This blog post is part two of a series in partnership with Elamar Skin Science. All services and products were complementary but all opinions and experiences are my own.
Photo courtesy of Canva
When my friends at Elamar Skin Science suggested I come in for a hot stone massage, I jumped at the offer. I have had many regular massages before and loved them, but never one involving hot stones.
When I arrived for my appointment, I was greeted by Elamar’s friendly staff. My therapist asked a few questions (Was I having any issues? No. Was I just there to relax? Yes.) and then informed me she would be doing a LaStone massage. The LaStone massage uses a combination of hot and cold basalt stones to cleanse your body and rejuvenate your blood flow. Alternating the hot and cold stones stimulates the circulatory system and has an invigorating effect.
My therapist told me that I would feel so relaxed I would enter into a meditative state. I have a very hard time getting fully relaxed, so I just nodded at this statement but, honestly, I was thinking, “Yea, right.”
Once I was settled onto the table in a face-up position, she gently placed hot stones underneath my back. The stones were arranged on either side of my spine and spaced evenly, so it was not at all uncomfortable. She then placed a few cold stones on my belly and chest area. The last stone was placed between my eyebrows. At this point, I could literally feel my blood rushing through my veins. It was the best, weirdest feeling I’ve ever had.
The therapist started with my legs, using a combination of her hands and hot stones to massage the muscles. When she finished with each leg, she left the hot stone lying against the sole of my foot. Next, she moved to my arms and repeated the entire process. Following this, the therapist had me roll over so that I was lying face down and rearranged the stones. She continued to massage my back, neck, and arms in the same manner as before.
I made the mistake of leaving my phone on (instead of on silent) and it went off with a weather alert about halfway through my massage. At this point, I was so relaxed that a tornado itself couldn’t have gotten me off that table. I forced my eyes open at one point to make sure I wasn’t drooling–that’s how relaxed I was. That meditative state she had mentioned? I was totally and unexpectedly there.
When I tell you that this was the best, most relaxing massage I have ever had, I am not exaggerating. (If you are having muscle issues, this may not or may not be the massage for you. If you want a wonderfully relaxing experience, you need this hot stone massage in your life.)
I loved how refreshed I felt as I was leaving the office. Typically, I feel drowsy following a massage. Not so with this one. At the end of my session, the therapist executed what she called “the chase”. She started at the sole of one foot, ran up my body to my shoulders, across and back down to the sole of the other foot with first a cold stone and then a hot stone. It wasn’t necessarily comfortable, but had she not used this technique I believe she would have had an extremely hard time getting me off that table!
If you ever have the chance to experience a hot stone massage, go for it. If you are in the area, I whole-heartedly suggest Babette at Elamar Skin Science! Tell them I sent you =)
