Do your clients prefer the heat or the cold? Either way the stones are applied in stone massage, your clients will reap the benefits.
You can help provide this to your clients by learning the proper application of stone massage through home-study courses in the privacy of your home or office and easily implementing the tools into practice.
The heating and cooling effects of the stones, placed strategically along the body’s pressure points, add to regular massage techniques, helping the body’s muscles to relax faster and easier.
A stone massage typically consists of heated or chilled stones of varying sizes. Often basalt, a volcanic rock that conducts heat well, is the mineral of choice in the treatment. But other types can be used.
Massage therapists trained in the application of this technique place the stones along the spine, in the palms of the hands and between the toes.
Stone massage can be used to treat numerous conditions like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, insomnia and depression. It has also been known to help with back pain, stress and anxiety.
Other benefits of hot and cold stone massage include aiding in decongestion, increasing oxygen intake, having deeper muscle penetration, improving blood circulation, reducing swelling in the body, reducing stress and the cleansing of toxins in the body.
But this technique isn’t for everyone and precaution should be taken for some clients. Those clients who are sick, have a heart or circulation condition, or sensitive skin should not receive stone massage.
An Internet search revealed numerous home-study courses available for any massage therapist to take to fulfill his or her continuing education requirements.
For stone massage, some of the courses offered cover such topics the differentiation of stones shapes, stone sizes, giving holistic stone facials, mineralogy, recommended uses of stones, stone placement, ayurvedic principles and detoxification protocols.
Make sure to check with your national and state licensing bodies to make sure the courses you select are acceptable for continuing education credits.
—Jeremy Maready