CE INSTITUTE LLC BLOG

By Selena Belisle, CE Institute LLC Founder & Instructor

Hot stone massage is a wonderful thermal therapy bodywork because of its heat. It’s not the stone by itself that makes a hot stone massage feel good. It’s the HEAT in the stone with a carefully trained and skillful application that creates that incredible hot stone massage experience. Afterall, massaging someone with a room temperature stone usually does not feel good at all. That’s why it’s important to use the right stones for hot stone massage. Sharing what we would consider to be the best stones requires providing some basic information, so that massage therapists can make an educated choice to find the absolute best stones.

The type of stone that should be used for hot stone massage is an opinion to some; however, most hot stone professionals agree that black basalt lava spewn from volcanic eruptions is best. That’s because some volcanic basalt lava has very high metallic content which can conduct and hold heat longer than most other stones or materials. Basalt lava can have other colors such as green and redish stones; however, in this article, we're going to focus on the most common and popular black variety.

Most random stones do not have the higher metallic content of the basalt lava. There are other reasons we chose black basalt lava from volcanic eruptions, such as it’s born from tremendous energy which is further shared in our hot stone massage training. Hot stone massage can be a wonderful energetic therapy to recharge the body and more. Below is a picture of Hawaiian Big Island's Kīlauea volcano smoldering in November 2017 before it errupted in May 2018. Can you see or feel the energy from it?

Can I Use Stones From Landscaping Stores for Hot Stone Massage?

I would say no, with the following information. I have taught hot stone massage for a few decades now, and in some recent classes, I’ve had other licensed massage therapists tell me that they simply picked up a bag of black round smooth stones at Home Depot, Lowes, and other landscaping supply stores (pictures of these are below).  The students who are also LMTs said using those landscaping stones is the same basalt lava stones as others cultivated and shipped by professional stone retailers.  So, I did a test myself and found that they are not the same, and we do NOT recommend these!

The black round stones that are sold in landscaping supply stores for the purposes of lining a driveway or making walkway paths, etc., are of a lighter material.  That means they have less metallic content, because it’s the metal within the hot stones that make them heavier.  That means, while those cheaper landscaping stones might look the same, they do not retain the heat as long as the professional basalt lava stones sold by ethical hot stone retailers. 

To prove the point, stone suppliers need to ship their product to landscaping retailers, which can be costly.  Logistically, stone suppliers will be choosing the lightest stones possible to save on shipping costs.  That means, the black round stones sold at landscaping companies would have the least metallic content within them to avoid excessive weight and shipping costs, when delivering them to landscaping retailers.

Why It's Important to Use the Right Stones for Hot Stone Massage

Please keep in mind that even some of the best hot stone sets might only retain heat for a minute or two per stone.  A regular river stone picked from the river or even a basalt stone picked up from the beach (as shown in the picture below from the Volcanic island of Madeira Portugal) might only retain heat for a few seconds. This is why it’s so important to use proper stones (aka as service products or materials), in hot stone massage. 

The longer the stone retains the heat, the longer the enjoyable thermal therapy exchange will be provided to the client. Changing stones during hot stone massage is inevitable, to keep the session going with stones that are always hot. The key is to keep your stones hot, and not have to change them so frequently by using proper stones that retain heat the longest.

Can I Pick My Own Stones Naturally To Create My Own Hot Stone Massage Kit?

This is a tricky question. The answer is yes and no, unless you get luckier than I was. You can pick your own stones and use them, however, you must have the legal right to do so.  

I have visited two archipelago groups of islands made from volcanic eruption with basalt lava stones abundantly available on the beaches of Hawaii (pictured below) and Madeira, Portugal.  In both islands, I found the same beautiful tumbled black lava stones on their beaches.  The problem is, it’s hit or miss if you can find black lava stones amongst these millions of tumbled stones that have the higher metallic content.  My experience is that tumble polished lighter stones are what wash up on the beaches. Those lighter stones that wash up on the beaches lack the heavy metallic content that is required for professional hot stone massage.

