Frequenty Asked Questions

I will paste into this message below a copy of the "info" I enclose with each set. I just revised it and I am open to any suggestions anybody ever wishes to make with regards to it's content. (I have to keep the info a little bit more general than specific for the reason that a very broad range of people buy the stones for use, and some of them do not have any professional massage experience, but are rather just sharing massages with close friends or partners, etc., and so I want to be sure they pay attention to the care needed to work safely with the stones.)

I include in the info my opinion about how best to cleanse the stones, and also some info about aromatherapy. You will receive a copy of this in your package which was shipped out this afternoon and which should be available in the UPS system this evening if you use the shipping number PayPal emailed to you.

Let me know how the stones work out for your staff if you have a chance. I always appreciate feedback, directly and on eBay. Thanks again. Best wishes,

Cleaning the Stones: To cleanse the massage stones after use they should be boiled in a deep pan of water (sea or river water is preferable when possible) for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also use regular tap water and add sea salt to it for boiling the stones clean. The stones should then be allowed to cool to room temperature before they are used again. Do NOT re-use stones right away, as they will be too hot to use right after the cleansing boiling process. Set them out to cool down between massages, or maybe set them in the sunshine to recharge.

Some people suggest using tea tree oil and/or alcohol to clean the stones; but there is the possibility that the stones absorb and retain these substances. Also, they will retain the odor of tea tree and/or alcohol, and are thereby rendered less effective for aromatherapy and even potentially harmful to those who have fragrance & chemical sensitivities and reactions.

However, DO be sure to clean your rocks in some fashion because for example, if you are using them on people’s feet (which often harbor fungus, etc.) you definitely don’t want to be passing fungi around!

This information is written in accordance with the procedures and recommendations of several Licensed Massage Therapists (LMT’s) in my local area who use these sea stones in their massage practices. I have consulted with them extensively in order to prepare this comprehensive information for use. I also consult with them regularly regarding the composition of my massage stone sets.

Yes, when the massage stones are dry and have not been used for massage yet, but rather they are just straight from the ocean, these black basalt stones do not always look black until they are wet with water or oiled for use in massage. (please see picture and sample of this in the info below the pictures on the webpage).

Once you start using the stones for massage and they have been oiled even once, however, they then become "permanently" black in color, even after they have been cleaned in the boiling salted water they now retain a black color rather than gray.

If you would like I can sent you pictures of stones which have been oiled and used for massage, and you will see that they are now "black" rather than shades of gray.

Or you can observe the same in other advertisements for massage stones where the stones are pictured "oiled" and you will see the stones appear black. If those same stones were not oiled, they would appear various shades of gray also -- that is why some people oil them for photos so that people will see how they change with oil.

i prefer to sell rocks that have not been used or oiled however, that way people know they are getting an unused set and can treat the stones however they want.

Please let me know if there are other questions I might answer for you and thank you for your interest.

RESPONSE::

hi.. i have basalt rocks from mexico... they were originally not gray.. but seemed darker... yes, i have oiled them and they are now black....
thanks for your explanation....
i'm thinking of getting them for my friend....

do you have a website?.... thanks...

Just a quick note - I looked over the info that came along with the seastones mentions when picking up the stone, the oil will make them slippery. Do I put the oil in with the water? or do I rub the oil into the stones before I put them into the water? I know later in the brochure it mentions using a lot of oil on the person being massaged, but we don't put the stones on just wet do we?

Forgive me, if I missed where it says to do this. When you get a chance, just pop off a quick note.

Thanks again for everything!

The first time they are used I would rinse them in warm water, then oil them with masage oil, let them sit for just a little while to soak in some of the oil, and then put them into the hot water to heat. Many people have their own rituals for the "first time" they use their stones so I think it is okay to make up your own however you want to get to know them and used to handling the stones.

Once they are hot, put the larger of the stones on a top of a towel on top of recipient's back and cover them for about 5-10 mins while using oil and your hands to massage the legs or feet or hands or some other part that isn't being heated with the larger stones. This is the part where the heat of the larger stones acts as a prewarming up of the recipient, allowing major muscles to relax and "release" even before you start massaging by hand and with the medium and small stones. Because the person is already pre-relaxed then they usually go even deeper into relaxation than usual once the rest of the massage begins.

