What is Hot Stone massage?
Hot Stone massage is a truly relaxing and calming therapy. The treatment I use are smooth, beautiful basalt hot stones that are believed to open up your body’s energy pathways.
Wax or oil is used during the use of the stones to encourage deep tissue manipulation.
What can a Hot Stone massage be used for?
There are a number of reasons to choose a Hot Stone massage:
- Reduces overall stress and anxiety
- Increases energy levels and mental clarity
- Alleviates muscular tension and stiffness
- Increases mobility and flexibility
- Encourages better circulation and deeper, more efficient breathing
- Improves skin elasticity
- Aids the lymphatic system
- Improves circulation, regulating the flow of fluid throughout the entire body
- Enhances the functional quality of muscle tissue
- Promotes general relaxation
What are the benefits of a Hot Stone massage?
A Hot Stone massage can help relax the body’s muscles and soft tissues by reducing pain, improving circulation and eliminating the body of toxins. It can also decrease stress, promote calmness and increase relaxation.
A Hot Stone massage can leave some people with a new sense of enlightenment and renewed spirituality. It is a unique sensory experience for total inner peace and outer balance.
Who is a Hot Stone massage good for?
Adults of all ages can benefit from a Hot Stone massage. The treatment is particularly good if you sit or stand for long periods of time or if you suffer from a repetitive strain injury. It is ideal for athletes or those simply wanting to melt away life’s stresses.
Hot and/or cold stone massage involves far more than simply placing stones on the skin.
They can also be used alongside sports and clinical massage techniques to either soften the tissues before beginning deep tissue work, or to cool inflamed or sore areas. This can make the massage much less painful and saves time so that I can be more effective in my treatment.
I also provide a luxury, nurturing treatment that will relax both your body and mind.
How Hot Stones Work
The hot stones are massaged gently but deeply into the muscles, releasing blockages and working more powerfully than even a deep tissue massage.
Where areas of tension are found, the stones are held in place, allowing heat to penetrate. This quickly gets to the root of aches and pains, allowing them to melt away like butter.
Fire and ice stone treatment
Have you heard of fire and ice therapy?
It is great for anyone who keeps active and may want to speed up recovery from tired achy muscles, and it may even provide pain relief. This is a totally thrilling, out of this world treatment for those that dare! I alternate the use of hot and icy cold stones. Fire and ice is particularly good to help your body and mind detoxify and helps reduce stress. It is surprisingly relaxing too. It also makes a great post event massage so is popular with you sporty people.
How Hot and Cold Stones Work
The heat from the hot stones relaxes the muscles and expands the blood vessels. The cold stones then make the blood vessels constrict, stimulating your nervous system and so drawing out blood and toxins and flushing them away.
This treatment is great for easing your congestion and improving circulation. It can help unblock sinuses and also raises the pulse, giving you a mini cardiovascular workout.
Why is the contrasted intense heat and cold beneficial?
‘Fire’, which in this case is heat applied to the body via the use of hot stones is a simple form of ‘Thermotherapy’ and ‘ice’ using icy cold stones is a form of ‘Cryotherapy’. Alternating between them. The effect on the body is similar to the contrast bathing of a Turkish or Arabic bath, going from a hot pool to an icy one. Heat from the hot stones relaxes the muscles and expands the blood vessels allowing more blood to the area being massaged. This brings essential nutrients and oxygen to the muscles, fascia and other surrounding tissues.
The icy cold stones then make the blood vessels constrict, pushing blood away and so flushing out toxins and stimulating your nervous system. Cold also decreases inflammation and reduces pain and spasm.
Alternating them produces a pumping effect, almost like a mini cardiovascular workout which improves circulation. It also works in the same way on the lymph system, removing stagnant fluid and waste products that are trapped in the body.
Do You Need Relief after a hard workout or Sports Injury?
How many of us sporty types have suffered from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) a day or two after a hard workout?
A Fire and Ice treatment is likely to enhance your recovery, and reduce muscle swelling after intense activity in a more positive way than rest alone. After a sports injury, Fire and Ice can be used clinically in the sub-acute or chronic stages. It may also help too:-
- Heal damaged tissues, reducing pain and relaxing the fascia (a type of connective tissue which runs throughout the body).
- Increase the circulation in areas where there is restricted blood flow, such as tendons and plantar fascia underneath the foot.
- Relax hyper-toned muscles that are in spasm or cramping.
- Unblock sinuses and assist with symptomatic relief of headaches or migraines.
Hot stone massage makes a great gift for your loved one, or a friend. It enhances other treatments I offer.