Here's a short video showing basalt lava stones naturally tumbling in the ocean waves which is what makes the stones naturally smooth after millions of years of tumbling. Just imagine the energy charged into these stones with this action:

Not All Basalt Lava is The Same

It's important to note that not all basalt lava creates great stones for hot stone massage. That's because basalt lava can have larger variables, and is not all the same.  In the pic below from a Hawaiian lava field, you can see that this particular basalt lava field is porous, which would be great for shipping a lighter stone to save on shipping expense, while it would be a poor lava candidate for hot stone massage application.  Unfortunately, after machine polishing, it would be hard to identify porous stones versus those with a large metallic content; however, professional hot stone retailers usually sell the heavier and higher metallic content stones.

This porous lava pictured above is much different than high metallic content lava that can leave tiny and more sparse pitting from the leaching of metal from the stone.

Let’s Not Break the Law to Practice Hot Stone Massage

Most states, countries or places will not let someone just take natural resources, such as removing beautiful stones from a public beach. It’s usually against the law to do so. People cannot, and should not go to a volcanic archipelago and grab some stones from public or private areas to take or keep. While that could save a therapist $80ish from having to order stones from a professional stone supplier, you might also be breaking the law, and adding a lot of bad energy to your bodywork with that logic. Of course you could pick stones from your own property, but the question is, do you have volcanic basalt lava with a heavy metallic content in your backyard?

I stayed at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat for Lomi Lomi training In Big Island, Hawaii. Every morning, guests were invited to swim at the local black sand beach that was just filled with naturally smooth and tumbled black lava stones (pics below). I asked if I would be able to take some of the stones back to the retreat to test them, and then return the stones back to the beach the next day, and they said yes, so I did.  This is how I found that picking what appeared to be some of the most beautiful thick black basalt lava stones from the black sand beach would not guarantee a great stone  for hot stone massage. I have naturally tumbled and polished basalt lava stones that I ordered from professional hot stone retailers that both retained more heat longer than anything I was able to collect and trial from that black sand beach in Hawaii.  So lesson learned, not all black basalt lava is created equally.

How Can You Tell Which Basalt Lava Stones Have the Highest Metallic Content?

One would really need to know the volcanic fields and chemistry to learn where the higher metallic content lava fields are. Touring lava fields, such as what’s available as public parks in Hawaii is quite fascinating.  Lava fields can be various shades of color including black and dark green, depending on the gasses and chemical composition of the volcanic eruption. Some lava fields are smooth, some are sharp, some have pockets of air while others are dense. Some have glistening mineral content reflecting the sun and some are quite dull.  Examples of these Hawaiian public park lava fields are shown in the pics below.

And believe it or not, according to one professional stone retailer who is no longer in business, some of the best stones I’ve used were not picked from a lava field at all. He said he was picking the best high metallic content basalt stones that were hundreds of miles away from their volcanic eruption origin!

Ethical hot stone wholesalers and retailers regularly have the best supplies; although, one of my suppliers has told me that first class naturally tumbled basalt lava stones have disappeared from nature. They’ve already been picked and sold. He ethically disclosed that he felt the hot stone sets he was selling today were of second class quality given the first class quality is already gone. Afterall, the best basalt lava stones are naturally created and thus have a limited supply. 

So Where Can I Get The Best Stones for Hot Stone Massage?

Our recommendation today would be to purchase the polished hot stone sets such as what we have pictured below here at our school.  As CE providers, the boards state we're not supposed to promote one retailer over another; however, therapists should be able to find similar sets to what we recommend from viewing the picture below.

The larger the set the better.  Larger sets allow better and more reliable thermal therapy application when swapping out cooler stones for hot stones throughout the session, as we show and teach in our hot stone massage training.  But, before purchasing a polished set, try going to ebay to see if there are any second hand naturally tumbled stones for sale.  Like any profession, massage therapists retire or switch trades, and they may try to sell their business assets on an online platform.  If you can find a set of naturally tumbled stones second hand, that might be your best option of all.  Using naturally tumbled stones is usually best because they are considered to have better energy than a stone that was cut or polished by a machine.

If you do find a second hand set of naturally tumbled stones and they are rusting (picture below), or have tiny nonsharp pits in them, that’s okay!  Do you know why there’s tiny pits in those naturally tumbled basalt lava stones? That’s where a piece of metal has been rusted from the stones.  So, when you have rust and tiny pits in these naturally tumbled basalt lava stones, then it's confirmed that the stone has high metallic content given that’s what creates it.  At the same time, NEVER use any stone that has sharp edges, cracks, etc.  Safety is paramount and it’s important to protect your own hands and the client’s body by not using anything that could harm or injure it. Cracked or sharp edge stones should be disposed of immediately.

