Contra-Indications
for
Massage and Hot Stone Massage
Include But are Not Limited To:*

  • Pregnancy (contraindication for heat therapy)

  • Certain types of Heart Conditions, Circulatory
          Conditions, High Blood     Pressure, and Inflammation
          (contraindication for massage and heat  therapy)

  • Certain Medications (can alter perception of heat)

  • Diabetes & Painkillers (can alter perception of heat)

 

Please do not practice massage (or hot stone massage) on anybody who is not in good health 
and/or who does not know whether or not massage is indicated as 
being beneficial for their health conditions.

Massage is a system-effecting and circulation-increasing therapy modality

Hot Sea Stones Massage
 Instructions

You Will Need:

Heat the rocks in a crock pot, large oval turkey roaster, or large deep pan filled with water that is heated to about 125° Fahrenheit.  Some people suggest hotter temperatures, but be cautious you do not burn yourself or your client.  Use tongs to remove the heated stones from the crock pot or pan – and set the rocks on a towel.

It is not advised to heat the stones in ovens, and especially NOT in microwave ovens.

Please be cognizant before starting that the stones are heavy, hot and slippery once you apply the massage oil.  So be careful when you are handling them so they don’t get away from you and fall on the recipient, the massage table, or your foot!  You may think this is obvious, but I have found from experience -- my own and other’s -- that it is not.  So that is why I mention it here.

It is critically important to initially place a towel over recipient’s back -- and then carefully place the stones ON TOP of the towel over recipient’s back along each side of the spine, placing the larger stones over the sacral area.  Place three smaller stones along the cervical region of the spine.  [The stones are TOO HOT at first to place directly on the skin, but by placing a towel between the rocks and skin to begin with, you will be able to get the benefit of that heat without burning the recipient]

Once the rocks are placed, fold the towel over the rocks so that they are covered securely.  Begin massage on the legs and remove one or two of the smaller stones from the back for use in leg massage.  Apply generous lubricant prior to massaging with stones.  When the leg massage is complete, remove stones from back and place on towel.  Move the towel on recipient’s back down to cover the legs.

Next, move the stones to the legs and cover with towel securely.  Commence back massage.   You will find the back you are working on is already warmed-up and that the key muscles that play a role in back tension have already released somewhat.  The recipient’s back should have pink spots on it.

After a general massage of the back, when stones are at a temperature that you can hold them, glide them over the back and into tight muscles.  Be careful not to use too much pressure, as the weight of the stones offer deeper work on their own.

When completed with the back of the body, re-drape the back and remove the stones from legs.  Have the recipient turn over.  The stones may be placed on the belly, with one stone over the heart.  The remaining stones may be used to massage the anterior legs, arms, and shoulder girdle.  Small stones may be placed between fingers and toes.

When working with the stones please use common sense.  Please check them to see if they are too hot.  Always check-in with recipient as to comfort and heat levels.  You will find with experience that sometimes your hands will no longer register the stones as “hot” but the recipient might say the stones feel “hot” to them.  Likewise, once the client’s muscles have absorbed heat from the stones, it seems that they now “feel heat” more than your hands do -- so again, what does not seem hot to your hands may in fact seem “hot” to your client.  So be sure to stay in close touch with each other about this please.

Also, make sure you do not grip the stones too firmly – rather glide them over the skin, exerting no additional pressure unless desired by recipient.

The stones can also be cooled in the refrigerator or freezer and used in place of ice for cold therapies.  Again, initially you will want to place the cold stones ON TOP of a towel, as they will be too cold to place directly on the skin.  But you can get all the benefit of the cold through the towel, and then place the stones directly on the skin once they reach a temperature that permits this.

It takes time to acquire a sense of how you want to work with the stones.  Practice on friends and family the first few times to become more used to handling the stones.  You will find the stones to be very beneficial – even the most tense recipient is often rendered speechless when the stones are placed on their back, and you can feel their tension begin to let go as they move toward the desired state of deep relaxation.

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!

If you have any questions please email:

info@seastonesmassage.com

 

Thoughts About Aromatherapy

There are so many wonderful natural organic herbs and fragrances which seem to be so calming and soothing for so many people; and the hot stones lend themselves to warm and soothing aromas.  Many people will request aromatherapy as part of their stone massage experience.  Additionally, there are of course also many health benefits connected to absorbing very high quality organic herbs and vitamins through the skin via massage oil and massage.  So it is nice to have an assortment of organic oils, vitamin oils, and herbal fragrances on hand for those who request them.

Using aromas directly on the stones, however, will leave that scent with the stones for a long time after, even with cleansing the stones etc.  So you may need to either use a different method of delivering the aroma to the room other than directly on the stones – or you will maybe need an additional set of massage stones that are only used with aromas, and then keep another set that is not ever used with aromas.

Because many people -- more all the time -- have fragrance & chemical sensitivities, please be cautious using aromatherapy without prior consultation with the recipient – additionally, after one client leaves and the next arrives, the aroma may still be in the air, so it’s important to consider.   

 

info@seastonesmassage.com


*Contra-Indications

If you are not a licensed massage therapist, please use extra caution
when using the massage stones and study as much as 
possible to become familiar with what you are doing.  
Massage is a system-effecting and circulation-increasing therapy modality.

The conditions and situations mentioned above can be contraindications 
for massage and/or hot stone massage
This is not an all inclusive list 
and
 www.seastonesmassage.com 
cannot be held liable or responsible in any way
for any harm arising to anybody as a result of the improper use 
of massage and/or massage stones.
(sorry for this necessary legal disclaimer)