Do you prefer hot or cold things? Throughout our everyday lives, we have several options that involve hot and cold varieties - hot tea and iced tea, for example. There are hot compresses and a cold compresses. There is even piping-hot pizza and chilled-from-the-night-before leftover pizza. When selecting between hot and cold varieties of things, it is important to consider the situation. Iced coffee is certainly more refreshing on those summer days when a thermometer's mercury climbs towards the triple digits. Similarly, here are some facts to consider about your massage options at Rē.
The use of stones as an adjunct to bodywork is as old as many cultures. In some traditions, precious and semi-precious stones are used to produce calming, healing, or promoting deeper relaxation and greater focus. The therapists at Rē have been trained in the therapeutic use of stones in many different ways - the most popular being Hot Stone and Cold Stone Massage, as well as utilizing such elements as jade rollers to promote lymphatic flow in the face and neck, and rose quartz to facilitate the reduction of post menopausal "hot flashes". Below are listed some of the benefits of some of the stone treatments offered at Rē. Let our therapists "Rock your world"!
Hot Stone Massage
Are you in need of something to help you relax, relieve muscle tension, or make you forget about your rough day? If so, then a hot stone massage, also known as hot stone therapy, may be the solution you have been looking for. The therapeutic benefits of a hot stone massage have been around for centuries. Ancient cultures and Native Americans used this technique to improve overall mental, spiritual, and physical wellness. Native Americans used hot stones to detoxify and to find harmony and balance. In some European cultures, hot stones or bricks were wrapped in cloth and placed over a person’s injury for relief. In China, hot stone therapy was used as early as 1500 BC as a method for relieving muscle aches and tension. Today, hot stone therapy is used much in the same way as it was centuries ago and for the same benefits. One session can help you to relax, release, and rejuvenate.
Hot stone therapy is perfect for achieving mental wellness. Basalt stones, polished, hardened lava rocks, are heated by water in an electric roaster. The heated stones are then placed strategically along pressure points to help melt away tension creating a calming atmosphere. Stress, deadlines, anxiety, and other life annoyances disappear long enough for your mind to relax at the deepest level. The therapeutic massage creates a sense of well being. Insomnia is often cured through the use of hot stone massages because of its ability to put the mind at ease. It is also known that depression can be helped by the use hot stone therapy.
Another benefit of hot stone massage is the feeling of wellness being achieved. As the warm stones relax the body, the mind is calmed retreating into a deep meditative state. In this meditative state your body can become refreshed and re-energized. Sensory stimulating oils used alongside the stones help aid in the rejuvenation of your mind. The soothing heat therapy promotes a positive energy flow giving a sense of harmony and balance helping you to feel at peace. Receiving hot stone therapy is like going on an intimate, personal vacation. It is a wonderfully refreshing experience.
Physical wellness can also be achieved through hot stone massage. Hot stone therapy relieves muscle aches and pain. The penetrating heat also helps to relieve pain associated with arthritis. It improves blood circulation keeping your heart healthy. The therapy also helps stimulates the flow of oxygen and nutrients helping your body to detoxify and heal. This helps create a calming effect on the nervous system increasing vitality. The end result is a feeling of overall restoration.
Hot stone therapy is a wonderful treat for the body. It is very rewarding with lots of benefits. Everyone needs a break from time to time. Taking the time to get a hot stone massage is worth both the time and money. You will be able to relax, release, and rejuvenate. Reconnecting with yourself is priceless.
Cold Stone Massage
Cold stone massage is sometimes medically preferable - In some cases, a patient should undergo a cold stone massage, rather than a hot stone massage. That includes cases in which the patient's muscles are sore, or the muscle tissue has become damaged. In both cases, the heat from a heated stone could further aggravate the soreness, inflammation, or damage, and increase the pain that the patient feels.
Cold Stones are outstanding for reducing swelling. People can acquire muscle swelling through a variety of activities, which could be related to work, sports, or everyday accidents. Muscle swelling is one of the conditions for which hot stone massages should not be an option. In fact, the increased heat could indeed worsen the swelling and the subsequent pain that the client feels. Cold Stones, on the other hand, help to spread the swelling throughout the circulatory and lymphatic systems. It can serve as a means for reducing swelling and quickening the healing process.
Cold Stones can break the Pain-Spasm-Pain Cycle. In many cases of lasting (but not necessarily chronic) pain, the use of cold can interrupt the nocioceptive signal (pain signal). Breaking the pain cycle causes the chain to reset, providing enough relief to address the issue with other forms of massage, stretching or bodywork. Strategically placing cold stones on the body can help decrease the overall body temprature. Keep in mind, during a cold stone session at Rē, we use a minimum number of cold stones, so the client is not "schocked" or inappropriately surprised by the sudden change in temprature. Also, not all of the stones used are the typical white marble or alabaster.
Jade Rollers
Jade rollers have been used for ceturies on issues ranging from facial swelling, myofacial distortions, and excessively tight musculature. Most people remark how cooling and smooth the jade is. Also, because of the size and structure of the Jade Roller, excessive force cannot be placed on the instrument, therefore it is very unlikely to cause damage to the skin or underlying muscles. Jade rollers can help to revitalize body parts, especially the face by Rēducing puffy eyes, Rēlieving tired eyes, and Lowering sinus pressure.