By Selena Belisle, CE Institute LLC Founder & Instructor

Please note that our professional evaluations do not name practitioner's or establishments. Any identifying information is purposely not shared. This is solely a learning example for to improve practices, and should not be used to embarass or cause harm to others: 

I recently enjoyed a hot stone massage on a Mediterranean cruise.  Here are some of the pros and cons that can be used to evaluate or hone hot stone massage skills:

The hot stone massage appointment started with a written health intake, followed by an oral review of medical conditions by the massage therapist. The LMT then asked me to undress to my bottom underwear and lie prone on the massage table:

CON:  The massage table had a very small hole for my face instead of an adjustable face cradle. The hole felt cramped, and I feared that it was not properly sanitized between sessions.  When I rolled from the pronated to supinated position later in the hot stone massage appointment, my neck felt still from lying on flat, nonadjustable “support”.

CON: I asked for an ankle bolster prior to the therapist leaving to start in a pronated position. The therapist then proceeded to place dirty rolled up towels on the table which I refused to use, so she provided a new clean towel as an ankle bolster.

PRO: When the massage therapist re-entered the room, she washed her hands.  Demonstrating proper hand hygiene before any massage appointment is a great start!

PRO: She then started the massage with hot towels on my feet to sanitize them. This again showed great sanitation, and feels lovely at the same time.

PRO: Full body compressions through the towel covering my body as draping was provided. She then proceeded to apply hot towels on my feet. This is a great way to scan the body for tension and areas to focus the massage for rest and relaxation, and then sanitize the feet before touching

CON: Applying full body compressions through the towel without viewing the area first may lead a practitioner to pressing on unknown bruises or other contraindications.  It is always best to visually inspect the skin of any area before pressing upon it.

PRO: The hands-on hot stone massage with oil started on the legs. Only one leg was undraped at a time, and the therapist warmed up the tissue with Swedish massage and an adequate amount of oil, which is a little greater than the average Swedish session, because greater oil is required to allow smooth gliding with the hot stones.

CON: I believe the stones for the massage were kept in a hot towel cabi.  Hot towel cabinet temperatures range around 150 degrees fahrenheit, which is too hot for hot stone massage application.  130 degrees fahrenheit is an approximate average maximum temperature that should be used for hot stone massage.  

MIXED: The massage therapist did allow the stones to cool once she removed them from the hot towel cabi.  This is better than massaging a client with 150 degree stones that could burn both the therapist and client. However, when allowing a black lava stone to cool in open air, ice or other cooler environments, the outside of the stone cools faster than the internal core.  Having an unbalanced heated stone with a cooler outside can still result in burns to the therapist and/or client once the inner core heats the outer surface of the stone again, if the stone has not entirely cooled off.

MIXED: It's best to keep stones immersed in a hot water bath for universal heating purposes as shown in the picture below. It's less desirable to when stones are less evenly heated than on a dry surface such as a hot towel cabi or griddle, it does take longer to properly sanitize a hot water bath stone service.  That’s because the bath container itself must be washed after each service when the stones are returned to the water bath for reheating.  Once the stones touch the client they are contaminated, so the water bath liner itself is contaminated when the stones are returned to the bath, and must be washed after every surface.  

PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATION: It would be important to keep the hot stone bath electricity OFF, and not heated while sitting in a treatment room, in case a client touches it and burns themselves. We recommend turning the hot bath equipment on at least 30-minutes prior to starting a hot stone massage service, so that the stones can be evenly heated. We also recommend keeping the stone equipment off when hot stone service is not in use, to avoid overheating the treatment room given the equipment itself can be very hot and emit excessive heat. And in the case of cruise ship hot stone massage, if the ship is rocky, a client could accidentally bump into the hot stone heater and burn themselves which is why it is recommended to only turn on the stone heater about 30-minutes prior to service, and to unplug it when approximately 10-minutes of hot stone service remain, to allow the bath to start to cool itself for easier handling during sanitation once the service concludes.

PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATION: While it’s best to use a hot water bath to heat stones, it does take longer between clients due to sanitation. This is regularly why the price of hot stone massage should be more than regular massage.  Hot stone massage should be charged at an increased price because:

• There is an added equipment expenses that should be recovered with each service.

