Massaging with hot stones is not by any means a new modality. It has been around and in use for many centuries by many different cultures. I am often asked “who used them first” or “where did this technique originate?” I never know where to begin to explain the history behind this wonderful healing art. North American Native Indians used them. They were used in South America, Africa, Europe, Egypt, Japan and India. There is written history confirming that more than 2000 years ago the Chinese used heated stones as a means to improve the function of internal organs. Ancient Greek and Roman cultures which date back to 27 B.C. have a recorded history of using hot stones for massage and bodywork.
Hot-stone massage was re-introduced in the United States in 1993 in Arizona by massage therapist Mary Nelson. Her invention of La Stone Therapy technique caught on and today, there are many styles and techniques of using hot stones during a massage treatment session. Hot rocks are used for full body, deep tissue specific work, facials, pedicures, manicures, meridian therapy, reiki, polarity therapy and even cranial sacral work.
When performed correctly, a hot-stone massage session is one of the most relaxing and rejuvenating experiences a person can receive. The stones have incredible energy. Hot rocks protocols enhance the benefits of a regular massage. The effects hot rocks have on the body are sedative which can relieve chronic pain, reduce stress and promote deep relaxation. There are many other valid reasons to receive a hot stone massage:
- Decrease back pain and muscle spasms
- Improve poor circulation
- Relief from osteoarthritis and arthritis pain
- Decrease stress, anxiety and tension
- Help with insomnia and sleeping disorders
- Decrease depression
- Relief from fibromyalgia
- Increase flexibility in joints, improving mobility and movement
- Relief from strained and contracted muscles
Can you remember the last time that nothing in your body was causing pain?
I received my first hot stone massage when I was three-quarters of the way through massage school in 2005. At the time, I was working full-time during the day at a very high-stress medical facility in the accounting department, going to massage school in the evenings five days a week, and emotionally stressed from coping with surviving a divorce. To say the least, I was physically exhausted and very much in need of some TLC and R&R at the close of the third term in massage school. Read the rest of this entry »