It's a practice as old as time,
but one that has been recently rediscovered. LaStone
Massage Therapy, generically known as hot stone
massage, is the updated version of a technique
employed by Native Americans, using gently warmed
rocks to massage the body. The technique provides a
deeply relaxing, healing, detoxifying, and, some
say, spiritual experience.
Typically, the stones are smooth, black rounds of
basalt in varying sizes heated in water to
temperatures between 125 and 140 degrees. Warm
stones encourage the exchange of blood and lymph and
provide soothing heat for deep-tissue work. Cold
stones are also used to aide with inflammation,
moving blood out of the area, and balancing
male/female energies. The alternating heat and cold
of thermotherapy brings the entire body into the
healing process, with a rapid exchange of blood and
oxygen and alternating rise and fall of respiration
rate as the body seeks homeostasis.
During treatment hot stones are placed on energy
pathways. Some are covered with a towel and
positioned to apply steady warmth and pressure along
the spine and neck. Others are placed between
fingers and toes and on the stomach and forehead --
key spots where energy flow can get blocked. Still
others are used almost as an extension of the
practitioner's hands to help go deeper into
resistant muscle tissue. This requires less effort
from the practitioner's own body and delivers
healing warmth to the hands, benefitting the
therapist, as well as the client.
In addition to the physical effects, hot stone
massage is also considered a kind of energy work,
calming and energizing the body but with an extra
element thrown into the mix to make it more than
just a sensory delight. The theory is that
incorporating something from nature -- the stones --
adds a symbolic dimension to this therapy, creating
a primal connection to the elements for a grounding
experience.
