After receiving a massage with massage stones, one important question remains: Do you feel better? If a massage is done properly, our bodies feel relaxed and rejuvenated. The tight muscles are gone. The spasms are gone. The every-time-I-move-I-wince-in-pain feelings are gone. You feel as through you have a new body! On the other hand, if the massage was sub par, the opposite is true. Your muscles feel no better than before, and in some cases, even feel worse. The question that needs an answer is: what went wrong?



When giving a massage with hot stones, technique is of the utmost importance. While switching steps or alternating one of them may seem like a minor action, it can have a drastic influence on the outcome of the massage. To maximize the benefit of the massage, certain procedures should be mastered before moving on to more complex techniques:

1. Getting ready to rock and roll. Preparation is key to giving a massage with a massage stone kit. Fill your massage stone heater with water so that the stones will be completely under water. The temperature should be set to exactly 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, the stones should always maintain this temperature prior to being applied to the patient. Never handle the stones with your bare hands. Also, if the instruction manual recommends that a higher temperature than 125 degrees Fahrenheit be used, wear insulated gloves and operate a spoon to remove the stones from the heater. Use a thermometer to always check the stones' temperature. Regardless of what temperature the stones should be heated to, always let them cool, before applying them to the massaged person.

2. Applying yourself. When applying the stones, make sure to follow some important guidelines. Before placing the stone onto the person's skin, make sure to clean away all extra water on the surface. Also, verify with the patient that the temperature of the stone is ideal. Then if any adjustments to the stones' temperatures are needed, you can make them accordingly. Finally, never place hot stones directly onto the person's bony regions, as it could result in unwanted bruising.

3. Caution! rolling stones. After the massage, have the patient be very careful when dismounting the massage table, as he or she has stones on the body. To avoid becoming bruised, it is vital to lift off of the table, instead of sliding off.

4. Stone-cold option. An alternative type of massage includes cold stones, rather than hot ones. This process will create a difference in both the cellular and physical level. It will increase circulation in local areas of the body, and will also increase the amount of oxygen that the body takes in.

5. Call me the Stone Master. As with any other new skill, you will need some time to improve your massaging with stones for massage. As the saying goes, you must crawl before you can walk. However, after you have mastered the basic methods using massage stones, try using more advanced techniques. Let the massage stone become an expansion of your hands. Also, use more complex procedures, such as the trigger-point and deep-tissue methods. Try reversing the steps in the manual for your hot massage rocks, and then try adding some new steps to your repertoire.

Besides mastering the basic steps of massaging with massage stones, it is important to use particular pre-massage techniques, and to add variety to your massaging routine. While the former will provide a better experience for the patient, the latter will help to hone your skills and keep you challenged. But the bottom line is that a massage stone can make a good massage--great!