Monday, February 25, 2013

What Is Hot Stone Massage Therapy?

Originally, the "LaStone" message therapy treatment was created by Mary Nelson in 1993. Since then, it has been transformed into a commercial technique called Hot Stone therapy. When Mary Nelson created this unique type of message therapy she was inspired by the ancient Native American message techniques that were used in the past.

Ancient Native American tribes used hot stones to relieve their tense muscles and joints whenever they had to find relief for their bodies. They would have a shaman or spiritual leader within the community place the heated stones onto a person's body that was aching or in pain from hunting or performing some other type of physical labour. The shaman would also use spiritual practices in conjunction with the stones in order to bring about healing. Hot Stone therapy treatments that are administered by most message therapists offer clients a commercialized version that does not contain any type of spiritual dimension.

Therapists use the hot stone treatments by having their client lie on their stomach. They then apply heated stones to areas of their body where they feel tension. The stones come in a variety of different sizes; large or small. Larger stones are typically placed along the back on or near the spine and onto large muscle groups such as the shoulders. The smaller stones are placed onto areas of the body where a person feels pain in an isolated location.

After a person the back has been treated, the therapist will have the client turn over and lie on his/her back. The same techniques will then be applied to the front part of the body. Of course, they are careful not to put the heated stones on top of sensitive areas.

Therapists typically heat the stones in water that has a temperature up to 150 degrees. Clients can request that the stones be at a lower temperature if they desire.

Most of the rocks that are used in this procedure are of the volcanic basalt variety. This means that they have the ability to absorb and retain heat well.

Once the stones are heated, a therapist holds them inside of his/her hand and until they cool down enough to apply. The heated stones helps the client's body become relaxed and this helps a create a more deep and relaxing message.

Typically, a short relaxing message will be given before the therapist uses the hot stones. Once the basic message technique has been administered to a client, they then apply the stones to the relaxed body. A relaxed body will respond to the treatment more effectively by allowing the heat from the rocks to flow deeply into their tissues.

This type of treatment is not recommended for people who have high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Individuals who are taking blood thinning medications are also strongly cautioned to avoid the use of Hot Stone Therapy. Finally, pregnant women and individuals with sunburn should not consider this type of treatment as well.

A Hot Stone message treatment is typically more expensive than the other types of messages that are offered by a therapist, but for a truly relaxing experience, can be well worth it.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7491454

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