Relaxation and Beauty Products

Stone massage therapy has been used in many different cultures for many years. Healers used rocks from the river beds and warmed them either in hot coals or hot water. Placing the hot stones on cloth on the body and arranging them along the energy centres of the body would help to relax the muscles and reduce pain or discomfort, boosting a healing process. 

The placing of the stones can be followed by a massage which can be deeper and more intense as heat penetrates the body and relaxes the muscles. 

Stone massage involves the application of water-heated basalt stones of varying sizes to key points on the body, giving a deep massage and creating sensations of comfort and warmth. The direct heat relaxes muscles, allowing manipulation of a greater intensity than with regular massage and 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.

In certain cases cold stones can also be used to help muscular injury and inflammation. Warm stones expand the blood vessels, helping to move blood faster round the body, sedating the nervous system. The application of cold stones stimulates the nervous system by causing the blood vessels to contract and increasing the lymph flow of waste materials round the body. 

During a treatment the individual lies on a couch. Oil is applied to the skin and  which help the stones glide across the body’s meridian lines. In some treatments large stones are placed on the body, in the palms of the hands, and coin-sized stones are lightly wedged between the toes. Heated Chakra stones align and balance chief energy centres, benefiting the whole body, not just specific areas.  
 

What is hot stone therapy good for?

Hot Stone therapy can help in the treatment of the following problems; muscular aches, pains, and strains, rheumatic and arthritic conditions, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, back pain, and insomnia. It also helps to improve circulation and can help reduce stress, anxiety, tension and depression.

After a vigorous game of sport, players will often sit in ice-baths to reduce muscle swelling. 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 is a method behind the apparent madness of leaping from a 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
• relax you


   

It 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

  
  

For Muscular Aches and Pains!

Adding aromatherapy to your hot stone treatment is easy and has an amazing affect on your mood and physical well-being. For instance, try the following recipe to alleviate muscular pain and aches:

Prepare your blend into a 2-oz bottle. Pour the essential oils first and then add the vegetable oil. Apply the oils first on the body and then apply or/and massage with the hot stones.

• 7 drops of Birch
• 6 drops of Ginger
• 6 drops of Peppermint

Hot stone massage will make you feel nurtured, pampered and special. 



Contra-indications and Precautions

It's not a good idea to eat a heavy meal or drink alcohol in the hours running up to your hot stone therapy

The contra-indications with stone therapy are much the same as with traditional manual massage, except that there is the additional consideration of heat. Therefore caution should be taken by individuals with high blood pressure and circulatory disorders, as the temperature of the stones may need to be adjusted

For similar reasons, it's also important if you are, or think you might be, pregnant.