Hot Stone Therapy
The hot stone massage uses soothing oils, warm basalt and cold marble stones to relax the muscles, allowing for a deeper and more intense all-over massage.
What is hot stone therapy?
At the start of a hot stone therapy, smooth water-heated basalt stones are carefully applied to key points on the body. This direct heat relaxes the muscles, which means that the massage itself is more effective and intense than it would be otherwise. The size of the stones varies, according to which part of the body they’re being used on.
The stones are coated in fragrant oil to increase your sense of relaxation and calm. When oil is smoothed gently onto the body, each stone in turn can be worked along by the therapist’s hands. Most therapists will alternate the application of the warm stones with frozen or cooling marble ones, aimed at stimulating the nervous system.
What is hot stone therapy good for?
After a vigorous game of rugby, players will often sit in ice-baths to reduce muscle swelling; the less extreme among us have a hot bath! It is generally accepted that treatments of warmth and cold are beneficial, and help to soothe an aching body. What we often need to do is combine both hot and cold. There’s a method behind the apparent madness of leaping from a toasty sauna into an icy pool – and hot stone therapy uses the same principle. The hot stones expand the blood vessels and the cold ones constrict them. The warm stones sedate the nervous system and the cooler stones gently wake it up again. The combination of relaxing warmth and refreshing coolness is thought to encourage the body to detox and heal, increasing lymph flow and helping to flush out waste. The body becomes relaxed in a much shorter space of time, and the therapist can focus on a deep working of the tissues using both stone and hand strokes.
A good hot stone therapy should:* boost your circulation* release stored tension* recharge your energy levels. Hot stone therapy is said to have health benefits for people with:* muscular pain* poor circulation* rheumatic and arthritic conditions* fibromyalgia* multiple sclerosis (MS)* back pain* stress* insomnia* depression. As with all spa therapies, you should never underestimate the feel-good factor. Hot stone massage will make you feel nurtured, pampered and special.