How Do Warm & Cold Facial Massagers Work?
Facial massagers are smooth, flat, small stones that can be heated and cooled to an ideal temperature. Seek out facial massagers if you are interested in combating stress, increasing your muscle and tissue relaxation, improving your circulation and improving your overall emotional and physical health. This form of facial massage increases your beauty and youthful appearance by encouraging blood flow to your face, flushing the lymph nodes of toxins and feeding facial tissue with nutrition and oxygen. These in turn help to reduce wrinkles, and cause your skin to glow naturally.
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Stone Sanitation
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Stones must be cleansed thoroughly Stone sanitation must happen before every massage and is vitally important for many reasons. Though the process is quite simple, every step is required. The masseuse must clean the facial stones with a gentle hypoallergenic soap, and then scrub the stones with a brush, to remove any dust or debris. She must then place the stones in a pot of hot water, boiled to at least 130 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit to kill any germs.
Warm Stones and Cold Stones
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Stones can be cooled on a towel Warm stones are used for many reasons in massage: improvement of circulation, cleansing of the lymph nodes, reduction in wrinkles, increase of oxygen to the skin cells and relaxation of the body. Cold stones can be used to reduce inflammation from injury or illness, and for pain reduction.
Many therapists will alternate between cold and hot stones to increase the circulation in your face more than can be done using warm stones alone. The coldness of the stones is determined by the patient's comfort level. Your masseuse will determine your warm and cold stone massage routine based on your individual needs and desires
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The Massage
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Work with stones and work with hands The masseuse will have you rest on the massage table, and ensure that you are comfortable. The masseuse will ask if the temperature, music level, clothing drape and lighting are all satisfactory, and will do whatever she can to adjust these conditions to make sure that you are completely comfortable.
The masseuse will remove the stones from the water and ask you if the stone temperature is too warm by having you touch them. She will remove stones from the pot with the tongs, and allow stones to begin to cool to a moderate temperature on the towel next to her until they are comfortable and safe to be used on your face.
The masseuse will begin with a light facial massage using oil or lotion if desired--employing Swedish massage, Japanese massage or other professional techniques. This is done to awaken the facial muscles and to prepare the face for the stone massage.
The masseuse will start out with warm facial massage stones. She will alternate between using stones in a massaging motion, and allowing them to rest on certain parts of the face. She might use all warm stones, or alternate between warm and cold stones.
After your main massage, your masseuse will begin to close your massage with warm stones, in order to relax you and bring you to a more peaceful state of mind. After that your masseuse will gently end with a relaxing massage using her hands and fingers.
Post Massage Sanitation
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After a massage, a therapist will clean the massage stones he has used immediately, in order to prevent the growth of fungus on the stones, and in order to remove any oil and lotion residue. After cleaning the stones he will soak them in a mild disinfectant solution containing l,000 parts per million of a commercial quaternary ammonium compound, before drying and storing the stones in a cool dry location.
Considerations
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Massage can have a deleterious effect on your health if done incorrectly--or if you have a pre-existing condition that stone facial massage is contraindicated for. Make sure that your masseuse is qualified, licensed, bonded and insured before you submit to a massage from her. You should be able to check her credentials quickly and easily online, or they should be displayed in plain view on the wall of her office.
Do not get a stone facial massage if you are pregnant, unless your doctor says it's okay. These massages can be dangerous if you suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or are under constant care from a clinical practitioner. Consult with a doctor before undertaking any new health-related activity, no matter how healthy you feel that you are.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit hot stones image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com massage image by HiDee Fuchs from Fotolia.com massage image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com beauty salon series image by starush from Fotolia.com
