How to Cool Down Your Sessions
By Leslie Bruder

Many people hesitate at the thought of getting a massage inside on a hot, sticky day - so I have come up with some creative, fun ways to entice my clients to come in and get cooled off while getting a massage at the same time.

Before you use any of these tools, remember that, because of the potential shock effect cold can sometimes have, it is important to always let your client know what you are about to do. Start with a small area, easing in, and then as your client’s body grows accustomed to the treatment, you can increase the amount of cold that you use.

Cool Stones
Some people use hot stones in their massage to warm the muscles during the winter months. Cold stones work miracles as well. They are fantastic for cooling down your clients, help decrease inflammation, and are very grounding.

When you ask clients if they want cold stones, they almost always cringe and shake their heads no. But when you actually use the stones on your clients, they find themselves pleasantly surprised at just how rejuvenated they feel.

The face is a wonderful place to use cool stones. The neck and upper shoulders also benefit greatly from the anti-inflammatory effects of the cold. Cold stones also feel delightful on the feet and back.

"I was truly amazed at how incredible the cold stones felt," says massage client Joan Boswell. "I was in heaven. The cool, smooth rocks felt like fresh water being poured over me. They immediately took away so much of the pain I was feeling in my neck, and reduced much of the swelling I had been experiencing both in my neck and face."

You’ll want to use smooth basalt stones. Simply place them in a container of cold water along with some ice cubes. Keep a towel nearby so that you can dry the stones off before using them, as you don’t want to drip cold water along the client’s skin.

Oil the body part first and then slightly oil the stone for an easy glide. Place the stone inside your hand, and massage as if the stone was an extension of your hand.

You can also use cold stones as you would an ice pack, by simply placing them on areas that are inflamed, in pain or in need of cooling off. Alternating cold stones with hot stones, one in each hand, has a powerful effect and is great for flushing an area of the body.

Eye, Face and Neck Coolers
The eyes and face are the places that seem to need cooling off more than most areas of the body, and where cool can bring immediate relief.

There are several ways to cool the eyes. A gel face mask that has been kept in the refrigerator is a delightful gift to the eyes and upper face. It takes away headaches, reduces puffiness beneath the eyes and relaxes the whole face as well as the body. Simply place the cool mask over the eyes and around the head with the strap, and leave it on while massaging the rest of the body. It is important not to keep the mask in the freezer, as that makes it too cold and could burn the skin around the eyes or cause an “ice cream” headache. If the refrigerated mask feels still too cool, place a thin, moist cloth beneath the mask and over the eyes. This also serves to keep the light out and enhance relaxation.

Slices of refrigerated cucumbers are naturally refreshing and can reduce puffiness around the eyes. They hold the cold for a long time.

Moist, round cotton pads placed over the eyes also cool the eyes and body, but do not have quite the refreshing smell and natural coolness of cucumber.

Black-tea bags dipped in cool water have an anti-inflammatory effect caused by tannic acid in the tea leaves. Be careful to wring them out well so that tea does not leak out and irritate the eyes.

You’ll want to leave the eye covers on as long as they are still cold. You can re-dip them in a cup of cold water that you keep nearby as body heat warms them up.

A moist, cool washcloth dipped in either cold water or cold herbal tea, such as chamomile or peppermint, and then wrung out will block out light when placed over the entire face for a cooling, relaxing treat.

Grain bags made of flax seed, rice, corn or buckwheat husks and kept in the freezer also feel great when placed over the eyes or beneath the neck. Ice packs made of gel or foam, long and narrow in shape, work well when wrapped around or placed beneath the neck or head, and sometimes, if not too cold, over the eyes. It is important when using an ice pack to make sure that you place a moist, thin washcloth beneath it so that it does not burn the skin.

Hands and Feet
Cooling the hands or feet also has a powerful cooling effect on the entire body, because the body’s temperature drops when heat is channeled from the core out to the extremity or area needing warmth.

A nice way to cool the hands off is to put a pair of wet loofah gloves in the freezer. Thaw them just before use, then place the gloves over your client’s hands and leave them on until they no longer hold the cold.

For the feet, put a pair of wet cotton socks in the freezer and remove them just as the massage is beginning. When they are limp but still cold, place them over your client’s feet. Allow them to remain as long as they are cold, or until your client is done with them.

You can also wrap the client’s feet with a damp cloth that you’ve frozen and partially thawed. Re-dip the cloth, socks or gloves in a bowl of cold water or cold herbal tea that you keep in your office, and wring them out if more cooling is desired.

The Back, Belly and Chest
Because the back is such a large area of the body, cold applied here can have a tremendous cooling effect. The fastest and easiest way to cool the entire back is with a large, cooled, wet towel. Dip the towel in a container full of ice-cold water, and wring it out well. Fold the towel several times so that only a portion of it touches the back upon first contact. Then unfold the towel down the entire back. It feels wonderful to receive massage through the cold towel; it also feels exquisite when the towel is slowly pulled down over the buttocks and legs. If the room is warm, leave the client’s wet back exposed to the air for further refreshment. Use a smaller towel on the chest and stomach.

A mist of alcohol or water sprayed over the back, chest, belly and face and then blown upon with a small fan is very refreshing. Add a few drops of essential oil to the water for additional benefit. Try an oil, such as chamomile, which helps with skin inflammation; geranium, which balances dry or oily skin; juniper, which helps cleanse the body of toxins and reduces fluid retention; or cypress, which increases peripheral circulation and relieves aching limbs. Spray the mist throughout the massage.