• There is added time for labor, to properly sanitize stone equipment after each service.

• It usually takes more energy or is more exhaustive for the LMT, to handle and apply hot stones in this thermal therapy.

PRO: The massage therapist only used one thin two inch stone at a time to massage my leg. The thermal therapy of the singular stone was more than adequate, if not more appropriate to help avoid the bony landmarks of the epicondyles of the femur and the greater trochanter.  Using one stone at a time also allows longer use with less stones for hot stone massage application.

CON: The hot stone massage was what I call “dead fish” application.  I just lied there during the almost hour long appointment.  No range of motion was incorporated with the hot stone application, which usually feels better with thermal therapy application. This of course is a subjective evaluation; however, with over 30 years of experience, managing hundreds and training thousands of other hot stone massage therapists, the consensus is incorporating movement with hot stone massage is usually preferred.

PRO: Appropriate draping. Both legs were massaged individually prior to moving onto my back. Both legs were covered before my back was exposed for back massage application.

CON: The therapist started her hot stone massage on my low back.  The low back area is the most sensitive of the entire back area, so we recommend starting a hot stone massage on the upper back while the stone cools. Once the stones are cooler, then it would be appropriate to move into the lower back area that’s more sensitive to thermal applications such as hot stones.

PRO: Two stones were used when massaging the back, which felt cohesive when the stones were on both sides of the spine.  The two stones were also the same size, so the temperature also matched from one side of the back to the other.  When massaging the back or any area with two hot stones at a time, the stones should be of similar size and shape so they feel succinct and not distracting due to uneven temperatures or application.

PRO: The therapist had two different sized palm stones which is traditional of a polished lava hot stone massage kit.  When working on the back, the therapist removed the stones from the heating device, then after cooling, she used the smaller stones first before finishing the hot stone back massage with the thicker stones.  Thicker stones will retain heat longest while thinner stones will cool quicker.  If she had used the thicker stones first, then the thinner stones would not have had much heat in them to be enjoyable for a hot stone massage application.  Afterall, it’s the heated thermal therapy with appropriate application that makes hot stone massage enjoyable.

PRO: During the mostly Swedish massage strokes used to apply sufficient oil required for hot stone massage, the therapist practiced some type of percussion, or clapping of her hands to end a stroke. This didn’t happen after every stroke, and it was enjoyable.  It was almost like a feeling of completeness at the end of certain strokes.

PRO: The therapist lined the sink with towels, so that when the stones were cool, she placed them in the sink to sanitize later, and the towels in the sink prevented the noise of a hard stone clinging against the hardness of the sink. Lining the inside of a hot stone bath with a towel is also recommended to reduce the noise of the stones during treatment.

The supinated version of the hot stone massage was unremarkable.  All of the normal standards were met.

Overall the appointment was enjoyable, aside from the few CONS noted here in this article.  For greater hot stone massage information, please view our hot stone massage training available at: https://ceinstitute.com/collections/hot-stone

By Selena Belisle, CE Institute LLC Founder & Instructor

I have been practicing and receiving massages for nearly 40 years.  One of the few modalities that’s always interested me, but I do not practice, is Bamboo massage.  I’m always a little nervous with massage tools after seeing some therapist be less sanitary than others with them.  Nevertheless, I’d really like to love this modality, and have had a handful of these sessions before today. Unfortunately, today I stopped the bamboo massage, and asked for something else, once I realized it really wasn’t what I wanted or needed! I wish the therapist would have suggested changing the session for me instead, but we were both relieved and happy once I asked for change. Here’s how it went:

I have a lot of inflammation in my body. I’m getting older in my mid-50s. I have survived a major motorcycle accident for the past three decades as well as encountering new impediments, such as bilateral labral tears in my hips, bilateral meniscus tears in my knees, a few different types of arthritis and an overall achy body. I also competed on the world stage as a world class athlete in my teens into my 30s, so I’ve got some pretty good wear and tear on my bones and joints as well. The last thing I want right now is any sort of deep tissue when I already have so many aches and pains every few inches from the top to the bottom of my body.  I’d simply like to relax and enjoy a nice soothing massage, and feel good in my body for however long the session may last and longer.

