What is Hot Stone Massage?
Before we get into the 5 Benefits of Hot Stone Massage, let’s first talk about what it is. A hot stone massage is a type of massage therapy used to help you relax tense muscles and damaged soft tissues throughout your body. It’s much like a regular massage but with the use of stones heated to approximately 130 degrees, to increase the effects of your traditional therapeutic or relaxation massage.
During a hot stone massage, smooth, flat, heated stones may be placed on specific parts of your body. Your massage therapist may hold heated stones as they massage you, as well. Sometimes, cold stones are also used during a hot stone massage. Cold stones may be used after hot stones to calm any engorged blood vessels and to soothe the skin.
In my practice, I will discuss the goals of your massage to create the best massage for your needs. I take pride to create customized massage sessions for each individual client. Giving the best care possible to everyone on my table is very important to me. My work is my passion and I love to help others with pain relief, surgery recovery, and relaxation
5 Benefits of Hot Stone Massage
We all know that massage has great benefits for the body. Hot stone therapy can multiply those benefits and add an extra touch to getting the most out of your massage. Your muscles will find a deeper state of relaxation to help your massage therapist work deeply on your aches and pains.
In addition to deep relaxation, having your therapist use hot stones in your massage can bring about benefits above and beyond your expectations. Heat has been used for centuries to bring about relief in the body. By adding the heat of stones to your therapeutic or relaxation massage, you may achieve the following five benefits.
1. Stress Relief
As hot stones are used during your massage, they help put you into a state of relaxation–both physically and mentally.
When your muscles are warm, they respond better to massage techniques. The benefit of the heat resting and moving along your muscles releases deep tension to helps ease sore muscles.
When your therapist is better able to massage your muscles, your experience is more relaxing.
2. Pain Relief
One reason we get massage is to relieve chronic or acute pain. Pain is caused by a variety of reasons such as poor posture, repetitive movement at work or play, accidents, injuries, or surgeries.
When muscles are extra tight, sometimes a massage alone isn’t enough to loosen them and relieve pain. That’s when heat helps most. Targeted heat from hot stones helps warm your muscles for better manipulation during the massage, bringing about even better results by allowing your massage therapist to work a little deeper into your tissues.
3. Increased Joint Flexibility
Stiff joints make it hard to move through day-to-day activities. Massage can help loosen tight joints by relieving the tension in the muscles around the joints.
If you have an injury or extremely tight joints, placing hot stones on and around those joints helps loosen those areas better than massage without the use of hot stones.
With regular hot stone therapy, you’ll notice your flexibility improves over time. Your joints will be more relaxed, and you’ll find it easier to move with less friction and pain.
4. Decreased Muscle Spasms and Tension
If you’ve ever had a muscle spasm, you know how painful they are. Some muscle spasms can be debilitating while others can last for hours at a time.
If muscle spasms or high muscle tension are a regular for you, getting consistent hot stone massage may be the answer. The benefit of adding heat to your massage loosens your muscles more effectively, leaving them relaxed for a longer duration.
5. Better Sleep
Many people do not sleep well. Factors such as stress, insomnia, and busy schedules mean they get much less than the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Regular massage is known to promote benefits long after the massage is over. One of these benefits is improved sleep patterns. With the added benefits of hot stones, you’ll feel more relaxed, less tense, and ready for more regular nights of restful sleep.
Risks
Despite the many benefits associated with hot stone massage, it is not an appropriate therapy for everyone. There are some people who should not have a massage, and more specifically, a hot stone massage.
For hot stone massage, some of the contraindications, or factors that mean a person should not have a particular treatment, are listed below.
Breaks in the Skin
Anyone with injuries or breaks in the skin should avoid a massage until those injuries have healed.
Recent or severe bruising, cuts or scrapes, sunburn or varicose veins increase the risk for further tissue damage or injury. Breaks in the skin may also increase the chance of infection being introduced via bacteria from the skin, massage oils, or hot stones.
Infection or Illness
This may sound like common sense, but anyone with a fever, cold, or flu should avoid a massage until they feel better.
Someone with a fever may spread their germs and they will have difficulty regulating their body temperature. Not only would putting hot stones on a body experiencing fever be uncomfortable, massage is not to be performed on anyone with a fever or infection of any kind.
Heart Disease
Heart disease can cause swelling or other problems in the veins and/or arteries, both of which can be negatively affected by a massage.
A person should always tell the massage therapist about any health issues they have, so that they can be aware of potential risks!
Diabetes
Diabetes influences how well the nerves and blood vessels function in the fingers and feet. People with diabetes can lose feeling in their hands and feet, making them unable to feel if an injury, such as a burn, occurs.
This is highly relevant when it comes to massage. A client may not be able to tell if the massage therapist is using too much pressure, or if the hot stones are burning their skin.
Pregnancy
Prenatal massage can be very relaxing and beneficial during pregnancy. However, the use of hot stones during pregnancy is usually not applied.
Influence of Drugs or Alcohol
Drugs and alcohol do not mix well with massage. Both impair the ability to give feedback if necessary, and also affect judgment, and a person’s self-control over their impulses. This goes for both prescribed or recreational drugs.
Massage itself can leave someone feeling light-headed or wobbly. Drinking alcohol will compound and worsen these feeling. Always talk with your therapist about the medications, drugs, or alcohol taken before your massage.
Enjoy Your Hot Stone Massage!
If you are in reasonable health there is no reason not to enjoy a hot stone massage. After you have talked with your therapist about your health history, medications, and muscle issues, go ahead and book a hot stone massage if you’ve decided it’s for you. You’ll get the benefits of massage with a boost of heat, making your results extra relaxing and long-lasting!
June 2022 Special
Summer is upon us in SWFL and things are heating up!
Save $10 when you upgrade to a hot stone massage in the month of June.
Adding hot stones to your therapeutic massage brings deeper relaxation to your muscles and helps to soften knots that been giving you trouble.
AND…You’ll feel your stress and anxiety melt away!! So go ahead and take advantage of this special offer and upgrade your 60 or 90 minute massage today.
A Little About Me
I have 15 years experience and my massage style is attentive to individual needs and incorporates a variety of styles and methods, such as Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue, Swedish, Lymphatic Drainage techniques, Esalon, Reiki, and more.
Whether utilizing massage for chronic pain, injury or surgery recovery, or just looking to relax by adding in massage to your self care regimen, I will utilize my professional skill set to offer solutions and strategies to exceed personal goals.
No two clients are the same, and neither should be the method of approach. Let me develop a personalized massage plan with you and for you today!
If you have recently moved to the area or are looking for a new massage therapist, I’d like to invite you to consider me.
Call/Text 719-371-2592 with any questions you may have or to schedule your massage appointment today. (MA95867/MM33095)
Where Am I?
Shelly Meschke Massage & Energy shares space within Imagine Wellness Spa which is located at the Del Prado Mall (TJ Maxx plaza) 1404 Del Prado Blvd. S, Ste 100 33990 Cape Coral, FL, US.
You can find us on the opposite side of the plaza from TJ Maxx. We are right next door to Roelens Realty.
Look for the purple and white Imagine Wellness Spa sign!
Imagine Wellness offers a variety of skin treatments for aging, sun damage and acne, body treatments, makeup, oncology esthetics, stress management, health/wellness/life coaching and more!
Call/Text 710-371-2592 now for more information or to schedule a massage and mini spa day!