Aloe vera gel is very cooling to the skin and can be applied directly from the plant by breaking a leaf and squeezing the gel directly onto your hands. Or you can buy pure aloe vera gel and apply that directly onto the skin without adding any massage oil or lotion to it. Although aloe has a very cooling effect it does not last long, so it should be applied liberally to the entire body.

Menthol liniments are very effective for cooling areas of the body as well, but should be used sparingly as their cooling effect tends to last for hours and can cause an overwhelming chill if applied too generously.

Certain essential oils, such as peppermint, sage, eucalyptus, lemon and lime, have a wonderful cooling effect, too. They should, however, be added to the massage oil and not applied directly to the skin.

Be careful to avoid contact of menthol liniments and essential oils with the eyes, mouth or hands of the client (so that they don’t rub their eyes), as they can burn those areas.

Cold Packs
Cold packs are wonderful for cooling off specific areas of the body and to reduce pain and inflammation. Place them directly on the muscle or have the client lie on top of them.

Cold packs come in many forms. You can use large, cold stones, as mentioned. Gel or foam ice packs come in many sizes and have Velcro straps to hold them in place. You can fill a rubber water bag with ice water and place that wherever needed. Freeze a grain bag and place it on the back, or underneath the armpits, which hold a great deal of heat. You can even use peeled slices of a cold, raw potato to reduce muscle inflammation.

Ice Massage
Ice massage is an excellent way to alternate cold with heat, flush an area of toxins, and reduce inflammation rapidly. The easiest way to do an ice massage is to fill a thick, waxed paper cup with water and freeze it. (You can keep a few of these in your freezer.) When you are ready to use it, simply peel the top part of the cup away so that about an inch of the ice is exposed. Holding the cup from the bottom, begin quickly making small circles over a particular area.

As you move the ice across the skin you will notice redness forming, otherwise known as reactive hyperemia. This means that the blood is rushing into the area to try to warm it up. It is important when using this technique to make sure not to work on one area too long, so that the heat can enter. This creates a flushing effect and oxygenates the muscle through an infusion of fresh blood.

"Being massaged with ice felt so therapeutic," says massage client Nancy Lawrence. "It was as if I could feel the blood pulsing through and flushing my muscle clean of its toxins. It felt both numbing and warming at the same time, very intriguing and soothing."

Ice massage is by far a more effective and healing way to tend to an injury or an inflamed area than the simple placement of an ice pack; however, it is messy as the ice melts from the warmth of the body and leaves a puddle on the skin. So it is important to keep a small towel right next to you to sop up the water.

Iced-Sheet Wrap, Bucket Flush, Cold Plunge
These methods are the most radical as far as cooling goes and require a table that can withstand water or an area that can get wet. The iced-sheet wrap can take place on a regular massage table. The bucket flush would require a room that can get wet, or an outdoor massage area. The cold plunge would require a large tub, a small pool or a cold body of water.

The iced-sheet wrap entails taking a twin sheet and dipping it in a tub of plain, cold water or water infused with herbs or essential oils (chamomile, lavender, mint, juniper, rosemary, sage, orange and lemon are all good choices). Wring-out the sheet and place it in the freezer or refrigerator. If placed in the freezer, it needs to stay in for 10-15 minutes. Refrigeration requires 20-30 minutes. The massage table is stripped of its sheets. The client is already undressed and wrapped in a towel awaiting her ice sheet. Lay the iced sheet onto the massage table and have the client lie down on top of the sheet. Rapidly, take the extra sheet and wrap it tightly around the client. Then place a blanket over the sheet.

You can then massage the client’s head, face, neck and feet while she remains rolled up in the sheet. Eventually her body heat will dry the sheet out.

"What an experience it was being wrapped from head to toe in a cold, wet sheet that smelled of lavender and lemon on a hot summer afternoon," says client Doug Richards. "I felt cool for the first time since the heat wave began. And to feel the sheet dry from my own body’s heat was so amazing. I loved the whole thing."

A bucket flush consists of filling a large bucket with very cold water and when the client, who is lying down on a table either outside or in a wet room, is ready, pour the entire bucket of cold water from her feet up and over her head. (Warn the client it is coming, and remind her to keep her mouth closed.) This is an incredibly exhilarating experience, offering the rush of a lifetime and waking up every cell in the body. It is the most refreshing experience I had ever had, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the environment in which to do such a procedure.

A cold plunge is just what it sounds like. Sometimes, if it is hot enough, my clients will choose to do the cold plunge before the session begins to cool off enough to be able to relax on the table and to wash away the stress of the day. Because my office is on a creek in a secluded area, my clients have the privilege of being able to jump into a swimming hole before and after their massages if they like. I always have a towel ready for them and invite them to do so.

When I did not work near a creek, I took a small tub and filled it with cold water outside my office and invited my clients to take a dip either before or after the massage. People love this, as it quickly washes away all heat and stress of the day.

Chill Out!
It is appropriate to charge extra for an iced-sheet massage or cold stones, as they are additional methods you are doing along with your massage. If you are just adding an ice pack or an eye cover, it is not reasonable to charge extra - but it will still draw in more clients.

Pick and choose whatever methods are the most attractive and feasible for you. Your clients will appreciate it and your appointment books will fill up faster than you can imagine!

Leslie Bruder has practiced massage therapy for more than 25 years. She also teaches "The Art of Phenomenal Touch," as well as classes in hot-stone therapy, and emotions in the session room. She has a master’s degree in psychology and is certified in Integrated Body Psychotherapy. Bruder has written for MASSAGE Magazine on the topics of Navigating the Pathways to Phenomenal Touch: 10 Steps to Transform Your Massage (March/April 2002); and How To Heat Up Your Sessions, (November/December 2002).