Hot Stone Massage: Talk about heaven!! This is one of those things that is an absolute must for your Bucket List to do at least once before you kick it because of how awesome it is.
This is going to be a short post since most hot stone massages are just any type of massage (Swedish, trigger point therapy, reflexology, etc.) modified by using smooth, heated stones. Basalt rocks are the most popular to use because of their superior heat retention. The variety of strokes are reduced to mostly effleurage, compressions, and maybe a bit of friction since being pummeled with rocks isn't exactly relaxing. A review of the different types of massage strokes can be read here.
So what's the benefit of the added stones? It's all in the heat. By utilizing heat, a massage therapist can relax outer layers of fascia and muscle more quickly and access very deep muscles with less effort. Heat draws blood to an area using vasodilation, or dilating/opening the blood vessels, and aiding in muscle relaxation, dissolving trigger points, and healing injuries.
Hot stone massages are not recommended for people with extreme high blood pressure, advanced stages of diabetes, and women who are pregnant. It's very important to tell your massage therapist if the stones are too hot since the last thing either of you want is for you to get burns or blisters! It's also important to note that stones should never be placed stationary directly on the skin without a towel or sheet protecting you. This is only done with warm or cool stones.
1 comment:
The pup really looks like he is enjoying this!
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