You know what a body massage is. Maybe you have a body massage regularly. A hot stone massage is a massage in the definitive sense, but it is quite unlike a regular massage. Of fairly recent origin, from Sweden, it has gained rapid popularity due to its efficacy in dealing with physical ailments and mental tension. Want to find out what a hot stone massage feels like? Then read on…
There is no touching in a hot stone massage. The massage practitioner may touch you but that’s very rare, and mainly it is to reposition the heated stones on your body. The hot stone massage is a form of heat therapy using stones as radiant elements whereas a regular massage is based on touch therapy.
The usual pressure of a regular massage is missing in a hot stone massage. You do not experience the pain that accompanies the pressure of a regular massage. This is good news for those who have a physical intolerance to pain. Now you can enjoy a perfect therapeutic massage without the pain.
Through enquiry and some superficial investigation, the massage practitioner will try to diagnose your bodily ailments, the ones that can be mitigated by a hot stone massage. Once that is done, he will design a hot stone massage to relieve you of those ailments. The ‘hot stone’ refers to a basalt stone which is typically used in the hot stone massage because it is very good at retaining heat. Once heated to 120 degrees they give service throughout the entire massage session.
The massage therapist places the heated stones on your arms, legs and torso. Smaller, lighter stones are placed on your limbs and larger ones are placed on your torso. The placement and choice of the stones is a critical part of the therapy. Heavier stones have greater heat capacity, and this helps the heat to penetrate the thicker body muscles.
The lighter stones are moved gradually over the arms and legs, allowing their heat to relax the muscles and to provide healing as well. The larger stones are left in place, because their heat coverage is greater than the lighter stones.
A hot stone massage will do wonders for your muscular-cum-skeletal problems. Chronic back problems? Sore thigh muscles? Aching joints? A hot stone massage is the ideal therapy to shoo them away, gently but effectively.