Then, when the stones are at a temperature where you can hold them and they feel not too hot to recepient, now apply ample oil to recipient's back and torso and use the stones to rub in long strokes the skin, effleurage is what massage therapists call it, long smooth strokes, not too much additional pressure, and the stones should just glide along if you use enough oil. Very delightful and relaxing.

Then you can repeat the process once the recipient turns over and you can use your larger stones on the heart chakra and solar plexus chakra, etc. and then take out some medium and small stones to use for effleurage of the arms, hands, etc.

Let me know if this answers your question. I would be very glad to answer any other questions you have, so just ask. Thanks again for your purchase.

Next Day a Second Reply from Me:

How did your sea stones work out for you last night? I hope is was relaxing and healing. sometimes it takes a little practice with the stones to get used to handling them and using them, but it gets a little easier each time and then you will develop your own routine of how you want to use them.

lots of folks use the larger stones in-between massages for heat and cold therapy for cramps or muscular discomfort, even just to warm up without using other heat sources by holding them in your hands and placing your bare feet on top of the heated larger stones. you can also use the stones on your own trigger points for muscle release. some folks use them for treatments of carpal tunnel and other such problems.

Asian and other cultures have always used heated stones for warming their beds at night, and this is a possibility as well. The possibilities are endless actually as you can see.

hope you are enjoying your stones. please let me know if you need any additional info in order to make them work for you. if you are not professional therapists and/or if you have never received a stone massage, then you maybe have more questions and I would be glad to try to answer any you might have.

thanks again. best wishes,

I needed buy unscented oil to get started. I prefer Aura Glow oils and needed to visit our local health food store. I'm hoping to get the time to season (can you tell I'm a cook, too!) them tonight. In addition to being a massage therapist, I also have three super-charged boys to keep me busy and the best laid plans often fall by the wayside.

I've been reading as much as I can about stone massage, but most websites want you to buy their information video or are a massage therapist offering their services. I called a friend who gets monthly stone massages to find out how her therapist uses them. I know I need to get one myself and I'm sure many of my questions will be answered. The stone massages around here cost $90-100! It seems that everyone uses them a different way and develops their own style with the stones. I've arranged for a few "pinny gigs", as my son calls them, to practice on. I'm hoping to be able to cofidently offer this service by the Spring.

I'm certain to be in touch again once I get started. I never realized I was purchasing the advice of a "stone guru" when I found your auction on e-bay! I really appreciate how you personally get involved to make sure your buyers are happy. Are you a therapist yourself? I'd love to know how you got involved in this business. It's so unique!

Gotta got dinner going and the little ones are begging to play computer games.

RESPONSE:

Thanks for your message. Sounds like you do stay busy and with 3 boys! that is terrific though, but they just grow up so fast, so spend all the time you can with them!

This is just a real quick message for now to just touch base again. I will try to provide you with some additional info in the next few days that I have gathered here and there. I do know exactly how difficult it is to find reliable info on the internet sometimes.

I am a medical transcriptionist actually, my daughter is a LMT and I transported her several hundreds of miles back and forth when she was going to massage school and helped her study while we were driving all the time, so I learned quite a bit just from that. also, my family was in a car accident many years ago, so out of necessity we all learned a lot about massage then once our med insurance ran out and we still had a lot of pain, so we gave each other massages etc.

This story goes on and on as to how I came to be the stone woman, but let it suffice to say that I have always been drawn to rocks all my life, and one day I was on the beach trying to figure out just how I was going to make ends meet in this most extremely beautiful but severely economically challenged little place I live in the middle of nowhere! I actually prayed for some guidance as to how I could do some good in the world and still make a little extra cash to help with the bills. and within a day or so it became apparent through several connections with various people that massage stones were the thing I was needing to do. So here I am.

I am so grateful for this work "finding me" that I feel compelled to go the extra mile with the stone selection and the info to purchasers afterwards. I try to put together the absolute best sets that I can and then charge a more reasonable price for them instead of the $300-$500 that I have seen comparable sets sell for -- so that the most people possible can purchase and use these stones for their healing work.

I work with a LOT of local massage therapists who use these stones in their practices, so that is why I can usually get any info you may need because they are just full of it! Info that is! ha ha!

