in hot water to keep them at a temperature that is just right–between 120-130 degrees F.
Therapy stones, when heated in hot rocks, are heated at a suggested therapeutic temperature of about 135 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid burning and uneven temperatures, stones should never be heated in a microwave, oven, hot plate, or slow cooker, nor should they be applied to bare skin without continuous motion. For hot stone massage therapy, a basalt rock is mostly used by the therapist, mostly due to its different properties, which include its non-porosity, its smoothness, and its ability to hold heat for a much longer time than any other rock. Your therapist can alternate between warm basalt stones and a much cooler, marbled stone.
It is no surprise that the most common types of stones used today by massage therapists are basalts, smooth, flat volcanic rocks that hold heat and are thought to bring healing energy from deep inside the earth. Used in ceremonial healing, stones can also be included in most types of massages for added benefits. Stones can be used on their own or added into other types of massage for additional benefits.
Stones can be used by a trained massage therapist as a tool in massage. Hot stones, when used in a massage, enable a massage therapist to utilize basic Swedish massage techniques including long stretches, kneading, rolling, percussion, and circular movements, only using rocks rather than hands. Massage therapists position stones heated to an appropriate temperature over certain parts of the body, where the stones induce relaxation and release muscles in preparation for later bodywork.
By using the heat transfer and deep penetrating effects of stones, significant pain relief can be provided to clients without the discomfort typically associated with deep tissue massage. In addition to providing a deeper release to your muscles and bodys soft tissues, a warm-stone massage performed by a certified therapist may relieve pain, enhance circulation, and is believed to cleanse your body of toxins. Hot stone massage encourages healing by targeting deep layers of muscles, and provides many benefits. It increases your lymphatic flow and encourages the body to eliminate waste products.