Hot Stone Massage

Beauty is a fickle mistress, so it is probably of no surprise that hot stone massage is the new darling of beauty salons, health retreats and day spas all over Australia. However, do not be fooled into thinking that the treatment's recent trendiness means that it's a newly developed form of massage. Far from it. Cultures as diverse as the Native North Americans and Japanese have been using heated stones in their massages techniques for hundreds, or even thousands, of years, understanding that the heat in the rocks is ideal for unlocking stress at a muscular level and so aiding health and well being.

So what is hot stone massage and what will happen to you if you book a hot stone treatment at a day spa?

Hot stone massage, as the name implies, involves the placing of heated stones on the body to release tension and ease tired muscles. The stones used are usually basalt. Basalt stones are ideal as they are born out of volcanic activity and formed when boiling lava cools - this gives the stones a fine, porous grain, which enables then to hold heat well. These are ancient rocks, often pulled from rivers and oceans and as a result they've been rubbed smooth by time and tides, another quality which makes them perfect for beauty treatments. The stones are usually warmed in hot water to a temperature ranging between 50-63 degrees Centigrade. A trained massage therapist can use the hot stones in a number of ways to treat a client.

A hot stone session will often begin with the practitioner massaging the clients back with oil before placing the heated stones in patterns on their skin. It is common for stones to be placed on either side of the spine as well as at points on the shoulders, neck and at the top of the buttocks. Specially selected oval stones are placed in the palms of the hands and other stones are rubbed in gentle massaging movements over the back. The gentle clicking sound of the stones knocking together as they slide over your oiled skin is hypnotically seductive. As the stones cool they are replaced by more hot stones, until all the tension in your body starts to melt away. The effect is deeply relaxing. Once the beautician or therapist has finished working on your back, they will ask you to roll over and continue the spa treatment by placing hot stones on your front and massaging you some more. Heaven!

Many people find that hot stone massage is one of the mostly relaxing and rewarding forms of body massage, working, as it does, at both skin and deep tissue level. If you book such a treatment on your visit to a day spa, we're sure you'll be back for more.