Anyway, gotta run and get back to work for now. So anyway do stay in touch and please feel free to ask questions whenever you like. I enjoy getting to know people and the work they are doing. it is so important. thank you for being involved in helping to make people feel better and more healthy and well adjusted. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

barrielyn

A: Hello again and thanks for your message,

I will send a dozen 1/2" to 1" stones sometime this week, and I will try to include 2 to 3 oblong stones as well.

As you practice using the stones you will find that it is important to get used to using them and develop your own routine with a little bit of practice.

There is one stone seller on ebay who provides extensive information, a somewhat new seller to ebay. I don't like the stones very much personally because I feel the symmetrical perfect stones are real important and his stones do not appear particularly symmetrical etc -- but the info provided in the auction ad is very good and thorough. It is a long ad and asks towards the beginning to not copy the info as it is copyrighted. At any rate, it is a good source for info when you are first starting out and I would recommend reviewing it. (although I do not agree with everything it says, but it still has lots and lots of great info)

My pamphlet that came with your stones does explain the basic routine as well. However, if you have a chance to receive a stone massage as part of your training, you should experience it first hand before practicing it, and then you will better understand what you are aiming for in your practice having been the recipient. Still each practitioner's style becomes their own, so it can vary a lot from person to person.

Basically no matter what shape the stones are you can use them as "tools" for deeper work simply by the way you hold and handle them, even the round ones. In fact the rounds ones are a little "safer" to use as tools because they do not have such pointy ends and so cannot go too deeply into somewhere they should not. But this is why I needed to know if you are a professional or lay person, because using the stones for tools needs to be done only be people who are educated in where the muscles, ligaments, trigger points, etc. are in the anatomy. The reason this is so important is because when you are using your hands you can "feel" where you are and what you are touching, but when you are using the stones you are not "in there" and so you need to know intellectually where you are and what you are touching so as to only do good and not do any harm.

Since you are a student and learning where everything is I am certain you will do just fine with "tool" stones, so as stated before I will include a few with your shipment this week.

Do be careful working with the stones. Test them for how hot they are, and ask the recipient often if they are too hot, too cold or not slippery enough etc. ALWAYS use a towel at first when they first come out of being heated up per my brochure instructions.

The larger stones are specifically for applying and exchanging heat, not for rubbing on the body or using as tools. Heat up the large stones and place them on top of a towel and then cover them with a towel and massage another part of the body for awhile. Now go back to where those larger stones were setting on top of the towel and move them and you will see how they have done the magic of relaxing heat and already the muscles will have let go considerably before you even begin your massage. Consequently when you do the massage it takes the recipient that much deeper into a relaxation state because they already have a jump on it so to speak!

Lots of women (and athletes for that matter) use the larger stones when they have cramps or for muscular discomfort and find it very helpful. People use them for carpal tunnel syndrome also, alternating cold and hot as indicated by the specific symptoms.

Also, you can use the larger stones under the knees/legs like a shallow bolster when the recipient is face up, or on the bottom of feet which heats up the whole body amazingly. Most therapists want at least one or two large stones to use over the heart chakra and over the solar plexus chakra for when the recipient is face up. Many energy practitioners find these large stones essential for their energy balancing work and incorporate their perfect symmetrical shapes and weight into that part of the work as well. You can hold some in the hands. You can place them in the arm pits directly effecting lymph drainage and circulation (test for heat, armpits are very sensitive!) You can use them however you can think of to warm and relax your client (or cool them and use where cold therapies are indicated).

You can use the larger stones in your own bed at night much as the Asian cultures do to heat your bed and keep you toasty warm without the expense of additional heat sources. The uses for the larger stones are many and because they are large and heavy they will hold the heat much longer than the smaller stones.

The medium and smaller stones then are the ones used for actually rubbing on the body, effleurage. This needs to be done with sufficient oil and again with intellectual knowledge of where you are and what you are effecting. It really does feel great and is so relaxing. Again, keep in touch about whether the stones are the correct temperature to your client.

The little stones can certainly be used between toes and on the face. Please do use extreme caution about how hot they are before placing them, and also extreme cleansing after use so as to not spread foot fungus. They are warm and moist and that is a real picnic for fungus to live on, so extra cleansing care really is needed in order to not spread fungus to the next client. Some people use booties or socks over the feet after placing the stones. This helps a little bit with retaining the heat, but basically these are really small stones and they do not hold very much heat and they do not hold the heat very long, so their use is much more limited than the rest of your stones. Nevertheless you always see them being used and everybody expects them to be used, so it is good to have them to use even if their therapeutic benefit is somewhat limited.

this should give you a little bit of an overview of the process, and I hope this is not too repetitive of info you already had. Let me know if you have specific questions I might be able to answer. I will send your additional stones within the next few days via regular mail, but it will take a few days after that for your to receive them. I will drop a quick note to you once I have sent them off so you know when to start watching for them.

