Hot Stone Massage

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At Heavenly Hour Therapeutic Massage, the therapist has been preforming hot stone massage for over 10 years and uses the basalt lava stones known for its ability to retain heat.  The stones themselves are heated in a bath of 120-125 degree ferenhete hot water.  The massage therapist removes the stones from the hot water and  uses the hot stones in the palms of the hands to perfrom the massage.  The pressuer can range from light to firm.  The choice of different sized and shaped stones are determined by the outcome that was determined at the time of intake form and consultation at the befinning of the session. Larger  more rounded stones are used for a general relaxation type of massage using the same effluarage strokes used in Swedish massage.  When a more specific outcome is choosen, then more specific, irregular shaped, and smaller stones are used.  The deeper the request for pressuer, the slower the strokes become similar to that described for  deep tissue massage. 

​Usually the session is started prone (face down) working on the back muscles first. Traditional Swedish massage strokes of effleurage is used to apply the oil and prepare the muscles to receive the heated stone. After the general warmup, the heated stones are used in the palm of the therapist hands and applied to the appropriate depth that was predetermined at the time of intake.  Throughout the massage, as the stone cool, it will be replaced with a fresh stone from the heated water.  This exchange from cool to fresh hot stone occurs until the session is finished.

​It is important for you to feel free to inform the massage therapist if the stones are too hot.  Generally if the stones are too hot for the therapist to handle comfortably, then it is too hot to put on the clients body.  Everybody is uniquely different. Some people like a warm stone instead of hot. The temperature will gladly be adjusted when a temperature adjustment is requested. 

​​After the session has ended, the stones are washed and disinfected before being used again.

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There are a couple contraindications including but not limited those who have diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure,  on medication that thins your blood, are pregnant  or sunburned.  This means you should not request nor receive a hot stone massage.