I didn’t realize until today that something like bamboo massage is really best applied for those who want deeper pressure despite having decades of massage experience, in addition to being a massage therapy CE provider.  I’m writing all of this because LMTs must ask, how do clients know what’s best for them when even I couldn’t tell earlier today, when I booked the wrong type of massage appointment for my own personal needs?

Simply rolling and rubbing a bamboo stick up and down soft tissue doesn’t feel that great, when compared to a great set of hands.  Somehow I thought this massage tool of a bamboo stick was going to magically feel great at any pressure, but it didn’t. Bamboo sticks give a therapist leverage to simply push down with extra weight into the muscles for a deeper tissue massage.  But to me, they’re not great when a client simply wants to relax with something that feels softer, nevermind the power of human touch which is superior to all. That’s not to say that the therapist didn’t apply her bamboo sticks properly.  It’s just to say when a client wants to relax and is already suffering with many aches, pains and soreness, perhaps applying a hard tool to the soft tissue wouldn’t be their best option for relief.

Massage tools, whether they’re cups, scrapers, stones, bamboo or other implements are usually hard surfaces. One of the softest and gentlest tools a massage therapist can employ is their own hands!  So when a client asks to relax but has booked a massage with a tool, perhaps it's best to review their goals in a little bit more detail, and explain that they will be massaged or have their soft tissue manipulated with a hard object.  While stones can be gently applied to the body with various thermal therapies from hot to cold, other massage tools such as cups might require a good amount of suction that is not always gentle to create suction or be effective.

I’m not saying that bamboo massage is bad - it is not.  I have had wonderful bamboo massages in the past when I had different objectives, such as wanting more stretching, increased circulation and manipulation of soft tissue. 

There are many different massage modalities available to meet client goals, and while some therapists like to use the same modality regardless of client’s needs because that’s their specialty, it’s really up to a therapist to learn different modalities to provide the best one that will create the best result.  

After less than ten minutes of having a bamboo stick rubbed up and down my hamstrings and calves, I asked the massage therapist to switch to a Swedish massage instead, which she gladly did.  I had to ask her to use less pressure a few times during her bamboo application, and I could tell she didn’t really enjoy applying the bamboo with such little pressure either.  So if a client is repeatedly asking for something different than what is being provided, please take a moment to think or ask if the right modality is being used?  Sometimes the right therapist is simply using the wrong modality to get the job done.

This is just a sampling of ideas when using tools for massage practice. To learn more professional massage therapy practices and ideas, please visit: https://ceinstitute.com/

By Selena Belisle, Founder and Instructor, CE Institute LLC

I experience a LOT of massage therapy and bodywork from others. The number of massages I’ve received over my almost 40-year massage therapy career would be in the thousands. Any good massage instructor would seek constant massage from others as part of an experiential learning process to continually share with others.

In this article, we’re going to discuss what an appropriate amount of massage oil, cream, lotion or gel would be appropriate for a massage therapy appointment. I will refer to these substances as massage mediums or mediums, which are common lingo in the massage therapy industry.  Mediums can be oils, lotions, powders, cream or gels used for bodywork or massage therapy services.

I recently went to a Vermont massage school student clinic for a massage therapy appointment and shared a unique experience with the student’s massage medium application.  That was, whenever the student therapist applied their massage medium to a new work area, it always felt like they were not using or applying enough.  A lack of massage medium during Swedish massage in particular can cause an undesirable drag or skin friction, which is usually contrary to a Swedish relaxation appointment.

At first, it was easy and erroneous to discount the lack of appropriate massage medium to the situation where I was receiving massage from a student; however, once the medium was applied to the new work area with longer effleurage application, it never felt like there was a lack of an appropriate medium.  In fact, their massage therapy strokes which included ringing, petrissage, bone tracing and more felt really wonderful! So, in the end, it created this puzzling feeling of what is an appropriate amount of massage medium?

Usually in massage appointments, the amount of massage medium feels less and less as appointment time continues, which requires reapplication of the massage medium to avoid drag and friction.  So how could a massage medium feel like it’s not enough at the beginning and more appropriate during later strokes, such as what happened with this student’s massage? The answer is there was not enough massage medium applied for a longer effleurage stroke, but there was an appropriate amount of massage medium applied for the remaining shorter strokes like ringing and petrissage.

