The Magic of Hot Stone Massage
By Karen M. Rider

For millennia, across a spectrum of cultures, people have used some form of massage and heat (thermotherapy) as a therapeutic tool. Chinese, Native American and Hawaiian cultures are believed to have the strongest influence on modern-day massage treatments that incorporate touch, heat and medicinal stones. The ancient Chinese regularly used sharpened stones, known as Bian Stones, in an early form of acupuncture to treat disease. Pulverizing the herb mugwort and forming it into a cigar-shaped cylinder that was burned at one end and applied to the body generated heat.

Native Americans believe that stones are their oldest living relative, referring to the stones as “grandfather rocks.” Well known for the sweat lodge, Native Americans heated grandfather rocks until white-hot before pouring water over them to create steam. Hot stones, shaking and dancing were combined in ritual dances for healing and to call upon ancestors and the Great Spirit for the health and prosperity of the tribe.

Ancient Hawaiian massage techniques are credited with the origins of hot stone massage. Customary uses included wrapping hot stones in leaves with certain therapeutic properties (ti leaves) and placing on sore muscles to reduce pain—like using a heat pack or poultice. Hot stones were placed in shallow pits and covered with the ti leaves. The “patient” would then lie on top of this stone bed, allowing the healing properties to infuse into the body. Early Hawaiians rubbed volcanic stones over the body after a traditional Kahuna/Lomi-Lomi massage, which is more like an exfoliation treatment due to the coarseness of the stones. Modern-day Hot Stone Massage, a truly unique and powerful style of massage, is attributed to licensed massage therapist, Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona. She trademarked her style, called LaStone Therapy. (See Side bar)


Benefits of Hot Stone Massage
Hot stone bodywork involves the use of heated and cooled stones to bring relief to tense and sore muscles. This treatment results in relief of chronic and acute problems that are familiar to many people such as headache, back pain, insomnia, over-worked muscles, repetitive joint injuries, and muscle tension associated with other medical conditions—including arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and MS. Heated stones were also applied to the lower abdomen to relieve cramps.

“The physiological benefits of massage and the application of hot and cold treatments are scientifically and medically valid. For an acute injury, cold therapy can reduce swelling and lessen pain. For chronic injury, heat increases circulation, which brings nutrients into an injured area and can help flush out toxins,” explained Gerrianne Dickinson, LMT, owner of Body Wellness Massage Therapy located in Connecticut.

Alternating applications of cold and hot, a sort of “vascular gymnastics” of the circulatory system, supports the body in healing in another important way—it promotes the relaxation response. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, the most common reason for a person to get a massage is for stress reduction, particularly to manage mental/emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, and worry.

No Ordinary Rocks
An authentic hot stone massage is not a simple process of “gliding” stones across the surface of the skin. The stones are conduits for delivering effective tissue and muscle massage at a pressure level comfortable to the client.

“For the client, hot stone therapy offers tremendous therapeutic benefit that is not common to traditional massage. Heat from the stones penetrates into the muscles as the therapist massages the body while holding warm stones in her hands. The hardness of the stone allows the therapist to work effectively through problem areas, especially deep tissue tension. The smoothness of the stones allow for a very soothing experience,” Gerri said of the technique.

No ordinary rocks are used for this type of massage. Stones are selected for the capacity to retain heat without burning the skin. Gerri pointed out that, “Primarily, heated basalt stones are used. The stones are heated between 120 - 150 degrees and can be cooled quickly if they are too warm for the client.”

Basalt stone is modified igneous rock formed by volcanic and sedimentary action. The stones form when gabbroic magma erupts as lava flows or intrudes at shallow depths to form dikes and sills. Vesicular structure is prominent at the top of the lava flow. Gasses trapped in the cooling lava form vesicles; after solidification, secondary minerals like quartz and zeolites fill these cavities. The hardness is seven on the Moh’s Scale of 1-10, a diamond being a ten. The stones eventually wash along an ocean shore or riverbed, resulting in the smooth polish and oval shape.

Another stone that may be used during hot stone massage is jade—the stone of heaven. Jade takes a high polish and is quite popular in jewelry, ornaments and sculpture. Jadestone boasts two variations of crystalline structure and chemical composition. Jadeite is a silicate of sodium and aluminum while Nephrite is a silicate of calcium and magnesium. Both jadestone types may be white or colorless, but may occur in hues of red, green, brown, purple, yellow or gray due to the presence of iron, chromium or manganese. There are also wide variations of translucency in both minerals. The Moh’s Scale hardness is 6.5 – 7

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Karen M. Rider, M.A. is a freelance writer specializing in natural health, conscious living and metaphysical subjects. An advertorial copywriter and ghostwriter she serves healing arts practitioners and soul entrepreneurs. Her interviews with visionary thinkers such as Caroline Myss and Dr. Wayne Dyer appear in regional and national publications. Karen resides in Connecticut with her husband and their two spirited daughters. She’s working on her first novel, The Gathering, a metaphysical suspense story set at Gillette Castle in Connecticut. Visit: www.KarenMRider.com .