Hot Stone Massage
A relatively new method of massage is based on the use of smooth, small, stones placed on your body. It has come into favor lately as a method of soft massage which does not have to be as intrusive as deep tissue massage. Some people find that deep tissue massage is very wrenching on an already sore and painful body.
The stones are gathered from a rapid running river and are small, the size of an egg and no bigger than the palm of your hand. They are gathered from the river bed as they are smoothed from the rushing water. Then they are placed into a heating oven which heats them throughout. They can also be boiled. The stones are then removed and used by the therapist.
He puts them in his own hands first to make sure they are not too hot. He then puts them on various parts of the back and legs and arms where the joints and muscles are found to be sore, tender and tight. First the body may be oiled to allow the rocks to slide from one spot to another. After a few minutes, the stones are removed and put back in the heater. The therapist then uses his hands and the oil to do a soft massage. The muscles and tendons are already relaxed so the deep tissue massage is not necessary.
He can remove the stones once again and place them on the body or use the stones to help with the massage. They glide over the body due to the oil which also sinks into the skin. The patient is left with the stones on his/her back for a few minutes before being excused.
In my younger day, I remember my osteopath using hot steamed towels in heavy amounts to relax the back and the muscles. I would lie on my stomach and he would come in and place these heavy hot steaming towels all over my back, let me lie there for a while and then come in and remove them. His job was much easier to manipulate my sore joints after a firm massage. I would walk out of there as though I had no spine left and it lasted a good long time.
Massage has its place in the manipulation of the muscles and the spine. It is meant to be a relaxing time with soft music and warm sheets. No one should walk out of a massage therapist's clinic feeling as though they had been pummeled.