Hot Stones and you!

I recently got to experience my first massage using Hot Stones. I didn't know what to expect, but I was thinking things would be different from my usual experiences with Registered Massage Therapy. I was right, and wrong, and pleasantly surprised all at the same time.

My treatment was with Alex Farrow, RMT. She asked me to get set in the usual way, under the warm sheets in a dim-lit room, down to my athletic shorts or underwear. The massage itself started off the same as I am used to - warmed lotion massaged in a general way along the back, shoulder and neck muscles. She then placed some warmed stones on my calves and palms; they were light yet solid, and warm but not hot. Next Alex used other warmed stones in her hands to massage the back, neck and shoulder muscles. It felt the same, but different! Warmer, deeper yet not uncomfortable as you might expect. During the treatment she alternated between more superficial and deep tissues, using a combination of her hands and the warmed stones.

Hot stone massage is an example of Geothermohydrotherapy, or the therapeutic use of stones that are heated or cooled. It is a combination treatment using both massage and placement spots of Basalt Stones. These tools have above average heat retention, as they are made from lava, cooled following volcanic eruption. You will notice their dark, black colour if you get a chance to see some up close. The benefits of hot stone therapy include an increase in circulation due to vasodilation, an increase in relaxation associated with a decrease in stress, decrease in pain (joint, muscle) as well as headaches, and an increased feeling of well-being.

I definitely recommend trying Hot Stone Therapy, especially during the upcoming months of cooler weather and increased holiday stress. Alex is currently accepting patients, why not try a Hot Stone Massage when the weather is cold and the room and stones are warm?!