Stone Therapy: Hot and Cold Stone Massage

Carefully heated smooth round basalt stones are placed on the body and used in the hands for massage. The relaxing and pain relieving effects of heat penetrate deeply into muscles, enabling deep work to feel less intense. Cold stones may be used to ease congested, puffy, hot, irritated or inflamed areas. Or alternating hot and cold stimulates circulation, flushes and cleanses the body. Great for fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic pain. 

Treatment with hot stones is very ancient. It shows up throughout history in Mayan civilisation, Native American tribes, ancient Greece and Rome, Africa, and China, and is thought to go back around 5,000 years as part of Uyurvedic Medicine in India.

Hot Stones

I use smooth, round basalt stones. They are generally considered the best type of stone to use because they come in a variety of sizes, because of their natural smoothness and lastly, because of their ability to retain heat - because they are made of cooled magma from volcanos! They are carefully heated in a Hot Stone Heater which is like a large slow cooker or crockpot. The temperature of the water is checked with a thermometer and the termperature of the stones is checked with my hands.

When stones are placed on the body. the physical weight of the stones helps direct the heat deeper into the body, making it more effective than other types of application of heat such as hot water bottles, heat wraps or heat pads that people use to relieve tension and pain.

The feeling of weight can also have a reassuring steady, grounding effect, on many, and can be particularly helpful for those with high anxiety.

Sometimes people see photographs on the internet of bodies with stones placed on them (often along the spine, it makes a pretty picture!) and think this is all that Stone Therapy involves. There are Spas and such which do provide sessions with just the placement of heated stones. However, they are not (or should not be) placed directly on the skin, but inside a piece of fabric, such as a flannel or towelling wrap, to slightly insulate, preventing burns and ensuring a long period of pleasant heat. They can also be placed underneath the body. However as well as placement, stones are used for... 

Hot Stone Massage

The stones are used in the hands of the massage therapist for a flowing, soothing massage. Sometimes they are cupped in the palms, for long strokes, and what is remarkable is because the stones are so smooth, it doesn't feel like you'd imagine - it just feels like the therapists hands are full of heat! Other times they may be held to use the edge of the stone to slide under a shoulder blade, or to work around a particular 'knotty' area.

Hot Stone massages are particularly helpful for those people who are so tense, or are experiencing so much pain, that though they feel they need massage work that goes deep into their tissue to resolve the problem, they find it very difficult to receive it, and it takes a long time for a normal massage to warm up and relax the body enough for deeper work to not be painful or stressful to receive. Working with the hot stones, the relaxing and pain relieving effects of the heat penetrate deeply into muscles, enabling deep work to feel less intense. A bit like a combination of a nice hot bath or a sauna, and a massage, all in one treatment.

Great for those with fibromyalgia, arthritis, or chronic pain.

"Fibromyalgia makes me very sensitive to pressure. The heat gently but efficiently unwound my tense, painful muscles."

Mr Chris Wright, Lancaster

Cold Stones, Placement and Massage

Cold stones may also be used. Cold therapy "Cryotherapy' is well known for athletes and for its use in the acute stage of an injury, with a cold pack or bag of frozen peas, to slow down swelling ('RICE" - Rest Ice Compression Elevation).

However its now known that 'icing' can be counterproductive and slow down healing and recovery if used for too long. So, a little goes a long way.

I have marble and jade stones which are naturally cool, and these can also be chilled in the fridge before a session, then kept cold in a bowl of cold water. These can feel wonderful on a hot face, for a menopausal woman having a hot flush, and generally to cool and calm congested, puffy, hot, irritated or inflamed areas (which should be avoided with hot stones).

They can also be used to help cool the body back down to a more normal temperature after a Hot Stone massage, and to stimulate the nervous system and energise and re-invigorate after the relaxation of the heat, to avoid a client going out feeling weak and faint! 

Hot and Cold Stones

A combination of hot and cold stones can be used to stimulate circulation, with the alternate expansion and contraction of the blood vessels caused by the alternating heat and cold, having a flushing affect, which cleanses the body. Improved circulation aids the digestive system, the lymphatic system, and the liver in doing their work of cleansing the body, removing waste products, and getting oxygen and nutrients to your cells.

There are extra health precautions in addition to those for other types of massage - for example heat treatments are not advised for anyone with any type of heart condition, because, like a sauna, the heat can raise the core temperature and increase the heart rate and the metabolism. I do of course check suitability for all treatments when booking. Its also important to make sure not to be dehydrated before hand, and to drink extra water afterwards as well. 

A Stone Therapy: Hot and Cold Stone full body treatment normally includes stone massage to the upper chest and the back from neck and shoulders to hips, plus the legs and arms. Feet and hands are done briefly, and stones used to warm the abdomen without massage. You don't need to specify when you book - you can decide at the treatment which areas you want or don't want included, and if there are any areas which you'd like me to give more or less time to.

Price

Price list for all treatments

Next Page: Indian Head Massage