I appreciate your purchase and wish you the very best with your studies and future practice. Massage is a wonderful thing and people are becoming more and more aware how important good circulation and safe healing touch are to staying healthy. So thanks for being part of that effort to help make people happier, healthier, and feel better!

please let me know if there is anything else I may do for you.

I was reading your instructions on your web site and wondering....what do You use to clean your stones? How do you see more than one client per day if you have to heat them up and cool them down? How long does it usually take for them to cool to room temp. for use again? When do the stones sit directly on the skin? Do you ever put the stones on the table on either side of the spine and have the client lie on them? Aprox. how many do you use per massage?

thank you,

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Question:

I've heard that stones for massage have to be heated in an oven at a low
temperature for several hours to get the air bubbles out (I think this is
called curing them) BEFORE they can be routinely safely used for hot stone
massage. If this "curing" is not done initially, there is a risk that a
stone could blow up or split in the crock pot or (I guess) even on the
person. Do you know anything about this procedure and do you do this to the
stones you sell?

Your dog is so cute!!!!

Thank you very much for your help.

Answer:

Hi and thanks for your question, sorry for the delay in my
response -- I have recently completed a bit of current research on the
subject of heating stones in the oven, and this is what I believe to be
true. It is somewhat in contradiction to what you are indicating, but
similar, and I thank you for bringing up the subject.

Before I get into that though I was wondering if you would be able to tell
me where you found the info you are talking about? I do want to be sure I
am including the most accurate info I can with the stones so that everybody
is as safe as possible, so let me know if you can direct me to a particular
source or whatever, that would be very helpful.

I have most recently actually decided to start recommending against heating
the stones in the oven for just this reason and I am so glad you bring it
up. I have done recent research which indicates that it depends on the
mineral composition of the particular stone as to whether or not it might
blow up in the oven, and because it seems to be something you would actually
need to know a whole lot more about, I have decided that heating the stones
in the oven is an unsafe method to recommend generally speaking. And I
especially do not recommend at any time heating the stones in a microwave
oven, definitely not.

I have only found research indicating rocks blowing up in ovens if certain
ratios of minerals and compounds were present within the stone. I have not
found research regarding stones blowing up in crock pots or other water
heating methods. Please let me know if you can provide further info about
this, as it has not been a problem for anybody I have worked with yet. Nor
I have yet received reports back about cracking stones or anything like
that. So far I have not heard of any of these problems using the water
heating method.

My recommendations for treatment of a new set of unused, right from the
beach massage stones is this: Wash them in a warm/hot water bath with a
stiff brush to scrub them clean. I do not use any kind of soap, as anything
you use on the stone will be absorbed and so I limit what I put on them, and
do not use soap, just hot water and a stiff brush.

Once they have been scrubbed, I then remove them from the water, and place
them out on a towel and begin rubbing each stone with a generous amount of
an unscented high quality massage oil -- (I recommend a non-nut oil so as to
avoid any irritation to anybody who has nut oil allergies and reactions) --
quite a bit on each stone, and then let them set for awhile and soak in the
oil. Then heat them in water in your crock pot or kettle to the appropriate
temperature (using a cooking thermometer to be sure of what the water
temperature is) -- and they are ready to be used for a massage.

Many people will incorporate even more of a personal dedication or ritual
for the new stones to impart to them the great desire to do healing work and
so forth, so it can be very personal or not, however you wish.

At any rate, please let me know what you think of these ideas and if I can
be of further help in any way. Thanks for your inquiry. I look forward to
hearing from you again.

