Hot stone fusion, what is it and how does it work?

I was first introduced to hot stone massage by a colleague of mine who I used to visit for massage when I was training in Chicago. After my first experience, which was unlike any other massage I had received at that time, I knew that I was onto something. When I got back to the UK I looked around for someone to train with. I was fortunate then to meet Megan from Jing at a conference and then went on to train with her in Hot Stone Fusion. It changed my massage work in ways I can’t begin to describe!

The use of heat and cold in history

The use of heat and cold to ease aches and pains is nothing new. Verbal and written histories show that the Chinese used heated stones more than 2,000 years ago as a means of improving the function of internal organs. Stones were also used for healing work in North & South America, Africa, Europe, Egypt, and India.

Stones could be laid out in patterns on the body, carried or worn for health and protection, used for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and used in ceremonies such as sweat lodges and medicine wheels. Curandero (traditional native healers) in Spain traditionally used heated stones to help with menstrual pain and cold stones to slow bleeding after childbirth. The Romans combined the effects of hot immersion baths with the cooling effects of marble stone and cold plunge pools. For them, the bathhouse was an everyday place where you took care of your body.

Stone Massage as we know it today was born in the 1990s when an American therapist, Mary Nelson, combined the use of hot stones with her massage therapy. She created a technique using 54 hot stones, 18 frozen stones, and 1 stone at room temperature which she named LaStone Therapy.

We all use heat and cold to help us ease aches and pains…..hot water bottles on tummy aches, hot baths when we feel achy or weary, cold compresses when we have a headache, or even heated blankets to help with cold feet!

How does it work

On the most basic level, heat causes dilation of blood vessels. So the use of heated stones in isolated areas causes blood to be pulled from the surrounding tissues, which results in an increased blood supply along with a deep feeling of warmth. The heat helps to decrease pain by producing an anaesthesia effect.

Heat helps tight muscles and fascia to become more pliable, lessens muscle contractions and encourages everything to relax. I have found that people’s bodies become more willing and able to ‘open up’, not just to deeper tissue work, but also in terms of increased ease of movement. And the warmth from the stones really is just nice! It induces a deep state of relaxation and calmness which I believe you don’t always get from other types of bodywork. This then opens the door for therapists to work even deeper on trigger points or really tight muscles.

Contrast bathing

This is a technique where hot and cold stones are alternated. Chilled stones can be particularly effective for chronic and acute conditions, such as injuries and inflammation. The chilled stones constrict blood vessels, and help to reduce inflammation and swelling.

How the stones are used

If you come to me for a massage, hot stones will almost certainly form part of the treatment unless they are contraindicated or you have an aversion to deep heat. I may begin by laying some of my larger stones on your body. I firmly believe that the weight of the stones helps right from the start to put the autonomic nervous system into rest mode. Their weight, smoothness and grounded nature help us to feel grounded in the present moment. Then comes the massage itself, which is always a dance of different techniques. The hot stones will come and go as the massage progresses. I may use them for long slow efflurage, or for warming an area before I work with my hands, forearms or knuckles.I may tuck them into hands or under different parts of the body, leaving them there to do their work. I may use them to work on trigger points or to work on areas of chronic tension using the contrast bathing technique. I may place them in your hands and let you lie there and hold them (a favourite of anyone with cold hands). I even have tiny toe stones to warm your toes!

The power of the stones is not just their deep heat but that even the most analytical brain will not be able to follow the process. I have had many clients tell me, that after a while, they find it hard to tell if it is my hands or the stone doing the work because they feel so relaxed! If you have not experienced a hot stone massage before, then I encourage you to come and try it out.