Stone massage is a wonderful way to assist in muscle relaxation.  The warmth of the stones helps the client's mental relaxation as well.  It is a wonderfully soothing experience.  Stone massage can be adapted to both trigger point/reflex massage therapy as well as Swedish-style massage therapy.

Deciding How Many Stones You Will Need

For any type of stone massage many therapists like to lay the stones on top of the client and/or have the client lay on top of the stones.  These placement stones can vary in size from very small stones used on the face or between the fingers and toes to large stones that are placed on the abdomen, sacrum, back, thighs and buttocks. Some therapists use stones to place in the hands and on the feet as well.

Decide where you would like to place the stones and make a list of the number and size stones you will need. 

Most stone massage is done using smooth gliding strokes.  For each part of the body I usually use between 1-4 stones depending upon how much time I need to spend.  As I use a stone, I rotate it so that the client feels the warmth of the stone on both sides.  The stone cools evenly and then is replaced by a new warm stone.  You may use 2 per arm and 3 - 4 per leg. You may want to use 4 - 6 on the back. Plan on several stones for the feet. 

Deep Tissue Stone Use

If you do deep tissue massage, you can easily adapt stone massage to this routine.  Special stones for deep tissue are ablong and rounded on the ends.  Use these stones to trace energy meridians or to work trigger points.  Smaller rounded trigger point stones are wonderful for the feet.  The can be rubbed on the side and/or used on the ends.

To be continued!!