The hot stone massage technique, which is one of the most popular massage techniques in the world, uses a combination of traditional muscle kneading massage with the use of stones that are heated.
Although this massage has only been recently gaining in popularity, the use of hot stones has been featured in many cultures for many centuries. Many Native American cultures used hot stones in the sweat lodges during purification or detoxification rituals. The participants passed the hot stones among themselves. The stones are pressed on parts of the bodies that are feeling pain or discomfort.
In Hawaiian culture lava stones, called Pohaku, are heated and wrapped in special leaves and then placed on parts of the body that have discomfort or feeling pain. The stones then made the leaves that wrap around them release oil which help in pain relief. The Pohaku still features in the traditional Lomi Lomi massage in the present day.
Another massage variant uses heated Tiger-stripe shells instead of heated basalt stones. These smooth shells are not heated in a bowl of water. Instead they are filled with algae, essential oils and minerals that make them heat up.
The stones are basalt stones and are heated in a bowl of hot water. This type of stone is very rich in iron, so they are able to retain heat for quite a long time. The heated stones are then used in a variety of ways. They can be placed on the palms for a shallow massage that is known as the Swedish-style or they can be held between the massage therapist's fingers to reach deeper muscles and allow them to focus longer on knotted muscles.
This great massage provides relief from ailments like inflamed joints, loosen knotted muscles and relax tense or tight muscles.
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