Response:

Thank you so much for your thorough and caring answer. In answer to your
question to me..... I am a massage student and we used stones in class. I
asked one of our instructors where the stones come from and if there was any
preparation they needed before they could be used. She told me that she
understood that the stones should be cured. So that is where I got that
information. She is an excellent instructor, but her information wasn't
necessarily the Bible or anything. Another therapist who advocates LaStone
training just told me that the stones should be heated in a turkey roaster
rather than a water heating method. Anyway, my research continues. I
really like your stones and I so appreciate your help. Thank you SO, SO
much for all the information you have given me

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Pregnancy and Hot Stone Massage -- Contraindicated

From what I have found I do think that pregnancy is a contraindication for hot stone massage. Heat is contraindicative because of the extreme vascular expansion and changes that take place all throughout pregnancy to the mother's body in order to accomodate the baby's growth. Also, I think that most women feel heat a lot more especially during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, so they may just not be comfortable with a heat treatment then as well. But at any rate, I have added pregnancy as a contraindication on my website and I think for the most part from what I can tell one should avoid hot stone massage during pregnancy. Let me know what you think about this, and if you have other or different info etc. Thanks!

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Response:

I do not know of a specific video to recommend, but of course if you find one that would certainly be helpful also. I think one of the main things I have found is that there is no one way to do stone massage, not any one way that is "right" -- and that with some practice everybody seems to develop their own style and routine for working with the stones in many different settings actually. I am so glad you were able to receive a stone massage, it is so soothing and surely gives you a better idea of what you are aiming for. Also you are exactly correct that many people use a modified swedish approach. I have heard of so many variations on this now though that there are just too many different approaches to mention them all. Some people work just along the meridian lines, so folks study "la stone" therapy and other energy "adjusting/aligning" therapies and so do energy alignment work as well as massage with the stones. The symmetricalness of the stones I harvest lends itself well to such work also.

And when I work with the stones for myself or on others I always get this very ancient feeling that wells up inside me and states loud and clear to me that stones have always been used for healing since the beginning of their being stones, and I feel most closely connected to the stones by using the most primary heating methods, i.e., fire (heat), water, sea salt -- simple, direct, natural. I know it sounds crazy but I just love the stones, but then I have always been a rock hound as they say!

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There Are Quartz Crystal Formations in these Stones!

…. Also, I have given you a close up of the largest stone in the batch. I want you to observe where you see tan/whitish little patches on the rocks surface. When you receive your stones you will want to take them outside on a sunny day and look at these little tan spots. You will see that there are actual quartz crystaline formations inside these stones which are just barely visible in these little tan patches. Also, these little patches do NOT effect how smooth the stones are overall and the stones are not as granular as they appear in photos. They are actually very very smooth. But I love for people to look at them in the sunshine and realize that these stones are basalt and quart crystal, and that's why I think they are so special for healing work and also why they hold and impart the heat so well.

Next Day:

They're here, they're here!! The UPS man came right before supper and I ran to the door. It took him several minutes to get out of the truck, and then he hefted them up on his shoulder and I could tell they were heavy …

They are beautiful!! I can't wait for tomorrow (hopefully the sun will shine so I can take them outside and play). Tonight they go on my altar to be dedicated to the healing work. Thanks sooo much for all your help, and for finding these magnificent stones for me.

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More About Quartz Crystals!

…. Gotta run but wanted you to know I was thinking about you and hoping for your stones to arrive very soon. Yes, they really do have crystal formations in them. But take them outside and look at them in the sunshine BEFORE treating them with massage oil in order to see the crystal formation most clearly. Using a magnifying glass in the sunlight is a real treat! No I do not sell crystals per se, although I have occasionally found crystal clusters on the beaches where I get the stones, that get washed down from the mountains during the winter storms, into a local creek which empties out onto the beach at a certain place I know of. They are just small clusters but they are SO special to me because they are crystals I have found.

I recommend grapeseed oil or apricot kernel oil as my first choices for non-nut derivative massage oils. Olive oil is sometimes recommended, but not so much as it is much heavier and thicker and probably works better for people who have very dry skin. You can purchase these oils almost anywhere these days including in the grocery stores, so check around for prices in your area and maybe online. Be sure if purchased online that they are shipped in a manner that does not expose the oils to extreme heat and cold (especially extreme heat as this can damage the oils or make them rancid etc.).

Some people use safflower oil, but it is an oil that easily goes rancid, so even though it is less costly, it is not recommended per se.

Sometimes if you go to a specialty oil shop they will have their own recommendations and sometimes even make their own mixtures per your request, so that is a possibility if you have shops like that near you. Often these shops also sell essential oils, but you can always request unscented oils even so.

I hope this is helpful to you. Let me know what you find available in your area and how it works out for you once you have the stones and begin working with them.