So, this partly answers the question about whether you’re using enough massage medium in your bodywork or massage appointments. Enough massage medium should be used to avoid undesirable skin friction or drag.  Contrarily, less medium should be used when friction or drag are essential to the treatment.

We do not recommend using excessive amounts of massage mediums, unless you’re using massage tools such as hot stones which require quick glide over the skip and  cups where you want to reduce skin friction while working the deeper levels of soft tissue. In examples such as Orthopedic Cupping Massage or Hot Stone Massage, we refer to the phrase “make it shine”, because we want the client’s skin to shine with enough massage medium for proper modality engagement.

The correct answer as to whether you are using enough massage medium in your bodywork or massage appointments also depends on your client.  As long as you are able to execute your massage or bodywork skills with ease, any amount of massage medium the client wishes for would be appropriate, as long as it’s not excessive or causing physical harm.

The massage therapy and bodywork goal for proper medium application is to use enough but never too much. Using too much massage medium becomes expensive, can unnecessarily soil sheets, towels and clothing, make other massage equipment or floors sticky and unsanitary, can cause laborious cleaning efforts amongst other problems. Not using enough massage medium can hurt or in a worst-case scenario, cause injury such as skin friction burns.  Your massage medium application should allow the massage therapist to practice their hands-on skills with ease, feel good to the client and provide a therapeutic result from the hands-on work as well.

After almost 40-years of practice, I’ve seen all types of massage medium monitoring application by employers, most of which is unpractical.  The worst I saw was a lightweight cream provided in a 2-ounce cup per appointment, and the therapist was not allowed to use more than 2 ounces of massage medium per client which was beyond impractical. Anyone who assigns a specific number of ounces of massage medium to be used with any particular client is likely inexperience and uneducated.  That’s because:

• Massage clients can be of various sizes. A 90-pound female client will almost always require less massage medium than a 400-pound client with a larger surface area to cover. As such, providing a 2-ounce ratio per client is likely wasteful with some clients and painfully short with others.

• Massage recipients can have skin hydration differences, with anything between skin dryness and dehydration to oiliness or any other combination.  Some massage clients can have such oily skin that you might not need to use much massage medium at all.  While others can have such dry skin, that massage medium reapplication may be constant, especially if you’re using a highly absorbent product.

• The massage medium’s absorbency rate can also change the amount of massage medium required for the specific task at hand, whether it’s to glide over the underlying soft tissue, compress the underlying soft tissue, cause friction or other purposes.  Changing the massage medium being used on the same exact client can change the amount of massage medium required depending on the product’s absorbency.  Some massage mediums sit on the skin and are not very absorbent, such as Vaseline.  While other massage mediums might instantly absorb, requiring more frequent re-application.

• Some clients may have excessive body hair requiring greater massage medium application too.  Massage therapists should be prepared to use extra massage medium on a hairy client to reduce a painful pulling of the client’s body hair.

In general terms, massage oils and creams would provide the greatest amount of slip or glide with the least amount of absorption while gels, lotions and powders provide the greatest amount of friction and fastest absorption rates.  While every product is different, those generalities amongst massage mediums apply to most but not all.   Relaxation appointments usually require massage mediums with greater while deep tissue and focal bodywork such as myofascial release or trigger point therapy would generally use massage mediums with less slip, such as gels, powders, lotions or perhaps no massage medium at all.

In conclusion, there is no exact amount of massage medium that should be used for clients because this is an individual situation that is based upon client size, modality type, body hair, absorption rate and other factors which require customized amounts.  The right amount will be what feels best to you and your client with an effective result.

Different licenses have different scopes of practice, usually depending on the state you are licensed and practicing in.  Always check with your licensed scope of practice prior to administering a new service to a client.

There are may different products and ingredients that could be added to regular massage or bodywork service to give it a special touch.

To create an earth angel experience, think about using some of these specialized products:

1. Clary sage essential oil has an earthy aroma to it. It also provides euphoric, warming, balancing and relaxing therapeutic effects.
2. Jasmine essential oil has a floral aroma which is also euphoric, warming and uplifting. 
3. Dead sea salts have lots of different minerals that can boost hydration and reduce inflammation. You can use dead sea salts to create a full body scrub, or simply just a back, hand or foot scrub.
4. Similar to dead sea salts, dead sea mud also has a lot of different minerals with therapeutic effects, plus can be detoxifying when applied as a spa body wrap.
5. Using hot stones is a wonderful way to add mother earth to the appointment, plus the warmth is extremely comforting to most when properly applied and used. NEVER apply hot stones directly to the skin without 2 barriers as depicted in the picture above.

