How to Heat Stones for Massage
Massage is a therapeutic, relaxing and delightful way to release tension and maintain health. There are so many different massage techniques today, and one of the most popular is hot stone massage. When placed on the body, the warming sensation from the stones creates an additional healing, calming effect during the massage. Some masseuses even use the smooth stones to massage you during the treatment. Heating massage stones is not complicated. It can be done just as easily by you at home as by a professional masseuse in a spa.
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Things You'll Need
- Assorted sizes of smooth, flat stones
- Shallow heating pan or cooking pan
- Water
- Water thermometer
- Small Towel
Instructions
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Heating Massage Stones
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1
Place the small towel in the bottom of the heating pan and fill the pan with water. The towel helps keep the stones from scorching.
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2
Place the massage stones in the water, on top of the towel and place the heating pan on medium heat. Keep the heat on medium to avoid overheating.
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3
Heat the stones, until the water is about 120 to 150 degrees F. Use your thermometer to check the temperature.
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4
Remove the stones from the heat and drain the pan. Place the stones on a dry, cool surface and touch them to determine when they are a comfortable temperature to be placed directly on the skin.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to get stones that come in a kit specifically for hot stone massages. They tend to be better sizes, weights, shapes and consistencies for this purpose. Or, get stones made of basalt, which is a volcanic rock and better for heat retention. Add a few drops of essential oils to your heated stones for an additional calming, healing and sensory experience. Thoroughly clean your rocks, and the heating device you use, between treatments.
Never use rough stones; the smoothness helps the stone form to the body and is useful when used as a massage tool. Do not overheat your stones because it takes quite awhile for them to cool down enough for use once they reach an overheated temperature. As an alternative, use a dry heat massage stone heater and reach the desired temperature without the towel, water and constant thermometer checking.
References
- Photo Credit spa: a girl takes a hot stones massage image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