Adding specialized ingredients to regular appointment services can change the context and frame of mind for the appointment, to celebrate a special occasion or simply experience something different to break up a monotonous routine.

Be sure to train in aromatherapy plus body scrub, wrap, hot stone and massage applications and contraindications prior to administering any type of service to a client.

For full directions on how to create this treatment, or to learn more, please register for quality, affordable, professional training at: https://ceinstitute.com/

Here is a Massage Therapy Instructor Demonstration of how to setup a Hot Stone Massage bath with a heating element.  

Do not practice hot stone massage without formal hot stone and massage therapy training.

For professional hot stone massage training, please visit and register for class at: https://ceinstitute.com/collections/hot-stone

As cited from our Massage Magazine article on Heated Thermotherapies:

Heated thermotherapies increase blood flow and cellular metabolism, which can help reduce muscle spasms, increase tissue elasticity and decrease pain. 

Heat induces viscoelastic property changes in collagenous tissues. A large systematic review found that heat increases range of motion (ROM) with these collagenous tissue changes. Additionally, the study concluded that a combination of heat and stretching is more effective than stretching alone.

Increased healing potential: In one study, a heating pad increased blood flow to the trapezius muscle up to 144% in healthy individuals. Increased blood flow applied to an injury site is thought to increase the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the injury, thus a promotion or potential acceleration of healing processes.

For complete hot stone massage training, please register for class at: https://ceinstitute.com/collections/hot-stone

#hotstone #hotstonemassage #bodywork #massage #massagetherapist #lmt #massagetherapy #stonemassage #bodywork #bodyworker #thermaltherapy #thermotherapy #thermotherapies #HEAT #MASSAGEtherapy #MASSAGEtherapist #PATIENT-centeredcare #health

Hot stone massage is known as thermal therapy (or thermotherapy) that increases circulation.  It is an “Ancient Ritual” that provides “deep relaxation”.

Basalt molten lava is commonly used in hot stone massage. This is the traditional black volcanic rock that is known to absorb/retain heat well.  The lava flow reaches between 700 to 1,200 °C which generates a lot of “energy” within the stone.

For complete hot stone massage training, please register for class at: https://ceinstitute.com/collections/hot-stone

Here is a short visual instructor demonstration video of hot stone massage therapy application on the foot, with passive range of motion:

#footmassage #hotstone #hotstonemassage #bodywork #massage #massagetherapist #lmt #massagetherapy #stonemassage #bodywork #bodyworker #thermaltherapy #thermotherapy #thermotherapies #HEAT  #healthcare #footpain

Cleaning and Washing Your Stones for Hot Stone Massage

BE THOROUGH & SANITARY.  Most hot stone professional warmers will have a removable liner.  Remove all materials from the warmer and then remove the liner.  Wash the liner first prior to relining with a new towel and clean stones. 

Stones must be individually washed in between each session, as shown here in this visual instructor demonstration video.

Use “grease cutting” dish detergent and a sponge and wash stones individually.  Use a toothbrush with cleanser if it seems like there is any stickiness to the stone or any of the other hot stone materials.  

Leave stone warmer unplugged between sessions. Keep all hot stone materials together always, so that you do not forget something important such as a thermometer or slotted spoon during your massage session.

Recharging Your Stones

Sometimes stones will might feel a little “sluggish” in energy, especially after extra use and/or cleaning. Some therapists feel the stones absorb client energies. To recharge your stones:

• Lay stones outside during a Full Moon to recharge energetic properties
• Lay stones in the grass or in rain if Full Moon is not available

For complete hot stone massage training, please register for class at: https://ceinstitute.com/collections/hot-stone

 #hotstone #hotstonemassage #bodywork #massage #massagetherapist #lmt #massagetherapy #stonemassage #bodywork #bodyworker #thermaltherapy #thermotherapy #thermotherapies #HEAT #MASSAGEtherapy #infectionprotection #cleaning #wash #hotstonebath #stoneheater #stonemassgeheater #hotstoneheater #health